NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: AFC, NFC Scenarios, Predictions for 2017 Postseason

Week 16 of the 2017 NFL season hasn't kicked off, but things are already heating up in the race for a final playoff berth.

The wild card races in both the AFC and NFC are full of teams hovering around the .500 mark with just two games remaining in the regular season for every team. But while there are teams looking to claw their way into the postseason with everything they've got, some teams near the top of their respective conferences are still in the hunt for home-field advantage.

There's a lot to process and keep in mind as this weekend's slate of games gets underway, so let's take a quick look at the current playoff seedings and outlook for each conference as of Wednesday morning.

AFC

Division Leaders 

1. New England (11-3)

2. Pittsburgh (11-3)

3. Jacksonville (10-4) 

4. Kansas City (8-6) 

Wild-Card Race 

5. Tennessee (8-6)

6. Buffalo (8-6)

7. Baltimore (8-6)

8. Los Angeles Chargers (7-7) 

9. Oakland (6-8) 

10. Miami (6-8) 

NFC

Division Leaders 

1. Philadelphia (12-2)

2. Minnesota (11-3) 

3. Los Angeles Rams (10-4)

4. New Orleans (10-4) 

Wild-Card Race

5. Carolina (10-4) 

6. Atlanta (9-5) 

7. Detroit (8-6) 

8. Seattle (8-6) 

9. Dallas (8-6)

Before going into a brief overlook at each conference's playoff picture, here's a complete playoff scenario list for each team in the hunt for the postseason, courtesy of NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano:

AFC

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

From the top down, everything is still up for grabs in the AFC.

Starting with the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage, the top seed in the AFC is still there for the taking as the Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills on Christmas Eve.

The Patriots will look to create some distance from the Steelers atop the conference with a win over the Bills, but don't expect the Bills to roll over easily as they try to improve to 9-6 on the season.

The Patriots should come out victorious in this one, however, essentially ending Buffalo's shot at a wildcard berth going into Week 17. 

Falling to the Patriots last week was rough for the Steelers, who will be without the services of Antonio Brown after he went down with a calf injury, but look for the Steelers to lean on Martavis Bryant and Le'Veon Bell to pick up the slack and beat the Houston Texans to improve to 12-4 on the season, the same record as the Patriots.

The Patriots and Steelers both have to win to keep the dark horse of the conference, the Jacksonville Jaguars, from playing spoilers.

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Already with a victory over Pittsburgh this season, the Jaguars are an interesting team that could find itself in the hunt for the Super Bowl when it's all said and done. But first, they will take on the 4-10 San Francisco 49ers.

The Jaguars have already qualified for the playoffs but will knock off the 49ers to remain in the hunt for a bye week during Wild Card weekend. 

In the hunt for the Wild Card, the Tennessee Titans will fall out of the race when they lose to the Los Angeles Rams this weekend, while the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers look to elevate themselves into the final two playoff spots with wins in Week 16 over the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, respectively. 

NFC

Paul Bereswill/Getty Images

One might assume that things are a little less murky on the NFC side of things, but that's not necessarily the case.

While it was normal to predict the Philadelphia Eagles to fall off with Carson Wentz going down for the season, there is plenty of optimism for Eagles fans that Nick Foles can continue the level of play he showcased in Week 15 to finish out the season.

The Eagles won't have an easy task against the playoff-hungry Oakland Raiders this Sunday, but look for Foles to guide his team to the best record in the NFC at 13-2 going into the final week of the NFL season. 

In the No. 2 spot, the Minnesota Vikings' task of beating the Green Bay Packers got a whole lot easier with Aaron Rodgers being placed on the IR again after getting roughed up a bit in his return against the Carolina Panthers in Week 14.

With the Packers out of the playoff race, the Vikings will put their divisional rival away with an impressive win this weekend, to hold off the 10-4 Rams for the final spot.

The biggest storylines in the NFC playoff race, however, occur in the wild card spots.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

The Seattle Seahawks are doing their best to stay in the hunt, but that 42-7 loss to the Rams in Week 14 hurt their chances in a big way. They'll need a lot of help and to beat the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, which they will do in convincing fashion in an effort to knock the Cowboys out of the playoff race despite the return of running back Ezekiel Elliott. 

The most intriguing divisional matchup of the weekend happens in the NFC South as the Saints take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Saints this season, so another win over New Orleans will put them in first place in the NFC South.

However, the Saints aren't going to let the Falcons walk all over them.

Look for New Orleans to run down Atlanta's throats with a heavy dose of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to secure their spot in the playoffs, improving to 11-4 on the season.

The Falcons will still be in the hunt for a playoff berth even after losing this weekend to the Saints, but it will be tough as the Panthers should be able to take care of business against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Detroit Lions should come out on top against the Cincinnati Bengals.