NFL Playoff Picture 2018: Week 17 Scenarios, Standings and Predictions

The New England Patriots are one win away from earning home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, and the New York Jets don't appear to have the wherewithal to keep them from achieving that goal.

The two teams meet at Gillette Stadium Sunday, and while the Jets have overachieved to some degree this season, quarterback Josh McCown injured his hand on Dec. 10 and had season-ending surgery thereafter. Bryce Petty will get the start once again, and he will have to outplay counterpart Tom Brady if the Jets are going to record the upset.

That seems to be the most unlikely of scenarios, and it's hard to envisage the Jets staying in this game past halftime.

If the Patriots lose the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers can earn home-field advantage by beating the winless Cleveland Browns. The Steelers are assured of finishing no worse than second in the AFC playoff structure.

The AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars are the No. 3 seed in the AFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs are locked into the No. 4 seed as the AFC West champions.

The two AFC wild-card positions are still to be determined, but the Baltimore Ravens are in excellent shape to earn the No. 5 seed, as they host the Cincinnati Bengals in the season finale. If the Ravens win, they are in. The Tennessee Titans are sitting in the No. 6 spot, but they have a tough final game against the Jaguars.

If the Jaguars don't want to play the Titans in the regular-season finale and the wild-card game, they would be wise to beat Tennessee.

If that happens, that would open the door for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers host the Oakland Raiders, and if L.A. wins and Tennessee loses, Philip Rivers and Co. would get the No. 6 seed as long as either Baltimore wins or the Buffalo Bills lose.

The Bills can make the playoffs if they beat the Miami Dolphins on the road and the Ravens lose or if they win and the Titans and Chargers lose.

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and the Minnesota Vikings are one win away from clinching a bye and the No. 2 seed.

If the Vikings can beat the undermanned Chicago Bears at home, they earn the No. 2 seed. But if they lose, that could open the door for the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina would need to beat the Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints would have to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That's unlikely because the Saints will clinch the NFC South with a win over Tampa Bay.

The Los Angeles Rams can't pass the Vikings, and they will be playing during Wild Card Weekend, and the same situation holds for the Saints. The Rams have clinched the NFC West title, while the Saints can clinch the NFC South title with a win or a Carolina loss.

Carolina will finish as no worse than a wild-card team.

The final wild-card spot is between the Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. Atlanta has the tiebreaker since it beat Seattle earlier in the season, but if the Falcons lose to the Panthers and the Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle would take the No. 6 seed and earn a spot in the playoffs.

Predictions

New England and Pittsburgh will take the top two spots in the AFC playoffs, followed by the Jaguars and Chiefs. Look for the Ravens to get the top wild-card position and the Chargers to get the final spot. Tennessee is likely to lose to Jacksonville, while we see Los Angeles getting the best of Oakland.

On the NFC side, Philadelphia and Minnesota will take the top two spots, as the Vikings will take care of business against the Bears.

The Saints will beat the Bucs and move into the No. 3 spot because the Rams will lose their season finale to Jimmy Garoppolo and the suddenly red-hot San Francisco 49ers.

Carolina will take the top wild-card berth by beating the Falcons, and the Seahawks will consequently get the final spot because they will beat the Cardinals.