NFL Playoffs 2018-19: AFC, NFC Bracket Predictions, Odds for Dolphins and More

It is going to take another miracle if the Miami Dolphins want to make the NFL playoffs.

Despite their improbable Week 14 victory over the Patriots, Miami took a giant step backwards with a 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1) on Sunday to drop to 7-7. 

The Dolphins now face an uphill battle in order to reach the postseason, needing to leapfrog the Baltimore Ravens (8-6), Tennessee Titans (8-6) and Indianapolis Colts (8-6) with just two games remaining. 

Oddsmakers have put the Dolphins at +1000 to make the playoffs, but a favorable schedule over the final two games gives Miami a glimmer of hope. 

The Dolphins host the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10) this weekend and close the season on the road against the Buffalo Bills (5-9), which may be a tougher game than it looks against a divisional foe in the cold. 

The Dolphins are also still mathematically alive in the AFC East, but they would need to win out while the New England Patriots (9-5) lose to the Bills and Jets (4-10) at home.

However, if the New England Patriots, Colts (vs. New York Giants [5-9]) and Titans (vs. Washington Redskins [7-7]) all win this weekend, it will not matter what Miami does, as it will be eliminated from the playoffs. 

As for the rest of the NFL, Week 15 saw a wrench get thrown into the playoff picture that should create a chaotic finish. That's especially true in the AFC, where the Los Angeles Chargers (11-3) beat the Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) in Week 14, the Patriots are in danger of missing a first-round bye and five teams are vying for the final wild-card spot, including the Cleveland Browns (6-7-1), who refuse to go down quietly. 

Predictions

AFC: 1. Chargers 2. Patriots  3. Houston Texans 4. Pittsburgh Steelers 5. Chiefs 6. Colts 

Yes, the Chargers are the top seed, and that is not a mistake. While the Chiefs have the top spot in the AFC at the moment, they are going to regret not being able to put away the Chargers on Thursday Night Football last week.

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

Kansas City must head on the road in a tough environment against the Seattle Seahawks (8-6) in Week 16 before getting the Raiders (3-11) in Week 17. The Chargers also have a tough matchup in Week 16 against the Ravens before heading to Denver to face the Broncos (6-8) in Week 17.

The Chargers have answered every challenge they have had this season and are playing their best football at the right time, and they are in a great position to thwart the Chiefs for the No. 1 overall seed.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have an easier remaining schedule (vs. Bills, vs. Jets) than the Houston Texans (@ Philadelphia Eagles [7-7], vs. Jaguars), so if Houston (10-4) goes 1-1, New England will still get the tiebreaker edge because of its Week 1 head-to-head victory, staving off any fears Patriots fans may have of missing a first-round bye for the first time since 2009.

In the AFC North, the Steelers (8-5-1) must head to New Orleans (12-2) in Week 16 where the Saints are 5-1 before coming back home against the Bengals (6-8) to close the season. The Ravens have a realistic chance of losing out their final two games of the season on the road against the red-hot Chargers before hosting a Browns team that is playing with a chip on its shoulder.

Baltimore has the safety net of the wild card, but it must hold off the Colts. Indianapolis just dominated the Dallas Cowboys (8-6) 23-0 and get the Giants at home before a road game vs. the Titans that could potentially determine the final spot.

NFC: 1. Saints 2. Los Angeles Rams 3. Chicago Bears 4. Cowboys 5. Seahawks 6. Vikings 

Things are a little less chaotic over in the NFC. The Saints, Rams (11-3) and Bears (10-4) have all won their respective divisions, and with New Orleans' Monday Night Football win over the Carolina Panthers (6-8), the Saints should hold the top seed considering they won a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Rams.  

Los Angeles is not playing good football, though, after losing to the Eagles on Sunday, but it gets a soft finish to the season with the Arizona Cardinals (3-11) and San Francisco 49ers (4-10). 

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Bears have a two-game lead on the No. 3 spot with two games left, so they should be good there, but then we enter the NFC East.

The Cowboys have a one-game lead on the Eagles but have an easy schedule with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9) at home before going on the road vs. the Giants.

The Eagles host the Texans and are coming off a win against the Rams on the road. They are trying to regain some of that Nick Foles magic from last season and close the season on the road vs. Washington. 

Yet the Eagles’ wild-card competition, the Vikings, have a pretty easy path, with a Week 16 game on the road vs. the Lions (5-9) and Week 17 game at home against a Bears team that may rest their starters. Of course, the Vikings are always susceptible to a Kirk Cousins dud.

Playoff odds

Vikings -160

Titans -110

Ravens +130

Eagles +130

Colts +180

Washington +500

Dolphins +1000

*Odds via OddsShark