NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: AFC, NFC Scenarios, Patriots Predictions and More

It's been a bit of an odd season for New England Patriots fans and an exciting one for everyone else. New England has already lost five games, which is the most since 2009. The Pats still have a shot at the No. 2 seed in the AFC, though, but they need help.

In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints have control of the No. 1 seed with two weeks left. Due to their head-to-head win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Saints only need to go 1-1 down the stretch to take the top spot.

There's a lot that can still happen in the playoff race with just 32 games left to play. To this point, only five teams—the Saints, Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears—have locked up playoff spots.

How do things stand? What wackiness can still happen? Let's take a look.

Week 16 Playoff Picture

AFC Division Leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3)

2. Houston Texans (10-4)

3. New England Patriots (9-5)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1)

Wild Card

5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-3)

6. Baltimore Ravens (8-6)

In the Hunt

7. Indianapolis Colts (8-6)

8. Tennessee Titans (8-6)

9. Miami Dolphins (7-7)

10. Cleveland Browns (6-7-1)

NFC Division Leaders

1. New Orleans Saints (12-2)

2. Los Angeles Rams (11-3)

3. Chicago Bears (10-4)

4. Dallas Cowboys (8-6)

Wild Card

5. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)

6. Minnesota Vikings (7-5-1)

In the Hunt

7. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)

8. Washington Redskins (7-7)

9. Carolina Panthers (6-8)

The NFC is (Sort of) Set at the Top

Jason E. Miczek/Associated Press

As previously mentioned, the Saints and Rams are the two teams really in the running for the top spot. The Bears have a slim shot at the No. 1 seed, though, and they have a legitimate shot at the No. 2.

If the Rams lose to either the Arizona Cardinals or the San Francisco 49ers while Chicago wins out, the Bears will steal the No. 2 spot. These three teams, however, are the only ones who can finish with a first-round bye.

The Dallas Cowboys only need one more win to clinch the NFC East and do still have a shot at the No. 3 seed. The Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings can both slip into the postseason by winning out. Seattle can also get in by beating Arizona in Week 17.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins both still have chances at the NFC East crown, but they'll need to win out while Dallas loses out. A wild-card berth is much more likely for Philadelphia and Washington.

The Carolina Panthers are still in the hunt, but they have just the slimmest of chances.

New England Faces Several Possibilities

Losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers could be disastrous for the Patriots. A win would have locked up the AFC East and kept the Patriots in position for a first-round bye. This is a problem because New England has been terrible on the road (3-5) this season.

"Obviously what we're doing isn't good enough," quarterback Tom Brady said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "Some things are a little more challenging on the road, and you have to embrace those things. We just haven't done a great job of that."

As things stand, New England is guaranteed just one game at Gillette Stadium in the postseason. Winning two road games in the playoffs is hard, and it's not something the Patriots have ever done en route to the Super Bowl.

Of course, New England can take back the No. 2 seed if the Houston Texans lose a game and the Patriots win out. New England won the head-to-head matchup in Week 1. At the same time, though, the Patriots still haven't clinched the AFC East. They can potentially cede the division to the Miami Dolphins by losing out.

Depending on how things unfold, New England could enter the postseason as the No. 2, the No. 3, the No. 4 or the No. 6 seed. Because the Chargers and Chiefs (both 11-3) are vying for the AFC West, the one who loses out will be essentially locked into No. 5.

The Patriots could also miss the playoffs entirely.

Cleveland (?!) Still Has a Shot—a Slim One

We said we'd dive into some wackiness, and that's exactly what it would take for the Cleveland Browns to get into the postseason.

To get in, the Browns need the Baltimore Ravens to lose out. They also need the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans to both finish 8-7-1. 

If the Browns, Titans and Colts all do finish 8-7-1, though, Cleveland would win the tiebreaker based on common opponents.

Unlikely? It sure is. However, Baker Mayfield leading Cleveland to this point with two games left has to be exciting for Browns fans.

The Titans and Colts, on the other hand, can get in by winning out as long as Baltimore loses at least one game. With the surging Chargers next on the schedule for the Ravens, that could very well happen.