NFL Playoff Scenarios 2019: Reviewing Post-Week 16 AFC, NFC Picture, Bracket

The NFL's final week leaves plenty of postseason arrangements to finalize without an overbearing minefield of playoff scenarios.

With two open spots and no solidified seedings, the AFC picture looks particularly daunting at first glance. While some headaches will come from figuring out the various matchup possibilities, determining the AFC North, AFC South and last wild-card winners all involve straightforward outlines.

The NFC is simpler. Every division is now accounted for, and all roads lead through the Superdome. Since the Seattle Seahawks punched their ticket on Sunday night, that leaves one wild-card spot for two teams. An actual tie eliminates any tiebreaker aggravation.

None of the 15 remaining teams are distant longshots who need five or six outcomes to fall precisely their way. It doesn't get more complicated than a win and one other team losing. According to FiveThirtyEight's updated playoff odds, they all have more than a 15 percent chance of advancing beyond Week 17. 

Here are the updated NFL standings entering the regular season's final week.

NFL Playoff Picture

AFC 

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) - x

2. New England Patriots (10-5) - y

3. Houston Texans (10-5) - x

4. Baltimore Ravens (9-6)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) - x

6. Indianapolis Colts (9-6)

In the Hunt

7. Tennessee Titans (9-6)

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)

NFC

1. New Orleans Saints (13-2) - z

2. Los Angeles Rams (12-3) - y

3. Chicago Bears (11-4) - y

4. Dallas Cowboys (9-6) - y

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-6) - x

6. Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1)

In the Hunt

7. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)

x=clinched playoff berth; y=clinched division; z=clinched home-field advantage

Cowboys Clinch NFC East; Eagles Stay Alive

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

After upsetting the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15, the Philadelphia Eagles withstood a Houston Texans rally to keep their season alive. On the verge of squandering a 13-point edge, they instead salvaged a 32-29 win behind a last-second field goal from Jake Elliott.

Looking to lead another improbable winter run, Nick Foles has compiled 741 yards in two starts.

He accounted for most of them in Sunday's record-setting showing:

The defending Super Bowl champions can only hope for a wild-card berth, as the Dallas Cowboys cemented their third division title in five years with a 27-20 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are officially buckled into the NFC's No. 4 seed.

Seattle can book a Wild Card Weekend date at Dallas by defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. Although the Seahawks can slide from the No. 5 to 6 seed at worst, it behooves them to avoid an encounter with the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Rams.

While the Minnesota Vikings hold the narrow edge, they can't rest easy following Sunday's 27-9 win over the Detroit Lions. They close the season against the Bears, who could still claim a first-round bye with a win and Rams loss.

The Eagles, meanwhile, draw Washington. Once the division leader, a cavalcade of injuries have led the squad to drop five of its last six games. FiveThirtyEight gives the Eagles a 31 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, but they can take a relative paved path to January football.

Patriots Produce Another AFC East Title

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Some readers may have assumed the New England Patriots had already clinched their 10th straight AFC East title. In the eyes of some fans, they already had it won in August.

Yet the back-to-back AFC champions delayed the achievement with consecutive losses to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. It marked the first time the perennial playoff participant dropped two games in a row since Weeks 12 and 13 of 2015. 

Although it wasn't pretty, the Patriots secured their 15th division crown in 16 years in a 24-12 win over the Buffalo Bills. (They missed the playoffs despite going 11-5 without Tom Brady in 2008.)

Heading into Week 16, New England looked likely to play on Wild Card Weekend for the first time since 2009. Houston's loss, however, puts Brady and Co. back into the second seed via a head-to-head-tiebreaker.

Their social-media team thanked a former foe for lending a helping hand:

The Patriots can once again skip to the divisional round with a Week 17 win over New York Jets, whose offense has sprung to life behind Sam Darnold in recent losses. Yet beating a 4-11 team at Gillette Stadium hardly seems like too tall a task.

Home-field advantage throughout the AFC bracket also remains in play after the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs both dropped to 11-4. They'd need to pair another win with losses from both AFC West contenders.

Colts and Titans Will Clash for Playoff Spot

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Four teams will compete for two AFC playoff seats. Fans, fortunately, do not need a Playoff Tiebreaker doctorate to comprehend the incomplete puzzle.

The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, who both improved to 9-6 by notching vital Week 16 wins, will face off this weekend. The winner is in. The loser is out. 

Andrew Luck, who led the Colts to a 28-27 victory after trailing 14-0 to the New York Giants, has never lost a game to Tennessee.

Per Titans.com's Jim Wyatt, safety Kevin Byard acknowledged the upcoming challenge:

"Andrew Luck has beat us something like 10 straight games. We have to do whatever it takes to win, because this will be like a playoff game again. I feel like the playoffs started for us a while back, and every single week we have to flush the game before and keep it moving. It's a survive-and-advance mentality, and we're surviving now and playing hard."

As a result of this matchup, the Steelers no longer have the wild card as a contingency plan. Following their crushing loss to the Saints, they can only claim a playoff ticket by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals while the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Cleveland Browns. 

Per FiveThirtyEight, Baltimore boasts an 84 percent likelihood of obtaining the AFC North crown. 

The Texans ended an otherwise rough Sunday by clinching a playoff spot because of Pittsburgh's defeat. Their scenarios are also pleasantly simple. Beating the Jacksonville Jaguars locks down the AFC South. If they falter to their 5-10 opponent at home, the Titans and Colts will instead play for the division.