NFL Playoff Schedule 2018: Bracket Dates and Updated AFC, NFC Scenarios

There is work to be done in the final week of the regular season, and all questions will be answered at the conclusion of Week 17.

There are two teams that are locked into their position as the final week of the regular season approaches. The New Orleans Saints are the top seed in the NFC, and they will play all their remaining games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome until they get to the Super Bowl, if they get that far.

The Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East when they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, and they are the fourth seed in the NFC playoff structure. They play at the New York Giants in Week 17, but they are not in a position to pass the third-seeded Chicago Bears.

Four teams in the AFC have clinched playoff positions, but none of the teams have locked into the positions. The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots are seeded first and second, respectively, heading into Week 17. However, both could end up playing during the wild-card weekend of Jan. 5 and 6 if they are not successful in the final regular-season game.

Here's a link to the full league standings heading into the final week of the regular season.

NFC Playoff standings

1. New Orleans Saints (13-2, clinched NFC South)

2. Los Angeles Rams (12-3, clinched NFC West)

3. Chicago Bears (11-4, clinched NFC North)

4. Dallas Cowboys (9-6, clinched NFC East)

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-6, clinched wild-card)

6. Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1)

7. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)

NFL Playoff Schedule

Wild Card Round: Saturday, Jan. 5 and Sunday, Jan. 6

Divisional Round: Saturday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan. 13

Conference Championships: Sunday, Jan. 20

Super Bowl LIII: Sunday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Where to Watch: The NFL postseason and all NFL broadcasts are available through fuboTV.

The Saints will not play in the opening weekend of the playoffs, while the Cowboy will participate.

The likelihood is that the Cowboys will host the Seahawks, who should finish as the No. 5 seed. They currently hold that spot, and their final regular-season game is at home against the last-place Arizona Cardinals. Russell Wilson and his teammates should not have a problem in that game.

Since the Cowboys are one of the most popular teams in professional sports, it seems likely they will host the night of Saturday, January 4. 

The Rams will clinch the No. 2 spot and avoid competition during the first weekend of the playoffs if they beat the San Francisco 49ers at home. If the Rams win or the Chicago Bears lose to the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears earn the No. 3 seed, meaning they would host a wild-card game against the No. 6 seed.

That means they would host the Minnesota Vikings or the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round. The Vikings go into the final weekend with a half-game lead over the Eagles, so they are in a win-and-in scenario, while the defending Super Bowl champions need the Vikings to lose and to beat the Washington Redskins on the road to get into the postseason.

The Bears could also face the Seahawks, if Seattle loses at home to the Cardinals and the Vikings win their final home game.

AFC Playoff Standings

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4, clinched playoffs)

2. New England Patriots (10-5, clinched AFC East)

3. Houston Texans (10-5, clinched playoffs)

4. Baltimore Ravens (9-6)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4, clinched playoffs)

6. Indianapolis Colts (9-6)

7. Tennessee Titans (9-6)

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)

The Chiefs have missed opportunities to clinch the AFC West and No. 1 seed in the conference by losing to the Chargers and Seahawks the past two weeks.

They host the Oakland Raiders in the regular-season finale, and a win in that game will give Kansas City the top spot in the division and the conference. While the high-scoring Chiefs should win that game, the Raiders have won three of their last six games, and the season finale may not be as easy as it appeared just a week or two ago.

The Chargers go to Denver to play the Broncos, and if they win and the Chiefs lose to the Raiders, the Chargers will take the No. 1 spot in the division and the conference. If that happens, the Chiefs would fall from the No. 1 spot to the No. 5 position as the conference's top wild-card team.

If the Chiefs hold onto the division title, the Chargers would remain as the AFC's fifth seed.

The Patriots can clinch the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff structure with a home win over the New York Jets. New England can claim an 8-0 home record with a victory in the final game, and that counters their head-scratching 3-5 road record.

New England has a slim chance at gaining the top seed if they win and the Chiefs and Chargers lose their final games.

The Patriots could slip to the No. 3 seed if they lose to the Jets and the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. A win over the Jaguars will clinch the AFC South for the Texans, who have lost two of three games after winning nine games in a row.

The Ravens have moved into first place in the AFC North after their impressive 22-10 triumph over the Chargers on the road in Week 16, and they will clinch the division title with a home win over the improving Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers, losers of four of their last five games, could pass the Ravens if they beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Ravens lose to the Browns. Pittsburgh has almost no chance of earning a wild-card spot. They would need to beat the Bengals and the game between the Colts and Titans would have to end up in a tie.

If that does not happen, the winner of the Indianapolis-Tennessee gets an invitation to the playoffs. The most likely scenario puts the victor in as the No. 2 wild-card team, but if the Texans lose to the Jaguars, the winner will take the AFC South title and Houston will be relegated to wild-card status.

Super Bowl Odds (per OddsShark)

Saints +250

Rams +390

Chiefs +450

Patriots +650

Bears +800

Chargers +1200

Ravens +1600

Cowboys +2500

Texans +2500

Vikings +2800

Seahawks +3300

Colts +4000

Steelers +4000

Titans +4000

Eagles +5000

The Saints have been the best team in the NFL most of the second half of the season, and they are favored to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy on the night of February 3 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Rams have struggled a bit in recent weeks after a brilliant first half of the season and they are the No. 2 choice to win the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs, who must win to gain the AFC's No. 1 seed, are the top AFC choice, followed by the Patriots.

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles are the longest shot on the board at +5000, since they need help to get into the postseason.