NFL Playoffs 2019: Predictions for AFC, NFC Bracket and Seeds

The late Tom Petty sang about "the waiting being the hardest part," and the Kansas City Chiefs hope that is exactly the case.

The Chiefs had the chance to clinch the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference way back at the start of Week 15 when they hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in a Thursday night game.

Kansas City had the lead through much of the game, but the Chargers came through in the fourth quarter and Philip Rivers ended up wresting that game away from Patrick Mahomes and his teammates.

That loss hurt, but the Chiefs had a chance to make up for it the following Sunday in Seattle. However, they fell short to the hard-charging Seahawks by a 38-31 score.

Kansas City is back home Sunday for the regular-season finale with the Oakland Raiders. Despite the back-to-back losses, it is still in a position to win the division and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Chiefs should have a relatively easy task since the Raiders have struggled most of the year, but Jon Gruden's team is playing much better now than it did at the start of the season.

We will look at all the key playoff possibilities heading into the final week of the season. Here's a look at the standings as Week 17 looms.

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 Patriots have the No. 2 position in the AFC playoff structure after clinching the AFC East last week with a win over the Buffalo Bills, and they need a home win over the New York Jets this week to assure themselves of that position and a bye in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

That's the position that the Patriots are used to finding themselves in, and while they have struggled at several moments this season, that week off would help Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the rest of the offense catch their breath and prepare for a home playoff game the following week.

If they lose, they open the door for the Houston Texans to regain the top spot. The Texans have lost two of their last three games after a nine-game winning streak, and they need a win in their season finale at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars to clinch the AFC South title.

If they lose that game, the winner of the Sunday night showdown between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans will win the division. If the Texans get the victory they need, the Indianapolis-Tennessee winner will earn the No. 2 wild-card position.

The Los Angeles Chargers have the same 11-4 record the Chiefs do in the AFC West, but the Chargers sit in second place because their divisional record is 3-2, while Kansas City's is 4-1. If the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos on the road and the Chiefs lose at home to the Oakland Raiders, then Los Angeles will win the division and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

If that does not happen, the Chargers will be the No. 5 seed as the AFC's No. 1 wild-card team.

The Baltimore Ravens moved into first place in the AFC North in Week 16 when they beat the Chargers in Los Angeles while the Steelers were defeated by the New Orleans Saints. The Ravens will win the division title with a win over the hard-charging Cleveland Browns, while the Steelers need the Browns to upset the Ravens and they also need to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.

If the Ravens win, the only way the Steelers can make the playoffs is to beat the Bengals while the Indianapolis-Tennessee game ends in a tie. That unlikely result would give the Steelers the No. 2 wild-card position.

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)

The NFC situation is somewhat more straightforward than the AFC scenario.

The Saints have earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, while the Cowboys are locked in at No. 4 spot. Neither one of those teams can help or hurt themselves this weekend.

The Los Angeles Rams have clinched the NFC West and have the No. 2 seed in the playoff structure, and they will assure themselves of that spot and a bye in the first round of the playoffs if they beat the San Francisco 49ers at home.

If they lose and the third-seeded Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings on the road, the Bears will get the No. 2 seed while the Rams will slip to third.

The Seahawks clinched a playoff spot with their Week 16 victory over the Chiefs, and they will hold on to the No. 5 seed if they beat the Arizona Cardinals or the Vikings lose to the Bears.

Minnesota will clinch a wild-card spot with a win over Chicago or a Philadelphia loss on the road to the Washington Redskins. However, if the Eagles win and the Vikings lose, the defending champions will earn a spot in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

If the Seahawks lose and the Vikings win, Minnesota will be the No. 1 wild-card team.

Predictions

The Chiefs will beat the Raiders at home and earn the AFC West crown and top seed in the conference, while the Jets will not provide much opposition for the Patriots.

Houston will hold on to the AFC South title and the third seed with a win over the Jaguars, while Baltimore beats the Browns with a strong second half and wins the AFC North.

The Chargers must settle for the top wild-card spot, while Andrew Luck and the Colts will beat the Titans on the road to gain the final AFC playoff spot.

The Rams will beat the Niners to lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC, while the Seahawks will have little trouble with the Cardinals

The Bears may want to win the season finale, but the Vikings have to get the victory if they are going to earn a playoff spot. Minnesota comes up with a strong fourth quarter to beat the Bears.

Predicted AFC playoff seeds

1. Kansas City

2. New England

3. Houston

4. Baltimore

5. L.A. Chargers

6. Indianapolis

Predicted NFC playoff seeds

1. New Orleans

2. L.A. Rams

3. Chicago

4. Dallas

5. Seattle

6. Minnesota