NFL Playoff Scenarios 2019: Complete Bracket Picture and AFC, NFC Odds

The New Orleans Saints have proved everything they needed to in the 2018 NFL regular season.

The Saints clinched the NFC West weeks ago and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.

As a result, the only thing that head coach Sean Payton has to be concerned with in the regular-season finale is an injury to a key player against the Carolina Panthers that impacts the team in the weeks to come.

In addition to this week's meaningless game, they will not play during the bye week, so it will be three weeks between games that matter. There are no guarantees either way when it comes to determining how that will impact the Saints' postseason chances.

The positive impact is the rest that the team will get, as it gives players a chance to rejuvenate. If the time off leads to rust, the Saints could have a sloppy effort when they host a divisional playoff game January 12 or 13 at the Superdome.

While the Saints and Dallas Cowboys—locked in with the NFC's No. 4 seed—have nothing to play for in the final week of the season, the other playoff teams and contenders have reason to fight this week.

We look at the playoff possibilities and postseason odds for all teams that still have a postseason pulse. Here's a link to the full league standings as Week 17 looms.

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)

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

The NFC West champions Rams are sitting in the No. 2 spot in the conference and will retain that position if they beat the San Francisco 49ers at home. A win in that game means the Rams will have a bye in the wild-card round and host a divisional playoff game.

If they lose, that will open things up for the Bears, who own the tiebreaker over the Rams as a result of Chicago's head-to-head victory over Los Angeles in Week 14.

The Bears go to Minnesota and have to beat the Vikings for that scenario to be possible. While the Bears want to win, the Vikings have to get the victory to assure themselves of a playoff spot.

If the Vikings lose, the Philadelphia Eagles can pass them for the second wild-card spot. The Eagles play the Washington Redskins on the road, and that appears to be a much easier assignment than the one facing the Vikings.

If the Eagles lose, Seattle will be the NFC's top wild-card team with a win over the Arizona Cardinals or a Minnesota loss. If the Seahawks lose that game and the Vikings beat the Bears, Minnesota will be the No. 1 wild-card team.

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 are in the same position they have been each of the last two weeks. If they win in Week 17 at home against the Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs win the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference.

They failed in that scenario in Week 15 at home against the Chargers and again in Week 16 on the road against the Seahawks.

This is a much easier assignment, but the Raiders are playing better in recent weeks. Head coach Jon Gruden has coached the Raiders to a 3-3 record in the last six weeks, and he called on the hatred between the Raiders and the Chiefs to inspire his team this week.

"We're playing good football in December. We have one opportunity left, and it's against the team that we hate the most, right guys? They don't like us either, so it's gonna be a lot of fun." Gruden said in the Oakland locker room after the Raiders' Week 16 win over the Denver Broncos.

If that motivation does not work and the Chiefs win as expected, the Chargers will be the No. 1 wild-card team in the AFC. If Oakland registers the upset, the Chargers will win the division and the AFC's top seed if they beat the Broncos in Denver. 

The Patriots earn the No. 2 seed with a home win over the New York Jets. The Pats have struggled in many areas compared to previous seasons, but they are 7-0 at home going into this game, while the Jets could part company with head coach Todd Bowles after this game.

The Houston Texans need to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars at home to clinch the AFC South. If they fail, they will fall to wild-card status, and the winner of the game between the Colts and Titans in Tennessee will emerge as the division champions.

If the Texans are victorious, the winner of the Colts-Titans matchup earns a playoff position as the AFC's No. 2 wild-card team.

The Baltimore Ravens are trying to hold off the Steelers in the AFC North. If that is going to happen, the Ravens need to beat the surging Cleveland Browns, who come into the final game with a chance to have a winning record this season.

That's a huge step for a team that was winless a year ago. 

If the Browns upset the Ravens, the Steelers can win the division title by beating the Cincinnati Bengals at home.

The Browns would love to hurt the Ravens, but the idea of helping the Steelers is distasteful. "It's kind of a messed-up situation," said wide receiver Rashard Higgins, per Tony Grossi of ESPN.com. "We don't want either one of them to go. But somebody has to go."

Super Bowl Odds (per OddsShark)

The Saints are favored to win the Super Bowl, and a strong case can be made to back them. OddsShark has listed New Orleans at +250, meaning a bet of $100 would return a profit of $250 if the Saints are successful.

They will play at home in the divisional playoffs and the NFC Championship Game if they get that far, and the Super Bowl will be held in the home of division rivals Atlanta Falcons February 3. The Saints have already won a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier this year.

The Rams are the second choice at +390, while the Chiefs are the top AFC choice at +450.

The defending Super Bowl champions Eagles are clinging to NFL life by their fingertips as they prepare for their regular-season finale against the Redskins. Philadelphia is the longest shot on the board at +5000.

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