NFL Playoff Scenarios 2019-20: AFC, NFC Picture, Wild-Card Odds Before Week 16

The NFL playoff bracket is slowly starting to take shape, with a number of divisional winners confirmed and the list of post-season hopefuls further diminished.

In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs are the champions of the North and West divisions respectively, with the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots also secure in the postseason picture.

In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints are the South winners, while the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks have all done enough to clinch playoff places. 

It means there are four more places to play for in the remaining weeks of the season, and Week 16 will be packed with drama as a result.

Here is how the playoff picture is shaping up across the league, as well as a closer look at the teams still seeking to prolong their Super Bowl hopes.

Week 16 Fixtures

Houston at Tampa Bay

Buffalo at New England

L.A. Rams at San Francisco

Baltimore at Cleveland

Carolina at Indianapolis

Cincinnati at Miami

Pittsburgh at N.Y. Jets

Jacksonville at Atlanta

New Orleans at Tennessee

N.Y. Giants at Washington

Detroit at Denver

Oakland at L.A. Chargers

Arizona at Seattle

Dallas at Philadelphia

Kansas City at Chicago

Green Bay at Minnesota

AFC Playoff Picture

Baltimore Ravens (12-2, AFC North winner)

New England Patriots (11-3, AFC East leader)

Kansas City Chiefs (10-4, AFC West winner)

Houston Texans (9-5, AFC South leader)

Buffalo Bills (10-4)

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)

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Tennessee Titans (8-6)

Cleveland Browns (6-8)

Oakland Raiders (6-8)

In Week 15, the Bills ensured they would be in playoffs when they got the better of the Steelers, improving to 10-4 for the season. 

Per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques, quarterback Josh Allen was clearly delighted following the 17-10 win in Pittsburgh:

Next up for Allen and his team will be a showdown with division rivals New England, with a win for Buffalo enough for them to pull level with the Super Bowl champions.

The defeat for the Steelers puts their playoff chances in some jeopardy. Winning out would be enough for them to secure a wild-card berth, although after a winnable Week 16 clash with the New York Jets, they visit Baltimore in the final week of the regular season.

NFL broadcaster Andrew Filipponi still thinks the Steelers will have enough in the tank:

The Titans will be out to capitalise if they don't, although they'll need to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Houston on Sunday.

The two go head-to-head again in the final week of the regular season, with Tennessee needing to beat the Saints to keep their chances of a divisional win or wild-card alive.

NFC Playoff Picture

Seattle Seahawks (11-3, NFC West leader)

Green Bay Packers (11-3, NFC North leader)

New Orleans Saints (11-3, NFC South winner)

Dallas Cowboys (7-7, NFC East leader)

San Francisco 49ers (11-3)

Minnesota Vikings (10-4)

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Los Angeles Rams (8-6)

Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)

The race for the NFC East will take centre stage in Week 16, with the Eagles and the Cowboys poised to face off at Lincoln Financial Field with identical records.

At the moment, it's the Cowboys who have the advantage by virtue of their 37-10 win over Philadelphia in October. Another win over the Eagles would give Dak Prescott and his side the NFC East crown on Sunday.

For the Cowboys, being in this position of strength comes after they got back to winning ways in their last fixture, with their 44-21 success against the Rams their first victory in four games. It was a win that came on the back of brilliant rushing displays from Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard:

Dallas will need to hit those heights again if they're to overcome the Eagles though, with the home crowd set to be hostile for this encounter.

Carson Wentz was on fire last time out too, throwing three touchdowns and for 266 yards in the 37-27 win at Washington. Per NBC's John Clark, the quarterback stepped up in clutch moments on Sunday:

Elsewhere, the Vikings can guarantee their playoff place with a victory over the Packers. A defeat for the Rams at the 49ers would also be enough for Minnesota to make the post-season.