NFL Playoff Picture 2021: Updated AFC, NFC Wild Card Bracket Ahead of Week 17

With an extra wild-card berth added to each conference, there will be 14 teams in the NFL playoffs this season. However, there are 18 teams still alive entering Week 17, meaning four teams that have postseason aspirations are going to come up short.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, there is still much to be decided in both the AFC and NFC.

In the AFC, only three teams have clinched playoff spots, and each did so by winning its division title: the Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West), Buffalo Bills (AFC East) and Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North). The other four spots are still up for grabs, and there are five teams, all of which are 10-5, battling for those berths.

In the NFC, four teams have clinched playoff berths. Three of them are division champions: the Green Bay Packers (NFC North), New Orleans Saints (NFC South) and Seattle Seahawks (NFC West). The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have also secured their spot as one of the three wild-card teams.

Here's a look at the NFL playoff picture, followed by several of the top storylines for Week 17. (All potential clinching scenarios are courtesy of NFL.com.)

Current NFL Playoff Picture

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

AFC

No. 1 seed: Kansas City Chiefs (14-1, clinched AFC West and top seed)

No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills (12-3, clinched AFC East) vs. No. 7 seed Cleveland Browns (10-5)

No. 3 seed Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3, clinched AFC North) vs. No. 6 seed Baltimore Ravens (10-5)

No. 4 seed Tennessee Titans (10-5) vs. No. 5 seed Miami Dolphins (10-5)

In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (10-5)

NFC

No. 1 seed: Green Bay Packers (12-3, clinched NFC North)

No. 2 seed New Orleans Saints (11-4, clinched NFC South) vs. No. 7 seed Chicago Bears (8-7)

No. 3 seed Seattle Seahawks (11-4, clinched NFC West) vs. No. 6 seed Los Angeles Rams (9-6)

No. 4 seed Washington Football Team (6-9) vs. No. 5 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5, clinched playoff berth)

In the hunt: Arizona Cardinals (8-7), Dallas Cowboys (6-9), New York Giants (5-10)

Where Will Titans, Colts End Up in AFC Playoff Picture?

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

There's a wide swing of possibilities for where both the Titans and Colts could end up after Week 17. Both teams are still alive in the battle for the AFC South crown, and one will win the title. Whichever of the two doesn't win it could still be a wild-card team, or they could end up missing the playoffs completely.

Despite losing to the Packers in Week 16, the Titans remain in control in the division race. They can win the AFC South title with a win over the Houston Texans in Week 17. Tennessee would also become the division champions if Indianapolis loses to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A win isn't good enough for the Colts to win the AFC South, as they'll also need the Titans to lose or tie. Indianapolis would also win the division with a tie and a Tennessee loss.

As long as the Ravens (at the Cincinnati Bengals) or Dolphins (at the Bills) lose, the Titans will be in the playoffs. If that happened in a scenario in which Indianapolis wins the division, then Tennessee would end up as a wild-card team.

The Titans would miss the playoffs if they lose and the Colts, Dolphins and Ravens all win.

Indianapolis needs help even to secure a wild-card berth. It needs a win and a loss/tie from either Miami, Baltimore or Cleveland (vs. Pittsburgh). Or the Colts would get in with a tie and a loss from any of those three teams.

Can Washington Take Care of Business in NFC East Battle?

Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press

Washington is on a two-game losing streak, enters Week 17 with a 6-9 record and just released quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., its first-round draft pick from 2019. Yet it could still end up as the NFC East champions.

Not only that, but Washington remains in control in the division race. All it needs to do to win the NFC East crown is to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on the road on Sunday night. Washington beat Philadelphia 27-17 in Week 1, but both teams now have different starting quarterbacks (Jalen Hurts for the Eagles and either Alex Smith or Taylor Heinicke for Washington).

If Washington loses, it's out of the playoffs. So, while it's in control of its own destiny, there's no scenario in which it can lose and still reach the postseason, meaning the pressure is certainly on.

Should Washington lose, then the winner of the Giants-Cowboys game would be the division champions. That means either New York or Dallas is going to be victorious on Sunday afternoon and then will have to wait to see what happens in the other NFC East game before knowing whether it will be heading to the playoffs.

The Cowboys (6-9) and Giants (5-10) are both out of the wild-card race, so this is the only way either team could still get into the postseason.

Browns Looking to End Longest Active NFL Playoff Drought

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

The Browns could have clinched a playoff berth in Week 16 with a win over the New York Jets, who entered that matchup with a 1-13 record. However, Cleveland lost 23-16. And now, it's still possible that the longest active postseason drought in the NFL could continue.

The last time the Browns made the playoffs was in the 2002 season. None of the other 31 NFL teams have an active drought that dates back farther than the 2010 campaign.

Fortunately for the Browns, they control their own postseason destiny. If the beat the Steelers at home, they'll be one of the AFC's three wild-card teams. And Pittsburgh announced Tuesday that it will be sitting Ben Roethlisberger and starting Mason Rudolph at quarterback (because it has nothing at stake), so that could bode well for Cleveland.

If the Browns lose, they'd still get into the playoffs if the Colts lose to the Jaguars (which is unlikely) or in the scenario in which the Titans lose, the Dolphins win/tie and the Ravens win/tie. That's asking for a good bit of help, so Cleveland can keep things simple by just winning its game.

The Browns could also get into the playoffs with a tie and a loss by either the Dolphins or Ravens or a Colts tie. They'd also get in with a tie, a Titans tie and wins by the Dolphins and Ravens.