NFL Playoff Picture 2021: Dissecting AFC, NFC Scenarios Before Final Games

The 2020 NFL regular season all comes down to this: a 16-game slate Sunday, with seven of the 14 playoff berths and two division titles still up for grabs.

With an expanded postseason this year, seven teams from each conference will make the playoffs, and the AFC and NFC now have three wild-card berths apiece. And heading into Sunday, there are 18 teams that still have aspirations of making it to Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7.

Four of those teams are going to be eliminated from contention Sunday. And while two teams will get first-round byes (one of which has already been clinched by the Kansas City Chiefs), the other 12 will all be in action in the Wild Card Round, which gets underway Saturday.

Here's a look at the NFL playoff picture heading into the final day of the regular season, followed by a breakdown of the clinching scenarios for Week 17, courtesy of NFL.com.

Current NFL Playoff Picture

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

AFC

Division Leaders

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

2. Buffalo Bills (12-3, clinched AFC East)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3, clinched AFC North)

4. Tennessee Titans (10-5)

Wild-Card Leaders

5. Miami Dolphins (10-5)

6. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)

7. Cleveland Browns (10-5)

In the Hunt

8. Indianapolis Colts (10-5)

NFC

Division Leaders

1. Green Bay Packers (12-3, clinched NFC North)

2. New Orleans Saints (11-4, clinched NFC South)

3. Seattle Seahawks (11-4, clinched NFC West)

4. Washington Football Team (6-9)

Wild-Card Leaders

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5, clinched playoff berth)

6. Los Angeles Rams (9-6)

7. Chicago Bears (8-7)

In the Hunt

8. Arizona Cardinals (8-7)

The Dallas Cowboys (6-9) and New York Giants (5-10) are still alive in the NFC East race.

AFC South

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Titans clinch with: a win over the Houston Texans OR a Colts loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars OR a tie and a Colts tie.

Colts clinch with: a win and a Titans loss/tie OR a tie and a Titans loss.

The Tennessee Titans appear to be in a good spot to secure their first AFC South title since 2008. They just need to beat the Houston Texans, who have lost four consecutive games to fall to 4-11. Plus, the Titans already own a win over the Texans this season, having beat them 42-36 in overtime in Week 6.

The Indianapolis Colts are likely to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, although the Colts lost to the Jags 27-20 in their season opener. However, Jacksonville has since lost 14 straight games.

But the only way the Indianapolis can end up winning its first division title since the 2014 season is if the Titans also lose. So while there's a chance that happens, it doesn't seem to be the likeliest scenario.

AFC Wild Cards

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Titans clinch with: a Ravens loss to the Cincinnati Bengals OR a Dolphins loss to the Bills OR a tie and a Browns loss to the Steelers OR a tie and a Dolphins tie OR a tie and a Ravens tie.

Dolphins clinch with: a win OR a Ravens loss OR a Browns loss OR a Colts loss OR a tie and a Ravens tie OR a tie and a Browns tie OR a tie and a Colts tie OR a tie and a Titans loss.

Ravens clinch with: a win OR a Browns loss OR a Colts loss OR a tie and a Dolphins loss OR a tie and a Titans loss OR a tie and a Browns tie OR a tie and a Colts tie.

Browns clinch with: a win OR a Colts loss OR a Titans loss, a Dolphins win/tie and a Ravens win/tie OR a tie and a Ravens loss OR a tie and a Dolphins loss OR a tie and a Titans loss OR a tie and a Colts tie OR a tie, a Titans tie, a Ravens win and a Dolphins win.

Colts clinch with: a win and a Ravens loss/tie OR a win and a Browns loss/tie OR a win and a Dolphins loss/tie OR a tie and a Ravens loss OR a tie and a Browns loss OR a tie and a Dolphins loss.

If the Titans lose and the Colts win (which would give Indianapolis the AFC South title), then Tennessee could still make the playoffs as a wild-card team if either Baltimore or Miami loses. However, if the Titans win the division crown, then the Colts will need help to earn a wild-card berth.

The Dolphins, Ravens and Browns can all get into the playoffs with wins. They have all been eliminated from their respective division races, but they can secure wild-card berths with victories Sunday. And there are reasons to believe each team will do just that.

Miami and Cleveland are playing Buffalo and Pittsburgh, respectively. The Bills and Steelers are both division champions who will be hosting Wild Card Round games, but neither can get a first-round bye, so they could both be resting key starters. Pittsburgh has already announced that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won't be playing in Week 17.

Meanwhile, the Ravens are playing the Bengals, whom they beat 27-3 in Week 5. It's hard to imagine they won't beat them again, especially considering Baltimore has won four straight games.

If all five of these teams win in Week 17, they would all be 11-5, and the Colts would be the odd team out.

NFC No. 1 Seed

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Packers clinch with: a win/tie against the Chicago Bears OR a Seahawks loss/tie against the San Francisco 49ers.

Saints clinch with: a win over the Carolina Panthers and a Packers loss and a Seahawks win.

Seahawks clinch with: a win and a Packers loss and a Saints loss/tie.

The Green Bay Packers are the only one of these teams in control of their destiny, as a win over the Chicago Bears would give them the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks each need the Packers to lose in order to have an opportunity at the top seed.

The Saints will only get the No. 1 seed if these three teams end up tied at 12-4. The Seahawks need the regular season to end with just them and the Packers tied at 12-4.

Although Green Bay has had success against Chicago in recent years (winning 18 of the past 22 meetings between the teams, playoffs included), the Bears are in the thick of the NFC wild-card race and will be motivated to win. It could end up being a close game between these NFC North rivals.

NFC East

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

Washington clinches with: a win over the Philadelphia Eagles OR a tie and a Cowboys loss/tie to the Giants.

Cowboys clinch with: a win and a Washington loss/tie OR a tie and a Washington loss.

Giants clinch with: a win and a Washington loss.

No matter which of these three teams wins the division, the NFC East champion is guaranteed to have a sub-.500 record. Yet they will go on to host a Wild Card Round matchup as the No. 4 seed.

Washington is in first place and in control of the race. If it beats the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, it will win the NFC East title for the first time since the 2015 season. However, Washington will need to bounce back from a two-game losing streak.

If Washington loses again, then the NFC East crown will go to the winner of the matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, which is set to take place earlier in the day. Dallas won the first meeting between the teams 37-34 in Week 5, which was the game in which it lost star quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending ankle injury.

If Washington or Dallas wins the division, it would do so with a 7-9 record. New York can only win the NFC East if all three teams end up tied at 6-10.

NFC Wild Cards

Jennifer Stewart/Associated Press

Rams clinch with: a win/tie against the Cardinals OR a Bears loss/tie against the Packers.

Bears clinch with: a win OR a Cardinals loss OR a tie and a Cardinals tie.

Cardinals clinch with: a win OR a tie and a Bears loss.

All three of these teams can clinch an NFC wild-card berth with a win, but the Arizona Cardinals can only get in if they win. The Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears have a bit more room for error, although they can also take care of business with Week 17 victories.

Whichever team wins the matchup between Los Angeles and Arizona will get into the playoffs, but the Rams can get in even if they lose if the Bears also lose. L.A. is going to be short-handed, though, as quarterback Jared Goff (right thumb surgery), wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive lineman Michael Brockers (reserve/COVID-19 list) are out.

Rams backup quarterback John Wolford will make his NFL debut against the Cardinals.

The Bears face a tough matchup against the NFC North champion Packers, who will be looking to clinch the No. 1 seed. But Chicago could still get in if it loses if Arizona also loses.