NFL Playoffs 2017: Final Standings for Each Conference

Looking at the AFC and NFC final standings heading into the 2017 NFL Playoffs

After 17 weeks that began in September, the 2016 NFL regular season has come to a close. With the Green Bay Packers defeating the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, the field for the 2017 NFL Playoffs is set. Now it’s time to get into postseason action—for 12 teams at least.

However, it’s always interesting to reflect on how the league as a whole—not just the teams in the NFL Playoffs—stacked up against one another. Obviously the seeding of division winners affects standings a bit, but it’s always intriguing to see just how close some teams came.

The aforementioned Lions are at the heart of a great example of that. The Washington Redskins lost and Tampa Bay Buccaneers won in Week 17, but could have made it into the playoffs had things played out differently either in their own games or elsewhere in the NFL. All that is to say that the race in the NFC was quite close.

Let’s take a look at the final standings for the 2017 NFL Playoffs and overall after the regular season, starting with the AFC (Playoff teams in bold):

AFC

More from NFL Spin Zone

1. New England Patriots / 14-2
2. Kansas City Chiefs / 12-4
3. Pittsburgh Steelers / 11-5
4. Houston Texans / 9-7
5. Oakland Raiders / 12-4
6. Miami Dolphins / 10-6
7. Tennessee Titans / 9-7
8. Denver Broncos / 9-7
9. Baltimore Ravens / 8-8
10. Indianapolis Colts / 8-8
11. Buffalo Bills / 7-9
12. Cincinnati Bengals / 6-9-1
13. New York Jets / 5-11
14. San Diego Chargers / 5-11
15. Jacksonville Jaguars / 3-13
16. Cleveland Browns / 1-5

It’s no shocker that the Patriots were able to secure the No. 1 overall seed, especially when it comes to the struggles many teams (the Raiders, specifically) faced coming into Week 17 to end the year. However, you have to feel for a team like the Titans that, had Marcus Mariota not gotten injured, may have been able to come back in Week 16 and then still beat Houston in Week 17. Then you have the Browns and Jaguars sadly sitting at the bottom. But with young talent in Jacksonville and picks galore for Cleveland, the future is at least bright.

NFC

More from NFL

1. Dallas Cowboys / 13-3
2. Atlanta Falcons / 11-5
3. Seattle Seahawks / 10-5-1
4. Green Bay Packers / 10-6
5. New York Giants / 11-5
6. Detroit Lions / 9-7
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 9-7
8. Washington Redskins / 8-7-1
9. Minnesota Vikings / 8-8
10. Arizona Cardinals / 7-8-1
11. New Orleans Saints / 7-9
12. Philadelphia Eagles / 7-9
13. Carolina Panthers / 6-10
14. Los Angeles Rams / 4-12
15. Chicago Bears / 3-13
16. San Francisco 49ers / 2-14

Clearly there are some lackluster teams at the bottom of the conference when it comes to the NFC. But when you talk about hot teams coming into the 2017 NFL Playoffs, it’s hard to top what they offer. The Packers, off their NFC North win, are coming into the postseason as the hottest team in football. Then you have probably the second hottest with the Giants. And that doesn’t even take into account teams like the Falcons and Seahawks (and even the Lions) that we know are dangerous. At the top, though, remains the rookie-led Cowboys. If there’s a bigger question than if the youngsters can keep it up in the playoffs or not, I’d love to hear it.

Next: NFL Black Monday 2017: Tracking Every Firing

So that’s the way the 2016 NFL season played out with the final standings in each conference as we head into the playoffs. There’s no more jostling for position or gruelingly long days of NFL action. Now it’s time for postseason football and the road to Super Bowl 51. Yeah, I can’t wait either.

Home/NFL