With few things decided entering Week 17 of the 2018 season, we look at every NFL Playoffs clinching scenario from each conference.
Entering NFL Week 17, there are few things that are totally decided regarding the 2019 NFL Playoffs and the seeding for the postseason in both the AFC and NFC. In the former, eight teams remain alive and there is literally no seed that is set on that side of the bracket. For the NFC, seven teams remain alive, but only two seeds are certain.
The two teams that definitively know their fate heading into Week 17 in regards to the 2019 NFL Playoffs are the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys. The former is going to be the top seed in the NFC as they’ve already clinched that spot. Meanwhile, while the Cowboys are the NFC East winners, they are locked into the four-seed as there’s no way they can catch the Chicago Bears in front of them.
Having said that, there are teams that aren’t just playing for seeding, but are playing for their lives as a whole. For good measure, let’s look at the standings for teams still alive for the 2019 NFL Playoffs entering Week 17 (teams marked with an “x” have clinched at least a berth):
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) x
2. New England Patriots (10-5) x
3. Houston Texans (10-5) x
4. Baltimore Ravens (9-6)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) x
6. Indianapolis Colts (9-6)
7. Tennessee Titans (9-6)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)
NFC
1. New Orleans Saints (13-2) x
2. Los Angeles Rams (12-3) x
3. Chicago Bears (11-4) x
4. Dallas Cowboys (9-6) x
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-6) x
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)
So that’s where we stand heading into a Week 17 slate that is obviously loaded with playoff implications. To try and make sense of what could be a wild week, though, we’ll look at every playoff scenario that’s at play for NFL Week 17 in each conference.
We start with the AFC.