We know all six teams that will be part of the AFC playoffs, but the final day of the regular season still holds intrigue for four of those teams.
The top seed in the conference remains undecided, the Raiders and Chiefs are still in play for the AFC West title and the Dolphins could move up from the sixth seed. The Patriots will be the top seed with a win or a Raiders loss while the Raiders will be the top seed with a win and a Patriots loss.
A win would also make the Raiders the AFC West champs while the Chiefs will take the title with a win and an Oakland loss. The Chiefs could also fall to the sixth seed with a loss and a Dolphins win.
The NFC has a few more moving parts.
FALCONS
The Falcons will be the second seed in the conference with a win. They could also get the No. 2 spot with a tie and a Seahawks loss or tie, a Seahawks loss coupled with a Lions loss or tie and a Seahawks tie coupled with a Lions loss.
SEAHAWKS
The NFC West champs could leapfrog the Falcons with a win while Atlanta loses or ties against the Saints. They’d also be No. 2 if they tie, the Falcons lose and the Packers/Lions game ends in a tie, which would be an entertaining if highly unlikely combination of events.
LIONS
The Lions win the NFC North by beating the Packers and they can get a first round bye if the Falcons lose and the Seahawks lose or tie alongside their win. They can lose to the Packers and make the playoffs if the Redskins lose or tie against the Giants.
PACKERS
They’re the division champs with a win or tie and they’re in the playoffs with a Redskins loss. They could also make it if the Redskins tie, the Buccaneers win and at least one of the Eagles, Jaguars, Seahawks or Texans win that would give them the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Buccaneers.
REDSKINS
As long as the Lions and Packers don’t tie, the Redskins would be in as a Wild Card with a win. If the Redskins tie, they’d need the Packers to lose and the Bucs to lose or tie so the front door is the best option available.
BUCCANEERS
The only route into the playoffs for the Bucs is a win coupled with a Redskins tie, Packers loss and wins by the Titans, Colts, Cowboys and 49ers so it looks like it will be wait til next year in Tampa.
If both the Falcons and Seahawks win, the Seahawks will be the No. 3 seed and the NFC North winner will be in the fourth spot. If the Seahawks lose, they’ll be the No. 4 seed as they’ll either have fewer wins than the other division winners or lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Packers in the event of a tie on Sunday night.
