With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the NFC playoff field is nearly set. Drama has intensified in the AFC, where the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the race for the No. 1 seed and first-round
bye after an attention-grabbing win at Denver on Sunday.
Week 16 wraps Monday night at Indianapolis, where the Colts' desperation is palpable and the 49ers have all the motivation they need to bump their record to 11-4. That dangling carrot is the NFC's top seed, which is attainable for San Francisco with the Chicago Bears (11-4) and Seattle Seahawks (12-3) left to play in the final two weeks.
The Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, Rams and 49ers all have tickets to the NFC postseason party but the pecking order can stack multiple ways depending on outcomes over the next two weeks. Undecided are the NFC South entry -- Tampa Bay dropped a stride behind the Panthers with a 23-20 loss at Carolina on Sunday -- and the final wild-card spot.
The wild-card spot is still Green Bay's to lose. But it's complicated for the Packers, who have two hurting quarterbacks and a game with the Baltimore Ravens (7-8) to prepare for this week.
The Panthers (8-7) and Bucs (7-8) are set for one of the few possible win-and-in scenarios in Week 18. It will be a de facto division title game at Tampa unless the Dolphins trip up Baker Mayfield and the Bucs this week. Tampa is trending in the wrong direction with a 1-6 record since a Week 9 bye.
Here is the full playoff picture by conference as it stands Monday before the 49ers and Colts face off on "Monday Night Football."
--AFC Playoff Picture
1. Denver Broncos (12-3)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, AFC West
Up Next: at Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday, Dec. 25); vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Chargers won the first matchup, 23-20, in Week 3. Should Denver lose and finish with the same record as the Chargers, the Broncos could go from the No. 1 seed in the AFC to traveling to the No. 4 seed -- currently the Pittsburgh Steelers -- in the wild-card playoffs.
2. New England Patriots (12-3)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, AFC East
Up Next: at New York Jets (Dec. 28); vs. Miami Dolphins (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Finishing with two more wins and a 14-3 record would not assure the Patriots the No. 1 seed, but it would guarantee they can fall no lower than No. 2 in the conference.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4)
Status: First place, AFC South
Up Next: at Indianapolis Colts (Dec. 28); vs. Tennessee Titans (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Houston Texans, who split two games with Jacksonville, can still win the AFC South.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)
Status: First place, AFC North
Up Next: at Cleveland Browns (Dec. 28); vs. Baltimore Ravens (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: A statement win at Detroit gives the Steelers a chance to clinch the division at Cleveland on Sunday, but hold the noisemakers and confetti. Pittsburgh lost at Cleveland last season (24-19), in 2023 (13-10) and 2022 (29-17), last beating the Browns on the road on Halloween 2021.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
Status: Second place, AFC West
Up Next: vs. Houston Texans (Saturday, Dec. 27); at Denver Broncos (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: With seven wins in the past eight games, the Chargers are not yet assured a playoff spot but could still land any of the AFC's seven seed positions.
6. Buffalo Bills (11-4)
Status: Second place, AFC East
Up Next: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Dec. 28); vs. New York Jets (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Bills are 28-4 at home over the past four seasons.
7. Houston Texans (10-5)
Status: Second place, AFC South
Up Next: at Los Angeles Chargers (Saturday, Dec. 27); vs. Indianapolis Colts (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Texans are 13-4 in AFC South games since the start of the 2023 season and have won four consecutive games against the Colts.
--AFC, next in line
8. Indianapolis Colts (8-6): Hope leaves the building if the Colts lose to the 49ers on Monday night.
9. Baltimore Ravens (7-8): Unable to catch Houston, the Ravens are rooting against the Steelers at Cleveland. A Pittsburgh win eliminates Baltimore from the postseason.
--NFC Playoff Picture
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, AFC West
Up Next: at Carolina Panthers (Dec. 28); at San Francisco 49ers (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Alarmed by finishing the season with consecutive road games? Seattle is 13-2 in away games since 2024.
2. Chicago Bears (11-4)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, NFC North
Up Next: at San Francisco 49ers (Dec. 28); vs. Detroit Lions (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Bears are 9-1 outside the NFC North and 2-3 in division games this season.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5)
Status: Clinched NFC East, playoff spot
Up Next: at Buffalo Bills (Dec. 28); vs. Washington Commanders (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Philadelphia can move up to No. 2 if the Seahawks and Bears lose their final two games.
4. Carolina Panthers (8-7)
Status: First place, NFC South
Up Next: vs. Seattle Seahawks (Dec. 28); at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Panthers and Rams are both 6-4 against conference opponents, tied for the worst among the NFC's current playoff seeds.
5. Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; Second place, NFC West
Up Next: at Atlanta Falcons (Monday, Dec. 29); vs. Arizona Cardinals (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Rams play the primetime Week 17 finale on Monday night and are 0-2 in non-Sunday games this season.
6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; Third place, NFC West
Up Next: Monday at Indianapolis Colts; vs. Chicago Bears (Sunday, Dec. 28); vs. Seattle Seahawks (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Ready for primetime? We're about to find out. The 49ers play Monday night, face the Bears on "Sunday Night Football" and could be flexed into a third spotlight game -- to be determined -- to close the season against Seattle.
7. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
Status: Second place, NFC North
Up Next: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, Dec. 27); vs. Minnesota Vikings (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: If Minnesota beats Detroit on Christmas Day, the Packers clinch a wild-card spot. They can still get in the postseason field without winning either of their final two games.
--NFC, next in line
8. Detroit Lions (8-7): All of a sudden closer to fourth place in the NFC North than the playoffs after their loss to the Steelers.
9. Minnesota Vikings (7-8): Beating the Lions and Packers to end the season is not likely to be enough to push the Vikings into the playoffs.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8): No margin for error as the Bucs pull for a Panthers loss, then host Carolina in the Week 18 finale.
--Field Level Media
