The Rams fall from first to sixth

In Week 16, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams were the number one seeds in their conference. Both teams lost, proving that much can still change in the NFL standings. However, fourteen teams have already been eliminated from postseason contention, and time is running out for the teams on the bubble make a playoff push. So how does the NFL playoff picture stack up in Week 17?

AFC table

1. Denver Broncos, 12-3, AFC West
2. New England Patriots, 12-3, AFC East
3. Jacksonville Jaguars, 11-4, AFC South
4. Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-6, AFC North
5. Los Angeles Chargers, 11-4, AFC West
6. Buffalo Bills, 11-4, AFC East
7. Houston Texans, 10-5, AFC South
8. Indianapolis Colts, 8-7, AFC South
9. Baltimore Ravens, 7-8, AFC North
10. Kansas City Chiefs, 6-9, AFC West (eliminated)
11. Miami Dolphins, 6-9, AFC East (eliminated)
12. Cincinnati Bengals, 5-10, AFC North (eliminated)
13. New York Jets, 3-12, AFC East (eliminated)
14. Tennessee Titans, 3-12, AFC South (eliminated)
15. Cleveland Browns, 3-12, AFC North (eliminated)
16. Las Vegas Raiders, 2-13, AFC West (eliminated)

NFC order

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

AFC Playoff Teams

Even after the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Broncos are still in first place in the AFC. They need nine more sacks in the final two weeks of the season tie the single-season record. Before the loss, Denver was riding an 11-game winning streak. Many doubted Jacksonville before the game, but their win in Denver proves they can compete with anyone. Trevor Lawrence is on a hot streak. The former No. 1 overall pick has totaled nine touchdowns over the past two weeks and could be considered one of the the biggest Pro Bowl snubs.

The New England Patriots are in second place in the AFC. The biggest criticism of them is that they had a somewhat easy road to this point because they did he faced bad teams and backup quarterbacks throughout the season. Despite that, the Patriots did whatever it took to win games, and some of them injured stars return to the fold.

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially capped Mike Tomlin’s 19th undefeated season with a Week 16 victory to secure a two-game lead in their division. They are well positioned to make the playoffs, but that won’t get any easier now that DK Metcalf will miss the rest of the regular season. Metcalf was suspended after an altercation with fans.

The current Wild Card teams are the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. Justin Herbert looked fantastic last week. Reigning MVP Josh Allen didn’t have an impressive game for the Bills, but James Cook proved he can pick up the slack when needed. Houston’s defense is one of the best in the NFL.

AFC teams in the hunt

There are only two teams left in the AFC fighting for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, both teams are in the wrong trend. The Indianapolis Colts have lost five straight games, and the Baltimore Ravens not only lost a must-win game, but Lamar Jackson was sidelined with a knee injury. The quarterback has struggled with injuries all season, and the Ravens have to be wary of exposing him to more damage.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders are all out of the playoff picture and doing nothing but developing talent for the future and looking to draft higher at this point.

NFC playoff teams

While the Broncos’ loss didn’t cost them a playoff spot, the Rams went from first to sixth after losing to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle jumps up one spot, and it seems evident that these are the two best teams in the NFC. Their other NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers, is also there. San Francisco is in fifth place. Despite injuries to players like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, the team keeps winning.

The NFC West is stacked, as is the NFC North. The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers convincingly, even though the Packers were depleted by injuries entering this game. most importantly, Micah Parsons is out for the year. Green Bay still holds the last Wild Card spot.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers lead their divisions and are ranked third and fourth. The defending champions have clinched a spot in the postseason and will have a chance to repeat as Super Bowl winners. The Panthers finally got the better of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who suffered a major collapse during the last half of the season.

NFC teams in the hunt

As mentioned above, the Buccaneers are now on the sidelines looking at the playoff picture. The NFC South is still within reach as Tampa Bay will play Carolina in Week 18. The Detroit Lions are also on the wrong side of the numbers as of now. Their offense is elite, but they keep losing to every good team they are facing due to questionable defense.

The Minnesota Vikings are above Tampa Bay in the standings, but they don’t have a path to the postseason. The Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants were all eliminated as well.