It's a busy time in the NFL, with so many teams jostling to land those last remaining playoff spots.
Only four teams have clinched something so far, but there's so much that could shake out of this week. Several teams look to solidify their post-season opportunities this week.
Unfortunately, the Bears aren't one of them, but they can get a whole lot farther if they can take down the Harvinless Vikings, while keeping their fingers crossed for a Lions upset of the Green Bay Packers. While next week will be a much bigger factor in the NFC North race, there's always a good thing to hope for.
Here's the top 6 in each conference as of right now:
AFC
Texans (11-1) - Clinched Wild Card
Patriots (9-3) - Clinched Division
Ravens (9-3)
Broncos (9-3) - Clinched Division
Colts (8-4)
Steelers (7-5)
With the Bengals (7-5) nipping at their heels. With the 8th ranked Jets at 5-7, it seems likely that some combination of these 7 teams will be your AFC bracket, but with the NFL, you just never know.
NFC
Falcons (11-1) - Clinched Division
49ers (8-3-1)
Green Bay Packers (8-4)
New York Giants (7-5)
Chicago Bears (8-4)
Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
As you can see, the NFC is very much up in the air right now, in terms of not only seeding, but who will even be in the playoffs. Behind Seattle you have the Redskins, then Cowboys, then Buccaneers, then Vikings, all at 6-6. With plenty of time left, there could be all kinds of shake-ups to the NFC before it is all said and done.
That being said, here's a complete list of all the playoff scenarios this week (h/t to Cincy Jungle for the chart):
AFC
CLINCHED
New England | AFC East |
Denver | AFC West |
Houston | Playoff Berth |
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Clinch AFC North | Win plus loss by Steelers AND Bengals |
Clinch Postseason Berth | Win plus Steelers loss or tie OR |
Win plus Cincinnati Bengals loss or tie OR | |
Tie plus loss by Steelers AND Bengals |
HOUSTON TEXANS
Clinches AFC South | Win plus Colts loss (or tie) OR |
Tie plus Colts loss | |
Clinches First-Round Bye | Win plus losses (or ties) by Colts AND Ravens OR |
Win plus losses (or ties) by Colts AND Broncos | |
Clinch Homefield Adv. | Win plus losses (or ties) by Colts, Ravens and Broncos |
NFC
CLINCHED
Atlanta | NFC South |
ATLANTA FALCONS
Clinches First-Round Bye | Win plus losses (or tie) by Bears and Packers OR |
Win plus losses (or tie) by 49ers OR | |
Tie plus losses by Bears and Packers | |
Clinch Homefield Adv. | Win plus losses (or tie) by Bears and Packers and loss by 49ers. |
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Clinches Playoff Berth | Win plus losses by Cowboys, Vikings, Buccaneers, Redskins and loss (or tie) by Rams OR |
Win plus losses by Cowboys, Vikings, Buccaneers, Redskins and loss (or tie) by Seahawks OR |