The San Francisco 49ers won't be in the playoffs, but there will be another month of playoff football before Santa Clara hosts Super Bowl 50. The playoffs get started next Saturday, and we'll have plenty of coverage through the month.
Week 17 gets going in a couple hours, and we'll get everything sorted out for next weekend's playoff matchups. All 16 games are played today, capped by the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers squaring off at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football, with the NFC North title on the line.
All six playoff berths have been clinched in the NFC. The only things to figure out are the No. 1 and 2 seed between Carolina and Arizona, and the No. 3, 5 and 6 seeds between Green Bay, Minnesota, and Seattle.
On the AFC side, two playoff berths remain up for grabs. The Houston Texans lead the Indianapolis Colts by one game. The Texans clinch the division with a win or Colts loss. The final wild card berth is on the line between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets. The Jets clinch with a win or Steelers loss, while the Steelers need a win and Jets loss. Finally, the AFC West and a possible bye are on the line. The Denver Broncos clinch the division with a win or Chiefs loss. If the Broncos win, they also clinch the No. 2 seed over the Cincinnati Bengals. If the Broncos lose and Chiefs win, the Bengals clinch the bye, the Chiefs win the division, and the Broncos would be a wild card team.
NFC
CLINCHED:
Carolina - NFC South and a first-round bye
Arizona - NFC West and a first-round bye
Washington - NFC East
Green Bay - playoff berth
Minnesota - playoff berth
Seattle - playoff berth
CAROLINA PANTHERS (vs. Tampa Bay)
Carolina clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
1.CAR win or tie OR
2.ARI loss or tie
ARIZONA CARDINALS (vs. Seattle)
Arizona clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
1.ARI win + CAR loss
GREEN BAY PACKERS (vs. Minnesota, Sunday night)
Green Bay clinches NFC North division with:
1.GB win or tie
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (at Green Bay, Sunday night)
Minnesota clinches NFC North division with:
1.MIN win
AFC
CLINCHED
New England - AFC East and a first-round bye
Cincinnati - AFC North
Denver - playoff berth
Kansas City - playoff berth
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (at Miami)
New England clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with:
1.NE win or tie OR
2.DEN loss or tie
DENVER BRONCOS (vs. San Diego)
Denver clinches AFC West division with:
1.DEN win or tie OR
2.KC loss or tie
Denver clinches a first-round bye with:
1.DEN win OR
2.DEN tie + CIN loss or tie OR
3.KC loss or tie + CIN loss
Denver clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs:
1.DEN win + NE loss
CINCINNATI BENGALS (vs. Baltimore)
Cincinnati clinches a first-round bye with:
1.CIN win + DEN loss or tie OR
2.CIN tie + DEN loss OR
3.DEN loss + KC win
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (vs. Oakland)
Kansas City clinches AFC West division with:
1.KC win + DEN loss
NEW YORK JETS (at Buffalo)
The New York Jets clinch a playoff spot with:
1.NYJ win or tie OR
2.PIT loss or tie
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (at Cleveland)
Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with:
1.PIT win + NYJ loss
HOUSTON TEXANS (vs. Jacksonville)
Houston clinches AFC South division with:
1.HOU win or tie OR
2.IND loss or tie OR
3.HOU clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over IND or clinches strength of schedule tiebreaker over IND
Note: HOU clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over IND if one of the following teams wins or ties: CIN, NE, NO, NYJ, SD
HOU clinches strength of schedule tiebreaker over IND if KC wins or ties and CLE wins or ties as long as both teams don't tie
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (vs. Tennessee)
Indianapolis clinches AFC South division with:
1.IND win + HOU loss + IND ties HOU in strength of victory tiebreaker and clinches strength of schedule tiebreaker over HOU
Note: IND ties HOU in strength of victory tiebreaker and clinches strength of schedule tiebreaker over HOU if BOTH of the following occurs:
1.all of the following teams win: ATL, BAL, BUF, DEN, MIA
2.OAK win or tie + PIT win or tie as long as both teams don't tie
If Houston and Indianapolis end up tied in strength of victory and tied in strength of schedule, the teams would then go to the next tiebreaker, which is best combined ranking among AFC teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.