The San Francisco 49ers are headed to the golf courses now that the 2015 NFL regular season has come to an end, but 12 teams will be competing for the Lombardi Trophy. We now know all 12 playoff teams, with only some seeding to be figured out on Sunday Night Football.
The AFC playoff bracket is set. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are the top two seeds. Denver claimed home field through the AFC playoffs due to their win and the Patriots loss to Miami. The Pittsburgh Steelers snagged the final playoff spot thanks to their win and the New York Jets loss. The Steelers will travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Kansas City Chiefs will travel to face the Houston Texans.
The NFC playoff bracket will be finalized tonight. The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals locked up the top two seeds, and Washington is locked in at No. 4. If the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers will be the No. 3 seed, the Seattle Seahawks will be the No. 5 seed, and the Vikings will be the No. 5 seed. If the Vikings win, they will be the No. 3 seed, the Packers will be the No. 5 seed, and the Seahawks would be the No. 6 seed. The Packers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks, while the Seahawks hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Vikings.
The playoffs get going next Saturday with the wild card round matchups.
NFC playoff teams
1. Carolina Panthers (15-1)
2. Arizona Cardinals (13-3)
3. Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings
4. Washington (9-7)
5. Green Bay Packers or Seattle Seahawks
6. Seattle Seahawks or Minnesota Vikings
AFC playoff teams
1. Denver Broncos (12-4)
2. New England Patriots (12-4)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)