NFL Week 17: The Playoff Picture Comes into Sharper Focus

As Week 17’s playoff scenarios take center stage in the NFL several teams across both conferences still have meaningful goals within reach. Entering the week, five AFC teams and four NFC teams remain in position to clinch key outcomes. Those include a No. 1 seed, division crown, or playoff berth. Here’s a breakdown of the most important clinching situations heading into Week 17.

In the NFC, the Bears, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers have already locked up playoff spots. Additional clarity could arrive Saturday night if the Packers defeat the Ravens at Lambeau Field. A Green Bay victory would punch the Packers’ ticket to the postseason, crown the Steelers as AFC North champions, and officially knock Baltimore out of playoff contention.

On the AFC side, the Broncos and Patriots had secured playoff berths even before the Colts hosted San Francisco. After Indianapolis fell at home to the 49ers, three more teams—the Chargers, Jaguars, and Bills—joined the AFC playoff field.

Meanwhile, with Mike Tomlin’s remarkable streak of 19 straight non-losing seasons already intact, the Pittsburgh Steelers can now shift their attention toward postseason positioning. Pittsburgh can clinch its playoff spot in one of two ways: a Ravens loss or tie against Green Bay on Saturday night, or a Steelers win or tie versus Cleveland on Sunday.

AFC

CLINCHED:

Buffalo Bills (11-4) – playoff berth

Denver Broncos (12-3) – playoff berth

Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) – playoff berth

Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) – playoff berth

New England Patriots (12-3) – playoff berth

Denver Broncos (12-3) at Kansas City (6-9); Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Denver clinches AFC West division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. DEN win + LAC loss or tie + NE loss + BUF loss or tie + JAX loss or tie

Denver clinches AFC West division title with:

1. DEN win + LAC loss or tie OR
2. DEN tie + LAC loss

Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) at Indianapolis (8-7); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title with:

1. JAX win + HOU loss or tie OR
2. JAX tie + HOU loss

New England Patriots (12-3) at New York Jets (3-12); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

New England clinches AFC East division title with:

1. NE win + BUF loss or tie OR
2. NE tie + BUF loss

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) at Cleveland (3-12); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title with:

1. PIT win or tie OR
2. BAL loss or tie

Houston Texans (10-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (11-4); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Houston clinches playoff berth with:

1. HOU win or tie OR
2. IND loss or tie OR
3. HOU clinches at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over IND

*Note: HOU needs the following to happen to clinch a tie in strength of victory with IND:

BAL win + BUF win + KC win + SF win + ATL loss + MIA loss

NFC

CLINCHED:

Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) – NFC East

Chicago Bears (11-4) – playoff berth

Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – playoff berth

San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – playoff berth

Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – playoff berth

Seattle Seahawks (12-3) at Carolina (8-7); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Seattle clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. SEA win + LAR loss or tie + SF-CHI tie

Seattle clinches NFC West division title with:

1. SEA win + LAR loss or tie + SF loss or tie OR
2. SEA tie + LAR loss + SF loss

Carolina Panthers (8-7) vs. Seattle (12-3); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Carolina clinches NFC South division title with:

1. CAR win + TB loss or tie OR
2. CAR tie + TB loss

Chicago Bears (11-4) at San Francisco (11-4); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

Chicago clinches NFC North division title with:

1. CHI win OR
2. GB loss OR
3. CHI tie + GB tie

Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) vs. Baltimore (7-8); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, Peacock

Green Bay clinches playoff berth with:

1. GB win or tie OR
2. DET loss or tie