As the NFL regular season comes to a close, the postseason picture is starting to come into focus. With just one week of games left to play, several division titles and playoff spots are still up for grabs. Here’s a look at how the respective seedings of contenders in the AFC and NFC would look if the postseason began now.
After the first two games of Week 18 have been played, four divisions already have owners, while another four are still to be determined. The Kansas City Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West, while the Houston Texans have temporarily taken over the top spot in the AFC South. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams have all clinched playoff berths.
In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and Kansas City Chiefs have also sealed their tickets to the postseason. This means that there are still five spots left to be determined in Week 18. The playoffs are set to begin on January 13.
If the postseason started today, the Wild Card Round matchups would look like this:
AFC:
– (7) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (2) Miami Dolphins
– (6) Buffalo Bills vs. (3) Kansas City Chiefs
– (5) Cleveland Browns vs. (4) Houston Texans
– The top seed, (1) Baltimore Ravens, would have a bye week
NFC:
– (7) Green Bay Packers vs. (2) Dallas Cowboys
– (6) Los Angeles Rams vs. (3) Detroit Lions
– (5) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
– The top seed, (1) San Francisco 49ers, would also have a bye week
As the season heads into its final week, several teams are still vying for playoff spots, making for an exciting finish to the regular season. Stay tuned to see how the postseason seeding ultimately shakes out.