Week 17 NFL Playoff Picture: AFC, NFC Bracket Scenarios After Saturday’s Games

There are only three playoff spots remaining following Saturday’s Week 17 NFL action.

The Los Angeles Chargers started out the day by securing a playoff spot with a win over the New England Patriots.

Ladd McConkey set franchise rookie records for receptions and receiving yards other than help the Chargers claim the sixth spot in the AFC with a 40-7 win.

Joe Burrow then kept the Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes alive with 412 passing yards in a must-win scenario.

Burrow found Tee Higgins for a 31-yard pass in overtime to get the Bengals in the red zone, then threw a game-winning touchdown pass to prevent the Denver Broncos from clinching the final spot in the AFC.

The Rams capped off the night by clinching a playoff spot after Ahkello Witherspoon made a game-saving end zone interception on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray late in the fourth quarter.

Here’s a look at how these three games impacted the AFC and NFC playoff brackets heading into Sunday’s schedule.

AFC Bracket Projection

No. 1. Kansas City Chiefs: Bye

No. 7. Denver Broncos at No. 2. Buffalo Bills

No. 6. Los Angeles Chargers at No. 3. Baltimore Ravens

No. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 4. Houston Texans

The Chargers became the sixth AFC team to clinch a playoff spot with Saturday’s win over the New England Patriots.

The Bolts will end the season as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. Determining which one hinges on how the Pittsburgh Steelers perform in Week 18.

Should the Steelers extend a three-game losing streak by dropping their regular season finale to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chargers could clinch the No. 5 seed with a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders next week.

If the Steelers defeat the Bengals, the Chargers will drop to No. 6 and play the winners of the AFC North. That could be the Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens, depending on how the final two weeks of play shake out.

There is one place still available in the AFC after the Broncos failed to secure a playoff berth with a win or tie over the Bengals on Saturday night.

The Bengals remain in contention, although their path to the No. 7 seed is narrow. Cincinnati would needs a win over the Steelers in Week 18 while counting on losses by the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts.

The trickiest part of that equation could be the Broncos loss. Denver will be playing a Kansas City Chiefs team that has already clinched the AFC’s top seed and could be looking to rest starters ahead of the postseason.

The Broncos can snag the final spot in the conference by defeating the Chiefs, alongside at least one loss each from the Dolphins and Colts.

The Dolphins and Colts remain in contention following the Bengals’ upset. Each team needs to win out and get favorable results from the other division teams in order to sneak into the spot.

Whoever gets the No. 7 seed will face a chilly path into the first round by starting out the postseason in Buffalo this January.

NFC Bracket Projection

No. 1. Detroit Lions: Bye

No. 7. Washington Commanders at No. 2. Philadelphia Eagles

No. 6. Green Bay Packers at No. 3. Los Angeles Rams

No. 5 Minnesota Vikings at No. 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The final three spots in the NFC remain unsettled after Saturday night’s slate of games, although the Rams took one step closer to clinching the NFC West with their victory over the Cardinals on Saturday night.

The Rams can clinch both a playoff spot and the division on Sunday if the Commanders, Vikings, 49ers, Bills and Browns combine for at least three wins, or at least two wins and a tie.

If that happens, the Seattle Seahawks will be knocked entirely out of playoff contention.

The Buccaneers are meanwhile at risk of elimination from the postseason picture if they lose to the Carolina Panthers.

If the Panthers win and leave the Bucs to fight with the Falcons for the top of the NFC South, the Commanders could automatically clinch a postseason spot before kicking off against the Falcons on Sunday night.

If the Buccaneers win, the Falcons and Commanders will be playing one another for a potential playoff spot.

Those aren’t the only games with the potential to shape the bracket on Sunday. The Eagles could clinch the NFC East and No. 2 seed with a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the afternoon.

The franchises vying for one of the final spots in the conference will also be keeping an eye on the Green Bay Packers’ game against the Minnesota Vikings. Should the Packers lose out, they could potentially slip out of the No. 6 seed and give one of the late-clinching teams a more favorable opening matchup.

The bracket could start to solidify on Sunday when the first six Sunday games kick off at 1 p.m. ET.