There are only a few days left until the NFL playoff spots are decided.
The league enters the final week of the 2024 regular season with six of the seven postseason berths in both conferences.
The third and final wild card spot in the AFC is still up for grabs. The playoff standings are currently held by the 9-7 Denver Broncos, but either the 8-8 Cincinnati Bengals or the 8-8 Miami Dolphins could overtake Denver in Week 18. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are 9-7, are trying to hold on in the NFC. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons 8-8 to win the NFC South title.
However, these are not the only teams that will be playing this week, as some of the teams participating in the postseason have not yet been seeded. There are still a few teams that could qualify for the playoffs as district champions or wild cards.
From the current playoff situation to the Week 18 championship scenario, here’s what you need to know about the final week of the regular season.
What is the AFC Playoff Bracket?
Here’s how the AFC playoffs look going into Week 18 (teams in bold are locked in seeding).
Kansas City Chiefs, 15-1 Buffalo Bills, 13-3 Baltimore Ravens, 11-5 Houston Texans, 9-7 Pittsburgh Steelers, 10-6 Los Angeles Chargers, 10-6 Denver Broncos, 9 -7
Three of the top four seeds have been decided, with the two-time Super Bowl champions the Chiefs as the No. 1 seed and a bye to the divisional round, the Bills as the No. 2 seed and the Texans as the No. 4 seed.
The third seed will go to either the AFC North champion Ravens or Steelers.
If Baltimore wins the division, the fifth and sixth seeds will be the Chargers and Steelers, respectively. If the Steelers win their division, they will face the Chargers in sixth place, while the Ravens will play the Texans for fifth place.
The seventh seed will be the Broncos, Bengals or Dolphins, and the team that qualifies for the playoffs will face Buffalo.
What is the NFC Playoff Bracket?
The big picture for the NFC playoffs going into Week 18 is less clear (teams in bold are locked in seeding).
Detroit Lions, 14-2 Philadelphia Eagles, 13-3 Los Angeles Rams, 10-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 9-7 Minnesota Vikings, 14-2 Washington Commanders, 11-5 Green Bay Packers, 11 -5
The Eagles will be seeded No. 2 and will face either the Packers or the NFC East rival Commanders in Super Wild Card Weekend. Green Bay and Washington will take the 6th and 7th spots, respectively.
The No. 1 seed and NFC North title will be awarded in the final regular season game when the Vikings visit the Lions on Sunday Night Football. The NFC North runner-up will be the No. 5 seed.
The same would apply to the Bucks if the Rams were to become a 3rd or 4th seed and earn a postseason berth. If the Falcons win the NFC South, they will become the No. 4 seed.
The No. 3 seed will face either the Commanders or Packers, while the No. 4 seed will face a wild-card team from the NFC North with 14 wins.
What are the playoff deciding scenarios for NFL Week 18?
Here are the clinch and seed scenarios you need to know about in Week 18.
A.F.C.
Ravens win AFC North title, 3rd seed: Win/tie vs. Browns, or Steelers vs. Bengals lose/tie Steelers win AFC North title, seed 3: Win vs. Bengals + Lose to Ravens, vs. Browns vs. Chargers Earn 5th seed: Win vs. Raiders + Lose/tie vs. Steelers vs. Bengals or Tie vs. Raiders + Lose vs. Steelers vs. Bengals Broncos qualify for playoffs, 7th seed: vs. Chiefs Win/Tie or Dolphins Loss/Tie vs. Jets + Bengals Loss/Tie vs. Steelers Dolphins qualify for the playoffs, No. 7 seed: Win vs. Jets + Broncos Lose vs. Chiefs Bengals qualify for the playoffs, No. 7 Seeds: Win vs. Steelers + Loss vs. Broncos vs. Chiefs + Dolphins Loss/Tie vs. Jets
NFC
Lions win NFC North title, No. 1 seed: Win/Tie vs. Vikings Vikings win NFC North title, No. 1 seed: Win vs. Lions Rams claim No. 3 seed: Win/Tie vs. Seahawks OR Bucks lose/tie vs. Saints Buccaneers to win NFC South title: Win/tie vs. Saints or Falcons Lose/tie vs. Panthers Buccaneers to win NFC South 3rd seed: Win vs. Saints + Lose vs. Rams vs. Seahawks Win NFC South title with Falcons 4th seed: Win vs. Panthers + Lose Bucs vs. 6th seed vs. Saints-Commanders: Win vs. Cowboys or Packers Lose vs. Bears or Tie vs. Cowboys + Packers Tie vs. Bears Packers earn 6th seed: Win vs. Bears + Commanders Lose/Tie vs. Cowboys OR Tie vs. Bears + Commanders Loss vs. Cowboys
Who will get a bye in the NFL playoffs?
Only the top seeds in each conference will receive a bye to the divisional round. The Chiefs will receive the AFC bye, while the NFC bye will go to either the NFC North champion Lions or Vikings.
How are the NFL playoffs played?
Teams in each conference are seeded No. 1 through No. 7, with the four division champions ranked by regular season performance, and then the three wild card teams ranked by regular season performance. Masu.
The opening round matchups of the playoffs are No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5.
Will the NFL reseede in the playoffs?
Yes, the NFL reseedes in the playoffs. That means the top seeds in each conference will tie the lowest-seeded teams to advance to the opening round of the playoffs.
When do the NFL playoffs start?
The postseason is then scheduled to begin with Super Wild Card Weekend from Saturday, January 11th to Monday, January 13th.
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