playoff picture becoming clearer

JoeyBoy718

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There still look to be a few playoff spots left.

In the AFC:

The Broncos and Patriots are fighting for the #1 seed. Broncos already have a bye and get the #1 seed with a win next week. Patriots get a bye and the #1 seed with a win and Broncos loss.

If the Broncos win, the Patriots are in the driver's seat for the other bye. They're a game ahead of the Bengals and Colts, but they can lose the bye if they lose next week. A Patriots loss and Bengals win would give the Bengals the other bye (because the Bengals have beaten the Patriots and Colts this year). A Patriots loss, Bengals loss and Colts win would give the Colts the other bye (because the Colts would have a better conference record than the Patriots).

The final Wildcard spot is still up for grabs. The Dolphins have the best conference record, so a Dolphins win and they're in. The Ravens have the next best, so a Dolphins loss and Ravens win sends the Ravens to the playoffs. And the Chargers have the next best, so losses by the Dolphins and Ravens and a win by the Chargers would send the Chargers to the playoffs. The Steelers are a game behind all three teams, so they'd need to win and have all three teams lose to make the playoffs.

In the NFC:

A Seahawks win next week gives them the #1 seed and a bye. The NFC South winner would get the other bye. However, a Panthers win and Seahawks loss would give the Panthers the #1 seed. The Seahawks would get the other bye.

The NFC North can be won tonight. Since the Lions and Packers lost, a Bears win tonight against Philly would give the Bears the division crown. A Bears loss tonight would make next week's Bears vs Packers game for the division.

The NFC East is easy. Next week's Cowboys vs Eagles is an unofficial playoff game.

The NFC South is still up for grabs. The Panthers beat the Saints today to go ahead one game so a win next week would give them the division. However, a Panthers loss and Saints win would give the Saints the division (by way of better division record).

Now, the only thing that remains is the final Wildcard spot (this can be the #5 or #6 seed depending on how the Saints finish). It comes down to the 49ers and Cardinals. These two teams play next week, but the 49ers still have to play Monday night against the Falcons. A 49ers loss Monday night would give them the same record as the Cardinals and make next week's game a playoff game. However, a 49ers win Monday night would make next week's game against the Cardinals meaningless (since the 49ers would still win via better division record even if they lost).

Just to eliminate any possibility that the Cowboys game doesn't get flexed, I'm rooting for the Bears Sunday night over the Eagles and 49ers Monday night over the Falcons.
 

JoeyBoy718

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It's too late to edit but I made a mistake on the #1 seed for the NFC. The Seahawks beat the Panthers head-to-head so the Panthers wouldn't get the #1 seed if finished tied with the Seahawks. The #1 seed will go to the NFC West champion. The 49ers still have a shot at the NFC West with wins in the final two games and a Seahawks loss against the Rams. Also, since the 49ers lost to the Panthers, if the Panthers were to win and the 49ers were to win the NFC West, the Panthers would get the #1 seed.
 
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