The final week of the NFL season always seems to get crazy and this year has been no different. Heading into Week 18, there were four division titles up for grabs, but three of those have now been clinched, including an NFC South race that ended in the most unlikely way possible.
The Buccaneers and Panthers had to wait until the end of the New Orleans-Atlanta game on Sunday to find out who would win the division title. The Panthers ended up clinching their first NFC South title in 10 years after the Falcons beat the Saints, 19-17. With the win, the Falcons improved to 8-9, which created a three-way tie atop the NFC South and the Panthers had the tiebreaker in that scenario.
In the AFC South, there was no drama. The Jaguars needed to beat the Titans to clinch the division title and they ended up destroying Tennessee, 41-7. The win means that the Jags have now won the AFC South for just the second time in eight seasons.
The NFC West race is also over and that ended on Saturday night. The Seahawks clinched the division title and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a dominant 13-3 win over the 49ers. That means the Seahawks will get a bye in the opening round of the playoffs while the 49ers will be forced to hit the road for the wild card round.
The bye in the AFC will be going to the Broncos, who clinched the No. 1 seed with a 19-3 win over the Chargers.
There’s still one playoff spot up for grabs and that will be settled on Sunday night when the Steelers host the Ravens. The winner will advance to the postseason while the loser will be sent home for the year.
So what do the playoffs look like right now? Glad you asked. We’re going to break down the entire playoff field here. .
AFC playoff standings
1. Denver Broncos (14-3)
Clinched AFC West
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 1
Wild-card opponent: Clinched first-round bye
All the Broncos had to do to clinch the AFC’s top seed was beat a Chargers team that was resting its starters and that’s exactly what Denver did. The 19-3 win wasn’t pretty, but it means the Broncos will be getting a bye in the wild-card round. This is the first time the Broncos have had the top seed since 2015. Ten years ago, they ended up winning the Super Bowl in a game played at Levi’s Stadium, the same location that will be hosting Super Bowl LX.
2. New England Patriots (14-3)
Clinched AFC East
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 2
Wild-card opponent: Chargers
With the Broncos win on Sunday, that eliminated the Patriots from possibly earning the No. 1 seed, but New England did clinch the No. 2 seed with a blow out win over the Dolphins. The Patriots will now open the postseason next week against the Chargers. Tom Brady’s final home playoff win with New England came against the Chargers, and now, Drake Maye will hav a chance to pick up his first career playoff win against the same team.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)
Clinched AFC South
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 3
Wild-card opponent: Bills
The Jaguars clinched the AFC South on Sunday with a dominating 41-7 win over the Titans. That means Jacksonville will officially be hosting a playoff game and that will come against a Bills team that hasn’t won a road playoff game since the 1992 season.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Possible seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponent: Texans
The Steelers’ route to the playoffs is pretty simple: They have to beat (or tie) the Ravens on Sunday night. If the Steelers lose, their season will be over. If they win, they’ll host the Texans in the wild-card round.
5. Houston Texans (12-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 5
Possible wild-card opponent: Steelers or Ravens
The Texans had a chance to win the AFC South going into Week 18, but that went out the window after Jacksonville destroyed Tennessee. However, the Texans wild 32-30 win over the Colts does mean that Houston has clinched the fifth-seed. The Texans will be heading to either Baltimore or Pittsburgh for the wild-card round next week.
6. Buffalo Bills (12-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 6
Wild-card opponent: Jaguars
The Bills took care of business on Sunday with a 35-8 win over the Jets and they were able to officially clinch the sixth seed after the Chargers lost to the Broncos. The Bills and Texans finished with the same record, but Buffalo is behind Houston due to a head-to-head loss back in Week 12.
7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 7
Possible wild-card opponent: Patriots
The Chargers were the sixth-seed going into Week 18 and they could have stayed there with a win over Denver, but instead, the Chargers rested their starters and ended losing to the Broncos. The loss means that Los Angeles will be heading across the country to New England for the wild card round. The Chargers are 1-2 in the eastern time zone this year.
STILL ALIVE: Ravens (8-8)
Possible seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponent: Texans
The Ravens will face the Steelers on Sunday night with the AFC North on the line. This is essentially a playoff game because the loser will see their season end. If the Ravens win, they’ll be hosting a playoff game in Baltimore next week.
AFC wild card games based on current standings
(7) Chargers at (2) Patriots
(6) Bills at (3) Jaguars
(5) Texans at (4) Steelers/Ravens
Bye: Broncos
NFC playoff standings
1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
Clinched NFC West
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 1
Wild-card opponent: Clinched first-round bye
The Seahawks officially clinched the NFC West and the top seed in the NFC with their 13-3 win over the 49ers on Saturday night. This is the fourth time in franchise history that the Seahawks have earned the No. 1 overall seed. In each of the three previous instances (2005, 2013, 2014), Seattle made it to the Super Bowl. Thanks to the bye, the Seahawks won’t be back on the field until the divisional round (Jan. 10 or 11).
2. Chicago Bears (11-6)
Clinched NFC North
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 2
Wild-card opponent: Packers
The Bears lost a thriller to the Lions and that could have cost them the No. 2 seed, but the Eagles weren’t able to take advantage of the opportunity. Philadelphia lost to the Commanders 24-17, which officially clinched the second seed for Chicago. The Bears will now be hosting the Packers next week in what will be their third meeting of the season. The series is currently tied 1-1. These two teams haven’t met in the postseason since the 2010 NFC Championship, a game won by the Packers.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
Clinched NFC East
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 3
Wild-card opponent: 49ers
The Eagles rested their starters on Sunday and that led to a 24-17 loss to Washington. If the Eagles had won, they would have moved up to the two-seed, but instead, they’ll stay at three spot and they’ll now be hosting the 49ers next week.
4. Carolina Panthers (8-9)
Clinched NFC South
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 4
Possible wild-card opponents: Rams
After losing to the Buccaneers on Saturday, the Panthers only had one hope of winning the NFC South: They needed the Falcons to beat the Saints and that’s exactly what happened. The win by the Falcons created a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 8-9, and the Panthers win that because they have the best head-to-head record among the three tied teams (the Panthers went 3-1 against the Bucs and Falcons. The Bucs went 2-2 against Carolina and Atlanta. The Falcons went 1-3 against the other two). This marks the first time since 2015 that the Panthers have won the division. The Panthers will now host a Rams team that they beat back in Week 13.
5. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 5
Wild-card opponent: Panthers
The Rams clinched the fifth seed with a win over Arizona on Sunday. The Rams will now head to Carolina to face a Panthers team that actually beat them earlier this season. Back in Week 13, the Panthers pulled off one the biggest upsets of the year with a 31-28 win over the Rams.
6. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 6
Wild-card opponent: Eagles
The 49ers had a chance to clinch the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed on Saturday, but they came up short against the Seahawks, and now, they’ve fallen all the way down to the sixth spot. The 49ers will be heading to Philadelphia for the wild-card round and if they can somehow win three straight playoff games, they would get to play Super Bowl LX in their home stadium.
7. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Bears
Heading into Week 18, the Packers were the only playoff team that had clinched its seed for the postseason, which explained why Matt LaFleur rested several starters in a 16-3 loss against the Vikings on Sunday. The Packers are now headed to the playoffs where they’ll face the Bears for the third time since Dec. 7.
ELIMINATED: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
Playoff seed: Out of playoffs
The Buccaneers pulled off a huge win over the Panthers on Saturday, but to clinch the division title, they also needed the Falcons to lose on Sunday and that didn’t happen. The Buccaneers had won the NFC South in four straight years, but their reign is now over.
NFC wild card games
(7) Packers at (2) Bears
(6) 49ers at (3) Eagles
(5) Rams at (4) Panthers
Bye: Seahawks
