{"id":179924,"date":"2023-01-07T16:04:07","date_gmt":"2023-01-07T16:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/week-18-nfl-playoff-picture-preview-a-team-by-team-guide\/"},"modified":"2023-01-07T16:04:07","modified_gmt":"2023-01-07T16:04:07","slug":"week-18-nfl-playoff-picture-preview-a-team-by-team-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/week-18-nfl-playoff-picture-preview-a-team-by-team-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 18 NFL Playoff Picture Preview: A Team-by-Team Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n <\/p>\n

After one of the most uncertain periods in modern NFL history, with a game suspended and then canceled, Week 18 will go on as planned with the good news that Bills safety Damar Hamlin is making rapid progress after a life-threatening injury.\n<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the league announced<\/a> that games would go on as scheduled and that the Bills-Bengals game would not be made up. The No. 1 seed in the AFC will be awarded based on winning percentage, and the conference championship game may be played on a neutral site, depending on which teams are involved.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As the NFL noted in its announcement, any decision it could have made would have come with \u201ccompetitive inequities.\u201d But for most teams, the playoff picture is unchanged. In the NFC, three teams \u2014 the Lions, Packers and Seahawks \u2014 are vying for the last conference spot in the postseason. And in the AFC, the Patriots, Dolphins and Steelers are vying for the remaining wild-card berth.\n<\/p>\n

In both conferences, the No. 1 seed remains up for grabs, with the Chiefs and the Bills competing for the top spot in the AFC, and the Eagles, Cowboys and 49ers battling for it in the NFC\n<\/p>\n

The charts below map the playoff paths that remain for each team. They list all the ways a team can make the playoffs \u2014 or be eliminated from them. The tree diagrams start with a given team and list the potential outcomes of the games that might matter to that team, in chronological order from left to right.\n<\/p>\n

We’ll update them throughout the weekend, and they’ll all link back to our interactive playoff simulator, which lets you explore any scenario.\n<\/p>\n

One note: The text does not account for ties. But we have included a button with each tree if you’d like to explore how ties affect each team’s playoff path.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

AFC East<\/h2>\n
\n

Buffalo Bills (12-3)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Patriots<\/h6>\n
\n

The Bills host the Patriots, and can get either the No. 1, no. 2 or No. 3 seed in the AFC Since there was no result from the Bills-Bengals game on Monday night, the Bills need help to get the No. 1 seed. A win coupled with a Raiders win on Saturday will give the Bills the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

New England Patriots (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Bills<\/h6>\n
\n

The Patriots are hoping to get the No. 7 seed, the last spot in the AFC playoffs. They visit the Bills and need to win. (If they do, they may play them again a week from now if the Bills end up as the No. 2 seed.) If the Patriots lose, they can still advance if the Titans, Dolphins and Steelers lose as well.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Miami Dolphins (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Jets<\/h6>\n
\n

The Dolphins’ Week 17 loss to the Patriots has put them on the outside of the playoff picture, but they still have a path to the No. 7 seeds. They must beat the Jets and hope the Patriots lose to the 12-3 Bills at Buffalo. Otherwise they are out.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

AFC North<\/h2>\n
\n

Cincinnati Bengals (11-4)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Ravens<\/h6>\n
\n

Because there was no result in Cincinnati’s game against Buffalo, the Bengals cannot get the No. 1 seed or a bye week. If they win and the Bills lose, the Bengals will be the No. 2 seeds, hosting the Patriots, Dolphins, Steelers or Jaguars. Otherwise they will be the No. 3 seed and host the Ravens or the Chargers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Baltimore Ravens (10-6)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Bengals<\/h6>\n
\n

The Ravens are in the playoffs, but cannot catch the Bengals in the AFC North. They’ll enter the playoffs as the No. 5 or No. 6 seeds.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Browns<\/h6>\n
\n

Like the Patriots and Dolphins, the Steelers have a path to the last spot in the AFC, representing the No. 7 seeds at 9-8. But of all the teams on the edge of elimination, the Steelers’ path is the narrowest. They must win \u2014 they host the 7-9 Browns \u2014 and hope for Dolphins and Patriots losses.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

AFC South<\/h2>\n
\n

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Titans<\/h6>\n
\n

The Jaguars will play for the AFC South title when they host the Titans on Saturday. A win gives them the No. 4 seed and a home wild-card game against the Ravens or Chargers. They can still make the playoffs if they lose, as the No. 7 seed, if the Dolphins, Steelers and Patriots all lose their games.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Tennessee Titans (7-9)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: horse Jaguars<\/h6>\n
\n

The Titans are playing for the division title and a playoff berth. If they beat the Jaguars, they are in and will host the Ravens or the Chargers in the wild-card round. If they lose, they are eliminated.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

AFC West<\/h2>\n
\n

Kansas City Chiefs (13-3)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: horse Raiders<\/h6>\n
\n

The Chiefs can do no worse than the No. 2 seed in the AFC and can clinch a first-round bye with a win over the Raiders. If they lose, they can still get the No. 1 seed if the Patriots win on the road against the Bills.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Broncos<\/h6>\n
\n

The Chargers are in as a wild-card team. A win against the Broncos on Sunday would give them the No. 5 seed and a playoff opener against Jacksonville or Tennessee. On the other hand, a loss and a Ravens win would relegate the Chargers to the No. 6 seed, leaving them to face a tougher opponent \u2014 the Bengals or Bills \u2014 in the first round.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

NFC East<\/h2>\n
\n

Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Giants<\/h6>\n
\n

For weeks, the Eagles have been on the cusp of clinching the division and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, with a bye week and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But they have lost two in a row, leaving open several possibilities.<\/p>\n

A win or a tie against the Giants gives them the No. 1 seed. A Cowboys loss gives the Eagles the division title and at least the No. 2 seeds. A loss and a Cowboys win would relegate the Eagles to the No. 5 seeds; they would visit Tom Brady and the Bucs at Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Dallas Cowboys (12-4)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Commanders<\/h6>\n
\n

The Cowboys kept alive their hopes of winning the division with a win last week. If they win again and the Eagles lose, they’ll clinch the NFC East title and can get a first-round bye if the 49ers lose as well. If the Cowboys lose, they’ll be the No. 5 seed, visiting Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

New York Giants (9-6-1)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Eagles<\/h6>\n
\n

The Giants will be the No. 6 seed no matter what happens in Week 18. They’ll visit the No. 3 seed \u2014 either the 49ers or the Vikings \u2014 in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

NFC North<\/h2>\n
\n

Minnesota Vikings (12-4)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Bears<\/h6>\n
\n

After a disastrous loss to the Packers on Sunday, the Vikings are likely to fall to the No. 3 seed, hosting the Giants in the wild-card round. If they win and the 49ers lose, they will be the No. 2 seeds, hosting the No. 7 seeds (the Packers, Lions or Seahawks).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Green Bay Packers (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Lions<\/h6>\n
\n

It’s simple for the Packers: A win makes them the No. 7 seeds. They would visit the 49ers, Vikings, Eagles or Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs. A loss or tie eliminates them. They host the 8-8 Lions, who are hoping for their first playoff berth since the 2016 season.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Detroit Lions (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Packers<\/h6>\n
\n

By the time their game against the Packers starts on Sunday night, the Lions might already be out of playoff contention. But if the Rams beat the Seahawks and the Lions beat the Packers in Green Bay, the Lions will get their first playoff berth since the 2016 season.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

NFC South<\/h2>\n
\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: at Falcons<\/h6>\n
\n

The Bucs have clinched the NFC South division title and will host the No. 5 seed \u2014 probably the Cowboys \u2014 in the first round. Nothing that happens in Week 18 will change that.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

NFC West<\/h2>\n
\n

San Francisco 49ers (12-4)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Cardinals<\/h6>\n
\n

The 49ers have won the NFC West. A win and a Giants win against the Eagles on Sunday would give them the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Otherwise, they’ll be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed and will open the playoffs against either the Giants, Seahawks or the winner of the Lions-Packers game.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Seattle Seahawks (8-8)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Remaining game: Rams<\/h6>\n
\n

The Seahawks do not control their playoff path, but they still have a shot at snagging the last wild-card spot in the NFC They’ll need to win at home against the Rams and then hope for a Lions win over the Packers on Sunday night .<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n