The Patriots & the AFC Playoff Picture With a Week to go

Monday night’s Broncos vs. Bengals game will help give us a better sense of the AFC’s playoff picture, but ultimately nothing is certain until after Week 17 ends. With just one week remaining in the regular season there are still many questions left unanswered.

Here’s how the playoff field looks in each conference after Week 16’s action. So of course, the game went to overtime tied at 17.

Arizona has clinched the NFC West and a first-round bye.

If the Chiefs win and the Broncos and Jets both lose, the Chiefs win the AFC West and the 3rd seed and the Broncos drop to the 5th seed.

The Broncos have clinched a playoff berth.

Can clinch home field advantage with a Week 17 win in Miami; or with losses by both Denver and Cincinnati.

The Bengals have clinched a playoff berth and will play their first playoff game at home, no matter what happens Sunday.

CLINCHED: New England – AFC East and a first-round bye, Cincinnati – AFC North, Denver – playoff berth, Kansas City – playoff berth.

A loss leaves them as a Wild Card team.

The Texans clinch the AFC South with a win or a tie against Jacksonville, or a Colts loss or tie, or clinching the strength of victory tiebreaker over Indianapolis or the strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Colts if one of the following teams wins or ties: Cincinnati, New England, New Orleans, Jets or San Diego. If the Texans lose and the Indianapolis Colts win – in addition to all of this happening – the Colts will own this seed.

New England Patriots (12-3) – clinched playoff berth.

Kansas City clinches the AFC West with a win and a Denver loss. Kansas City and Denver would play each other while the Jets would travel to Houston/Indianapolis.

Now that the Broncos have clinched, the Steelers will need to beat the Cleveland Browns next Sunday and hope the New York Jets lose to the Buffalo Bills in order for them to secure a playoff spot.

Pittsburgh clinches a wild card with a win and a Jets loss.

If the Houston Texans win this weekend, this spot will belong to them.

At the top half of the NFC, both the Panthers and Cardinals are guaranteed first-round byes, but the top-seed, and the home field advantage that comes with it, is yet to be decided. There is a lot riding on the Week 17 games, with the Patriots simply needing to win to clinch the No. 1 overall seed.

Russell Wilson and his crew finally tasted defeat for the first time since a Week 10, 39-32 loss to the Cardinals on November 15.

Carolina clinches home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win or tie OR an Arizona loss or tie.

The Packers have clinched a playoff berth.

Green Bay clinches the NFC North with a win or tie.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid is 0-1 in playoff games since coming to Kansas City, but he had good postseason success while in Philadelphia, reaching four straight NFC Championship games.

The Chiefs last won the division in 2010, only to lose a home playoff game to the Ravens.

Carolina Panthers (14-1) – clinched playoff berth. They will clinch the NFC North with a win.