The final month of the regular season is underway, which means the league's playoff picture is coming into focus. Following Sunday's action, a host of teams are a step closer to cementing their postseason bids.
AFC
| Seed | Team | Division | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patriots | East | 10-2 |
| 2 | Steelers | North | 9-2 |
| 3 | Titans | South | 8-4 |
| 4 | Chiefs | West | 6-6 |
| 5 | Jaguars | South | 8-4 |
| 6 | Ravens | North | 7-5 |
The Patriots remain the class of the AFC after routing the Bills. But while the defending champions are riding an eight-game winning streak, they could be usurped at the top of the conference if the Steelers beat the Bengals on Monday.
Despite sporting identical records, the Titans remain ahead of the Jaguars due to a superior head-to-head record. The teams will square off again in Week 17.
The Chiefs are mired in a major slump, but still have a tenuous lead in the AFC West over the Chargers and Raiders despite all three teams holding 6-6 records. That's due to Kansas City's superior winning percentage in divisional games, but Los Angeles and Oakland are surging.
The Ravens moved a game ahead of their competitors for the final playoff spot with their win over the Lions combined with the Bills' loss to the Patriots.
In the hunt
| Seed | Team | Division | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Chargers | West | 6-6 |
| 8 | Bills | East | 6-6 |
| 9 | Raiders | West | 6-6 |
| 10 | Bengals | North | 5-6 |
| 11 | Jets | East | 5-7 |
| 12 | Dolphins | East | 5-7 |
It's been a tale of two seasons for the red-hot Chargers, who are on the outside looking in despite a three-game winning streak. The same could be said of the Raiders, who are back in the thick of the race after winning their last two games.
The Bills somehow remain in the race despite creating a quarterback controversy of their own, but will likely need a wild-card spot to qualify considering the Patriots have all but wrapped up the AFC East. The Dolphins and Jets are in the same boat.
NFC
| Seed | Team | Division | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vikings | North | 10-2 |
| 2 | Eagles | East | 10-2 |
| 3 | Rams | West | 9-3 |
| 4 | Saints | South | 9-3 |
| 5 | Seahawks | West | 8-4 |
| 6 | Panthers | South | 8-4 |
The Vikings continued their assault on the NFC by edging the Falcons 14-9 on Sunday. As a result - along with the Eagles' loss to the Seahawks - Minnesota has taken hold of the conference's No. 1 seed based on tiebreakers.
The Rams remain a game ahead of the Seahawks after defeating the Cardinals on Sunday.
The Saints beat the Panthers to break a tie in the NFC South, while the Rams are ahead of the Saints because they won their head-to-head matchup.
In the hunt
| Seed | Team | Division | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Falcons | South | 7-5 |
| 8 | Lions | North | 6-6 |
| 9 | Packers | North | 6-6 |
| 10 | Cowboys | East | 6-6 |
| 11 | Redskins | East | 5-7 |
| 12 | Cardinals | West | 5-7 |
The Falcons are actively awaiting a slip-up from one of their divisional rivals after losing to the Vikings. The Saints and Falcons play Thursday in what ought to be one of the games of the season, giving the latter an opportunity to catch up in the race.
The Lions slipped to No. 8 after getting routed by the Ravens, while the Packers and Cowboys improved their respective odds with victories this week.
At 5-7, the Redskins and Cardinals will need miracles to sneak into the playoffs.
