The NFL playoff races are coming down to the final week, and the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a shot at the final playoff spot in the conference. Thanks to their upset win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers can clinch the final wild card spot in the AFC with a win and losses by the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins in Week 18.
The Green Bay Packers stayed alive in the NFC wild card race with their win over the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay would clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 18. If the Packers lose and the Seattle Seahawks win, Seattle gets the final playoff spot. The Lions get in with a win over the Packers and a Seahawks loss to the Rams.
Only one week remains until the playoffs begin. Below, you can find a division-by-division breakdown of the current standings and what each contender is facing in Week 18.
AFC East
|
y-Bills |
12 |
3 |
0 |
.800 |
157 |
|
Patriots |
8 |
8 |
0 |
.500 |
+29 |
| Dolphins |
8 |
8 |
0 |
.500 |
-7 |
|
7 |
9 |
0 |
.438 |
-15 |
y-clinched division title
Buffalo Bills
What to know: The AFC East champion Bills fell to the No. 2 seed after their game with the Bengals was cancelled following the on-field collapse of Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin. They clinch the No. 1 seed by beating the Patriots and having the Chiefs lose to the Raiders; remain the No. 2 seed with either a win over New England or a Bengals loss to the Ravens; and fall to the No. 3 seed with a loss and a Cincinnati win.
Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots
New England Patriots
What to know: The Patriots need a win over the Bills in Week 18 to clinch a playoff spot. They hold the No. 7 seed in the conference based on having a better division record than Miami and a head-to-head tiebreaker over Pittsburgh. They can also make the playoffs with a loss if the Steelers and Dolphins also lose and the Jaguars win or tie.
Remaining schedule: at Bills
Miami Dolphins
What to know: Miami needs a win and a Patriots loss to clinch the final playoff spot in the conference. The Patriots hold the tiebreaker thanks to having the best win percentage in division games, while the Dolphins hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Steelers.
Remaining schedule: vs. Jets
New York Jets
What to know: The Jets were eliminated from the playoffs with their loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
Remaining schedule: at Dolphins
AFC North
|
y-Bengals |
11 |
4 |
0 |
.733 |
85 |
|
x-Ravens |
10 |
6 |
0 |
.625 |
46 |
|
Steelers |
8 |
8 |
0 |
.500 |
-52 |
|
e-Browns |
7 |
9 |
0 |
.438 |
-6 |
x- clinched playoff spot; e- eliminated from…
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