We’re down to the final two weeks of the 2024 NFL season and the postseason picture continues to get clearer. Half the NFL divisions and 10 of 14 playoff spots have been clinched heading into ‘Sunday Night Football’ in Week 17.
There’s still plenty to sort out, especially with specifics on seeding positions. Here’s the latest on who’s in the playoffs, seeding positions, and current matchups as Week 17 results come in:
NFL playoff picture: Who is in so far?
Twelve teams have clinched a playoff spot after ‘Sunday Night Football’ in Week 17. Here’s who they are, grouped by conference:
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
Buffalo Bills (13-3)
Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
Houston Texans (9-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
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NFC
Detroit Lions (13-2)
Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
Green Bay Packers (11-5)
Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
Washington Commanders (11-5)
NFL division winners 2024
Five of the eight divisions in the NFL have been clinched. Here’s the status for each one as Sunday’s action continues:
AFC
AFC East: Buffalo Bills (13-3)
AFC North: TBD
AFC South: Houston Texans (9-7)
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)*
NFC
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
NFC North: TBD
NFC South: TBD
NFC West: Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
(*): The Chiefs have clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
NFL playoff bracket update: Wild card matchups
AFC
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners): BYE
With their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs have clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs and a bye in the wild card round. They’ll have the top seed in the AFC bracket for the third time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
No. 2 Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners) vs. No. 7 Denver Broncos (9-7, wild card No. 3)
Buffalo’s Week 17 win over the New York Jets clinched the No. 2 seed in the conference. They’ll finish at least one game ahead of the AFC North winner and have home-field advantage until they potentially face the Chiefs in the conference championship.
As of Week 17, the No. 7 seed in the bracket is not set. The Broncos hold the final playoff spot, but the Bengals and Dolphins are still in the hunt. Cincinnati’s Week 17 win over Denver is a crucial tiebreaker if they finish with the same record.
No. 3 Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders) vs. No. 6 seed Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, wild card No. 2)
The AFC North winner is locked into the No. 3 seed. Thanks to its Christmas win over Houston and the Steelers’ loss to the Chiefs, Baltimore holds that spot. If Baltimore wins in Week 18 over the Browns or the Steelers lose to the Bengals, it will win the division for the second year in a row.
Los Angeles’ win over New England on Saturday clinched a playoff spot, but the team is not locked into the No. 6 seed. If the Steelers lose next week to the Bengals and the Chargers beat the Raiders, Los Angeles would take the No. 5 seed.
But as things stand, there will be another Harbaugh Bowl this season. These two teams faced off in November, with Baltimore winning 30-23.
No. 4 Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winner) vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)
Houston clinched the AFC South in Week 15 and is locked into the No. 4 seed. The Steelers’ loss to the Chiefs drops them to the No. 5 seed and hold the tiebreaker over the Chargers thanks to their win over Los Angeles in Week 3.
If the Steelers finish with the same record as the Chargers or better, they’ll be the No. 5 seed. If they lose and the Chargers win in Week 18, they’ll be the No. 6 seed at worst.
NFC
No. 1 seed Minnesota Vikings (14-2, NFC North leaders): BYE
The NFC North is the best division in football by record, which means the No. 1 seed is up in the air. Minnesota’s win over Green Bay keeps their chances at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs alive.
If Detroit wins on ‘Monday Night Football’ against the 49ers, the teams meet in Week 18 to decide the division champion and No. 1 seed in the NFC.
No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East winners) vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers (11-5, wild card No. 3)
Philadelphia’s loss to Washington in Week 16 means they need help to get the No. 1 seed. Their win over the Cowboys in Week 17 won them the division title, though, and the No. 2 seed at worst. To get the No. 1 seed, they need to beat the Giants in Week 18, the Lions to lose out, and the Vikings to lose at least one of their final two games.
With a loss and a Commanders win in Week 17, the Packers are bumped down to the final wild card spot entering the final week of the regular season.
These two teams faced off in Week 1 in Brazil with the Eagles winning 34-29.
No. 3 Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West winners) vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders (11-5, wild card No. 2)
Washington’s win on ‘Sunday Night Football’ both sealed their spot in the playoffs and the Rams’ first NFC West title since 2021. The Commanders’ victory ensured Los Angeles will be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs regardless of what happens in Week 18 in the Rams’ game against the Seahawks.
No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, NFC South leaders) vs. No. 5 Detroit Lions (13-2, wild card No. 1)
Tampa Bay’s dominant win over Carolina has them in the NFC South lead over the Atlanta Falcons. However, the Buccaneers must finish a game ahead of the Falcons to win the division title, as Atlanta has two head-to-head wins over Tampa Bay.
So far, so good. Atlanta’s loss to Washington on ‘Sunday Night Football’ puts them one game back. If Tampa Bay holds on against New Orleans next week, the division crown is theirs for the second year in a row.
With the Vikings’ win over the Packers, the Lions temporarily drop down to the No. 5 seed. If Detroit wins ‘Monday Night Football’ against San Francisco, they’re back in the No. 1 seed spot.
NFL playoff picture
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners)*
Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners)*
Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders)*
Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners)*
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)*
Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, wild card No. 2)*
Denver Broncos (9-7, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-8), Cincinnati Bengals (8-8).
NFC
Minnesota Vikings (14-2, NFC North leaders)*
Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East winners)*
Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West winners)*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, NFC South leaders)
Detroit Lions (13-2, wild card No. 1)*
Washington Commanders (11-5, wild card No. 2)*
Green Bay Packers (11-5, wild card No. 3)*
In the hunt: Atlanta Falcons (8-8).
An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.