Week 16 was a great Christmas week from divisional rivalries to a potential Super Bowl preview on Christmas night. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals. The Detroit Lions clinched the division with a win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Miami Dolphins just barely hung on to beat the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens dominated the San Francisco 49ers in all aspects with four interceptions on defense and 33 points on offense. Here is how the playoff picture shapes up now.
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NFC Picture
1 Seed: San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – NFC West Leader (Clinched Division)
The San Francisco 49ers dropped a rare game last week, though it was to the Baltimore Ravens, the top seed in the AFC. Brock Purdy threw four interceptions and the offense couldn’t get anything going. We will see if it was just a flaw or a downfall in the system.
2 Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) – NFC East Leader (Clinched Playoffs)
The Eagles head back into the lead in the NFC East with a division win against the Giants last week, making their tiebreaker with the Cowboys officially won by the Eagles. They still have one more divisional game, which could make a difference if both teams win out.
3 Seed: Detroit Lions (11-4) – NFC North Leader (Clinched Division)
The Detroit Lions continue to be a roller coaster of a team this season — even inside the same game. They won their second game in a row after losing to the Bears. They beat the Broncos and the Vikings to clinch their division and a top-four seed. They will head to Dallas this week.
4 Seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) – NFC South Leader
The newspaper headline that a team under .500 will make the playoffs might be no more, as the leader in the NFC South is now over .500. The Buccaneers beat the Packers to move to .500 and the Jaguars last week to move over the mark. They get two divisional games to end the season with the Saints this week.
Wild Cards: Dallas Cowboys (10-5, Clinched Playoffs), Seattle Seahawks (8-7), Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
In The Hunt: Minnesota Vikings (7-8), Atlanta Falcons (7-8), Green Bay Packers (7-8), New Orleans Saints (7-8)
Eliminated: Carolina Panthers (2-13), Washington Commanders (4-11), Arizona Cardinals (3-12), New York Giants (5-10)
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AFC Picture
1 Seed: Baltimore Ravens (12-3) – AFC North Leader (Clinched Playoffs)
The Baltimore Ravens have secured a playoff birth and took down the Super Bowl favorites last week. They now hold the best record in the NFL and are just one game away from securing their division and the No. 1 seed. They play the Dolphins this week. This could be a potential AFC Championship preview.
2 Seed: Miami Dolphins (11-4) – AFC East Leader (Clinched Playoffs)
The Miami Dolphins have now clinched a playoff spot with their 22-20 win against the Cowboys last week. Tua Tagovailoa had 293 yards and a touchdown in the win with Tyreek Hill finishing just under 100 yards. They will take on the Ravens this week in a huge matchup.
3 Seed: Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) – AFC West Leader
The Kansas City Chiefs are in one of the biggest funks that we have seen them in during the Patrick Mahomes era. They lost 20-14 again last week to the Raiders in a divisional game after the Raiders didn’t have a single completion in the the final three quarters of the game. Something is going to have to change for this team.
4 Seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7) – AFC South Leader
The Jaguars are another team that has been falling lately. They are now tied with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans at 8-7 for the lead in the AFC South. It is going to come down to the wire in these last two games as to who will come away with this No. 4 seed.
