The 2024 NFL regular season is officially in the homestretch, as the playoff picture has begun to materialize for clubs across the league, while others begin to turn their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. Here’s how every playoff hopeful looks heading into the final week of play.
AFC Wildcard Race & Seeding
With the majority of teams having either clinched a playoff spot or having been eliminated from postseason contention, the final spots in the AFC & NFC are down to just a few hopefuls. The AFC playoff picture gained some clarity following Sunday’s games, as the Indianapolis Colts were eliminated by virtue of a rather embarrassing 45-33 loss to the lowly New York Giants.
Giants fans likely have mixed feelings about the win however, as it’s always nice to shake off a massive losing streak. However the team also lost control of the number 1 pick in the 2025 Draft as a result of their victory.
With Indy out of the picture, the race for the final wildcard spot is now down to 3 teams: Denver, Cincinnati, and Miami. Of the 3 teams still alive heading into Week 18, Denver is the only one who controls their own destiny.
As of Week 17, here’s how the AFC playoff race currently stands:
AFC
- Kansas City Chiefs – 15-1
- Buffalo Bills – 13-3
- Baltimore Ravens – 11-5
- Houston Texans –9-7
- Pittsburgh Steelers – 10-6 (WC)
- Los Angeles Chargers – 10-6 (WC)
- Denver Broncos – 9-7 (WC)
Simply put, if Denver wins, they’re in. Unfortunately for them, they have to accomplish that vs. the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in order to guarantee themselves a spot in the postseason. The only saving grace may be that KC has nothing to play for, as they’ve already got the number 1 seed wrapped up, and already have a loss on their record, taking both seeding and the chance at an undefeated regular season off the table.
Bo Nix & Co. will still need to take care of business regardless of how much playing time the Chiefs starters get in Week 18, but divisional games are always feisty affairs regardless of who’s active/inactive. A Broncos loss opens the door for either Miami or Cincinnati to potentially squeeze into the playoffs despite poor starts to the season for both clubs.
In terms of seeding, the only major implications for Week 18 lie in the AFC North. A Ravens loss and a Steelers win would flip the two clubs seeding wise, though both are postseason bound regardless of what happens in the NFL’s final week.
Here are all the potential clinching scenarios for Week 18 when it comes to the Wildcard race:
Denver Broncos – AFC playoff berth – vs Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos win vs Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins – AFC playoff berth – @ New York Jets
Miami Dolphins win vs New York Jets + Denver Broncos loss vs Kansas City Chiefs
Cincinnati Bengals – AFC playoff berth – @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals win vs Pittsburgh Steelers + Broncos loss + Dolphins loss
AFC Tiebreakers
- Pittsburgh is ahead of the L.A. Chargers based on head-to-head record (1-0).
- Miami is ahead of Cincinnati based on conference record (6-5 to the Bengals’ 5-6).
NFC Wildcard Race & Seeding
Meanwhile, the NFC has less variance at the bottom, but more at play amongst the conference’s best at the top of the standings. With identical 14-2 records, the Vikings and Lions are set for a MASSIVE NFC North clash in Week 18 which will determine the number 1 seed, and home field advantage throughout the postseason.
Detroit will host the Vikings in the biggest regular season game in recent memory in the Motor City in a prime time 8:20pm ET slot. Philadelphia has nothing to play for with the NFC East and number 2 seed already wrapped up. But Saquon Barkley will have a decision to make as he sits just 101 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s 40 year old NFL rushing record.
Whether Nick Sirianni and company decide to run the risk of starting their all-world running back to try to break the mark, or keep him on the sidelines to prevent injury for a Super Bowl run remains to be seen.
As of Week 17 here is how the NFC playoff race currently stands:
NFC
- Detroit Lions* – 14-2
- Philadelphia Eagles* – 13-3
- Los Angeles Rams* – 10 – 6
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 9-7
- Minnesota Vikings* – 14-2 (WC)
- Washington Commanders* – 11-5 (WC)
- Green Bay Packers* – 11-5 (WC)
With a bevy of moving parts, there’s plenty of variance still at play in the NFC. Here are all the seeding and clinching scenarios at play for Week 18:
- NFC
- No. 1 seed – Home-Field Advantage – First Round Bye
- Minnesota Vikings
- Minnesota Vikings win vs Detroit Lions in Week 18
- Detroit Lions
- Detroit Lions win vs Minnesota Vikings in Week 18
- Minnesota Vikings
- No. 2 seed – Home matchup vs No. 7 seed in Wild Card Round
- Philadelphia Eagles – LOCKED IN
- No. 3 seed – Home matchup vs No. 6 seed in Wild Card Round
- Los Angeles Rams
- Los Angeles Rams win vs Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss/tie vs New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers win vs New Orleans Saints + Rams loss
- Los Angeles Rams
- No. 4 seed – Home Matchup vs No. 5 seed in Wild Card Round
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss vs Saints + Atlanta Falcons loss/tie vs Panthers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers tie + Atlanta Falcons loss vs Panthers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers win + Los Angeles Rams win/tie
- Los Angeles Rams
- Los Angeles Rams loss vs Seattle Seahawks + Buccaneers win vs Saints
- Atlanta Falcons
- Atlanta Falcons win vs Carolina Panthers + Buccaneers loss vs Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- No. 5 seed
- Detroit Lions
- Detroit Lions loss vs Minnesota Vikings
- Minnesota Vikings
- Minnesota Vikings loss vs Detroit Lions
- Detroit Lions
- No. 6 seed
- Washington Commanders
- Washington Commanders win vs Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers loss vs Chicago Bears
- Washington Commanders tie + Green Bay Packers tie
- Green Bay Packers
- Green Bay Packers win vs Bears + Washington Commanders/loss tie
- Green Bay Packers tie vs Bears + Washington Commanders loss
- Washington Commanders
- No. 7 seed
- Green Bay Packers
- Green Bay Packers loss vs Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers tie + Washington Commanders tie
- Washington Commanders win
- Washington Commanders
- Washington Commanders loss + Green Bay Packers win/tie
- Washington Commanders tie + Green Bay Packers win
- Green Bay Packers
- No. 1 seed – Home-Field Advantage – First Round Bye
NFC Tiebreakers
- Washington is ahead of Green Bay based on conference record (8-3 to the Packers’ 6-5).
Needless to say, there will be more than a few fanbases across the league that will be doing their fair share of scoreboard watching over the next 7 days.
Photo: Kghoward55. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.