Blackpressusa.com--As Week 17’s playoff scenarios take center stage in the NFL several teams across both conferences still have meaningful goals within reach. Entering the week, five AFC teams and four NFC teams remain in position to clinch key outcomes. Those include a No. 1 seed, division crown, or playoff berth. Here’s a breakdown of the most important clinching situations heading into Week 17.
In the NFC, the Bears, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers have already locked up playoff spots. Additional clarity could arrive Saturday night if the Packers defeat the Ravens at Lambeau Field. A Green Bay victory would punch the Packers’ ticket to the postseason, crown the Steelers as AFC North champions, and officially knock Baltimore out of playoff contention.
On the AFC side, the Broncos and Patriots had secured playoff berths even before the Colts hosted San Francisco. After Indianapolis fell at home to the 49ers, three more teams—the Chargers, Jaguars, and Bills—joined the AFC playoff field.
Meanwhile, with Mike Tomlin’s remarkable streak of 19 straight non-losing seasons already intact, the Pittsburgh Steelers can now shift their attention toward postseason positioning. Pittsburgh can clinch its playoff spot in one of two ways: a Ravens loss or tie against Green Bay on Saturday night, or a Steelers win or tie versus Cleveland on Sunday.
AFC
CLINCHED:
Buffalo Bills (11-4) – playoff berth
Denver Broncos (12-3) – playoff berth
Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) – playoff berth
Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) – playoff berth
New England Patriots (12-3) – playoff berth
Denver Broncos (12-3) at Kansas City (6-9); Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video
Denver clinches AFC West division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- DEN win + LAC loss or tie + NE loss + BUF loss or tie + JAX loss or tie
Denver clinches AFC West division title with:
- DEN win + LAC loss or tie OR
- DEN tie + LAC loss
Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) at Indianapolis (8-7); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title with:
- JAX win + HOU loss or tie OR
- JAX tie + HOU loss
New England Patriots (12-3) at New York Jets (3-12); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX
New England clinches AFC East division title with:
- NE win + BUF loss or tie OR
- NE tie + BUF loss
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) at Cleveland (3-12); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title with:
- PIT win or tie OR
- BAL loss or tie
Houston Texans (10-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (11-4); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Houston clinches playoff berth with:
- HOU win or tie OR
- IND loss or tie OR
- HOU clinches at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over IND
*Note: HOU needs the following to happen to clinch a tie in strength of victory with IND:
BAL win + BUF win + KC win + SF win + ATL loss + MIA loss
NFC
CLINCHED:
Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) – NFC East
Chicago Bears (11-4) – playoff berth
Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – playoff berth
San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – playoff berth
Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – playoff berth
Seattle Seahawks (12-3) at Carolina (8-7); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Seattle clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- SEA win + LAR loss or tie + SF-CHI tie
Seattle clinches NFC West division title with:
- SEA win + LAR loss or tie + SF loss or tie OR
- SEA tie + LAR loss + SF loss
Carolina Panthers (8-7) vs. Seattle (12-3); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Carolina clinches NFC South division title with:
- CAR win + TB loss or tie OR
- CAR tie + TB loss
Chicago Bears (11-4) at San Francisco (11-4); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Chicago clinches NFC North division title with:
- CHI win OR
- GB loss OR
- CHI tie + GB tie
Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) vs. Baltimore (7-8); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, Peacock
Green Bay clinches playoff berth with:
- GB win or tie OR
- DET loss or tie