Who is in the NFL playoffs? Week 17 clinched spots, division winners, bracket showdowns

We’re in the final two weeks of the 2024 NFL season and the playoff picture continues to become clearer. Half of the NFL’s divisions and 10 of the 14 playoff spots were clinched before “Sunday Night Football” In Week 17.

There is still a lot to work out, especially regarding the details on ranking positions. Here’s the latest news on playoff participants, seeding positions and current games as Week 17 results come in:

NFL Playoff Photo: Who’s in so far?

Ten teams clinched a playoff spot after Sunday’s Week 17 opening slate. Here’s who they are, grouped by conference:

AFC

NFC

2024 NFL Division Winners

Four of the NFL’s eight divisions have been won. Here’s everyone’s status as Sunday’s action continues:

AFC

• AFC East: Buffalo Bills (13-3)

• AFC North: To be determined

• AFC South: Houston Texans (9-7)

• AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)*

NFC

: The Chiefs have taken 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 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs and a bye to the wild card round. They will be seeded in the AFC category for the third time this season. Patrick Mahomes

era.

No. 2 Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners) at No. 7 Denver Broncos (9-7, No. 3 wild card) The buffalo Week 17 win over the New York Jets

clinched the second seed in the conference. They will finish at least one game ahead of the winner of the AFC North 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 group is not fixed. The Broncos hold the final playoff spot, but the Bengals And Dolphins

are still on the hunt. Cincinnati’s win over Denver in Week 17 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, No. 2 wild card) The winner of the AFC North is locked into the No. 3 seed. Thanks to its Christmas victory against Houston and the Steelers’ defeat against the Chiefs, Baltimore occupies this place. If Baltimore wins in Week 18 Browns

or if the Steelers lose to the Bengals, he 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 isn’t locked into the sixth seed. If the Steelers lose next week to the Bengals and the Chargers beat the Raiders, Los Angeles would move into fifth place. But as it stands, there will be another Harbaugh Bowl this season. These two teams faced each other in November, withBaltimore winning 30-23

.

No. 4 Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winner) vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, No. 1 wild card)

Houston won the AFC South in Week 15 and is locked in fourth place. The Steelers’ loss to the Chiefs drops them to fifth place and holds the tiebreaker against 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 will be the No. 5 seed. If they lose and the Chargers win in Week 18, they will be the No. 6 seed at worst.

NFC

Minnesota Vikings, No. 1 seed (14-2, NFC North leaders): BYE The NFC North is the best division in football in terms of records, which means the No. 1 seed is up in the air. Minnesota victory against Green Bay

maintains its chances of having home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

If Detroit wins on Monday Night Football against the 49ers, the teams will meet in Week 18 to decide the division champion and No. 1 seed in the NFC. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, winners of the NFC East) against No. 7 Washington Commanders

(10-5, wild card n°3) Philadelphia’s loss to Washington in Week 16 means they need help securing the No. 1 seed. Their defeat the Cowboys in week 17

However, they earned them the division title and, at worst, the No. 2 seed. To get the No. 1 seed, they must beat the Giants in Week 18, the Lions lose, and the Vikings lose at least one of their last two matches.

The No. 7 seed is still up in the air in the NFC. With a victory on “Sunday Night Football” against Atlanta, the Commanders would clinch the final spot in the NFC playoffs with one week remaining.

If things end this way, the Eagles and Commanders will face each other for the third time this season. No. 3 Los Angeles Rams

(10-6, NFC West leaders) against the No. 6 Green Bay Packers (11-5, No. 2 wild card)

The Rams are in control of the NFC West title. They will win the division if they beat the Seahawks in Week 18. If they lose, Seattle and Los Angeles will finish with the same overall, division and conference records. Seattle will need help elsewhere to secure a schedule tiebreaker and win the division title.

Green Bay clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 with its victory on “Monday Night Football.” But their loss to Minnesota today opens the door for the Commanders to potentially overtake the Packers for the No. 6 seed. No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(9-7, NFC South leaders) against the No. 5 Detroit Lions (13-2, No. 1 wild card)

Tampa Bay’s dominant win over Carolina puts them in first place in the NFC South against the Atlanta Falcons. However, the Buccaneers need to finish a game ahead of the Falcons to win the division title, as Atlanta has two head-to-head wins against Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers must win against New Orleans next week. They hope the Falcons lose to the Commanders in Week 17 or to the Panthers in Week 18.

With the Vikings’ victory over the Packers, the Lions temporarily fell to fifth place. If Detroit wins Monday Night Football against San Francisco, they will be back in first place.

NFL playoff photo

1. AFC

2. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners)*

3. Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners)*

4. Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders)*

5. Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners)*

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)*

7. 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).

1. NFC

2. Minnesota Vikings (14-2, NFC North leaders)*

3. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East winners)*

4. Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West leaders)

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, NFC South leaders)

6. Detroit Lions (13-2, wild card No. 1)*

7. Green Bay Packers (11-5, wild card No. 2)*

Washington Commanders (10-5, wild card No. 3)In the hunt

: Seattle Seahawks (9-7), Atlanta Falcons (8-7)

An asterisk denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have won division titles are scored accordingly.