Following Thursday Night Football, there are 15 contests remaining in Week 16. Well, 14 of them have some sort of playoff implications, making this a scenario-heavy week on the gridiron.
Currently, only the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals have officially clinched postseason berths, but a total of eight other teams have at least one scenario that would allow them to punch their tickets to the playoffs by the week's conclusion.
So here's the burning question many NFL fans are asking as he head into the weekend's action: Which teams have a chance of clinching one of the eight remaining playoff spots in Week 16? Before we delve into this week's wild-card scenarios, let's take a look at the postseason picture before Saturday's contests kick off.
Updated Playoff Picture
Week 16 Wild-Card Scenarios
While there are still 17 teams in contention for one of the remaining playoff spots, not all of them have a chance to clinch a playoff berth in Week 16. Here's a look at every team that has such a chance and what each team must do to bring its postseason dreams to fruition.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are in control of the AFC North heading into Week 16, and they control their own destiny. Winning out will earn this team the division title, but it may not have to wait until next week to achieve the feat.
To simply clinch a playoff berth, the Bengals must notch a victory this week. Of course, that won't be an easy task, as Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos come to town for a Monday Night Football showdown. Although, that's not the only way Cincinnati will punch its ticket.
Should the team happen to tie (again), it can still get in with a loss by the Baltimore Ravens or losses by both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers—a somewhat likely scenario. The Bengals can also clinch a playoff spot before they even play Monday. They advance to the postseason if Kansas City, San Diego and the Buffalo Bills lose during the weekend.
Finally, Cincinnati can win the AFC North with a victory and losses by Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Let's keep things within the AFC North for a minute. The Steelers have one playoff-clinching scenario this week: They must win. A victory over the Chiefs would send Pittsburgh into the postseason and give it a chance to take the division from Cincinnati when the division rivals face off in Week 17.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore needs lots of help to earn a playoff berth this week. Of course, the Ravens need a victory over the Houston Texans—something that shouldn't be too difficult with Case Keenum at the helm—but they also need losses by both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. If that doesn't happen, Baltimore can still get in with a win and losses by Kansas City and San Diego.
Detroit Lions
Detroit can clinch everything except for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this week, putting the team in a great situation to advance into January's action by the end of Sunday.
To gain entry into the playoffs, the Lions simply must defeat the Chicago Bears—and that's highly likely, as their defense should be able to handle Jimmy Clausen just fine. Detroit may even earn a playoff berth before Sunday commences. If the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the Washington Redskins on Saturday, the Lions are officially in.
If Detroit is to clinch the NFC North this week, it also needs a loss by the Green Bay Packers. Considering Aaron Rodgers and Co. are playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that's not exactly bound to happen. Although, should the unthinkable come to fruition, and the Dallas Cowboys also lose to the Colts, the Lions would gain a first-round bye.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas can get in this week, but it doesn't have nearly as much of a chance as Detroit. To clinch a playoff berth, the Cowboys need to defeat the Colts, and they also need losses by Green Bay and Detroit. Yeah, we may as well forget about that scenario. Although, Dallas can clinch the NFC East with a win and an Eagles loss. That's not very plausible, either, but it's more likely than the aforementioned situation.
Chances are the NFC East will be decided in Week 17.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks should be expected to punch their ticket this week due to several favorable scenarios. If Seattle is able to defeat Ryan Lindley and the Arizona Cardinals, a loss by Philadelphia, Green Bay or Detroit would send the Seahawks into the postseason. If Seattle ties, a loss by either the Eagles or Cowboys would do the trick. In the team's final scenario, it can earn a playoff spot with an Eagles loss and Cowboys win.
While Seattle isn't guaranteed to clinch in Week 16, a win over the Cardinals would propel the team atop the NFC West, leaving a Week 17 matchup with the St. Louis Rams between Seattle and another division title.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have a very similar scenario as the Seahawks. A Green Bay win, along with a loss by Philadelphia or a win by Dallas, would punch the team's ticket into January. Like Seattle, the Packers would also get in with a Philadelphia loss and Cowboys win.
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans can only get into the postseason with a division title. Well, the same can be said for both the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, as the entire NFC South resides under the .500 mark on the season.
The Saints face off against the Falcons in Week 16, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker, having won their Week 1 clash. New Orleans can clinch the division title this week with a victory over the Falcons and a Panthers loss to the Cleveland Browns.
If both the Saints and Panthers win this week, Carolina would remain atop the division with a chance to clinch in Week 17 with a victory over the Falcons, who would already be knocked out of contention.
Playoff Predictions
Now that we know every clinching scenario for Week 16, why not finish things off with some postseason projections. Taking all of the aforementioned information into account, and considering each team's Week 17 matchup and playoff tiebreakers, here's how the final playoff picture is likely to look.
All playoff scenarios and tiebreakers courtesy of CBSSports.com and current as of December 19.
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