Here's how the NFL playoff picture looks now that Week 16 is underway.
AFC
yz-1. New England Patriots (12-2): AFC East champions. Division winners for eighth consecutive season, they can lock up home field in Week 16 with a win plus an Oakland loss. [Remaining games: vs. Jets, at Dolphins]
x-2. Oakland Raiders (11-3): AFC West leader. Back in playoffs for first time in 14 years, they win division and bye with victory and a K.C. loss. [Remaining games: vs. Colts, at Broncos]
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5): AFC North leader. They'll clinch division by beating Baltimore on Christmas but would lose control of it if Ravens complete season sweep. [Remaining games: vs. Ravens, vs. Browns]
4. Houston Texans (8-6): AFC South leader. Now 5-0 in divisional games, they maintain tiebreaker advantage while sharing first place with the Titans. Houston needs only to beat Tennessee in Week 17 to keep its crown. The Texans can also clinch Saturday with a win plus Titans loss. [Remaining games: vs. Bengals, at Titans]
5. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4): Wild card No. 1. A win against Denver on Christmas night will lock Chiefs into playoffs and would put them back atop AFC West if Raiders also lose. Kansas City would also clinch a berth if Baltimore loses. [Remaining games: vs. Broncos, at Chargers]
6. Miami Dolphins (9-5): Wild card No. 2. They lock in with a win plus a loss by the Broncos. But Miami can't afford to slip given losses to Ravens and Titans earlier this season could hurt dearly if this spot winds up being decided by tiebreakers. [Remaining games: at Bills, vs. Patriots]
In the hunt
7. Baltimore Ravens (8-6): They'll claim AFC North by winning final two games. Defeating Miami would also serve them well in wild-card race if they wind up tied. [Remaining games: at Steelers, at Bengals]
8. Tennessee Titans (8-6): They'll claim AFC South by winning final two games. They also beat Dolphins and would own head-to-head tiebreaker for wild card. [Remaining games: at Jaguars, vs. Texans]
9. Denver Broncos (8-6): They're only in running for wild card at this point and would be eliminated this week by loss and a Miami win. [Remaining games: at Chiefs, vs. Raiders]
10. Indianapolis Colts (7-7): Any loss eliminates them. They still have path to AFC South crown but need to finish tied atop division with Tennessee or benefit from Titans-Texans tie in Week 17. [Remaining games: at Raiders, vs. Jaguars]
11. Buffalo Bills (7-7): Any loss eliminates them. They must win out and receive significant help to get sixth seed. [Remaining games: vs. Dolphins, at Jets]
AFC
yz-1. New England Patriots (12-2): AFC East champions. Division winners for eighth consecutive season, they can lock up home field in Week 16 with a win plus an Oakland loss. [Remaining games: vs. Jets, at Dolphins]
x-2. Oakland Raiders (11-3): AFC West leader. Back in playoffs for first time in 14 years, they win division and bye with victory and a K.C. loss. [Remaining games: vs. Colts, at Broncos]
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5): AFC North leader. They'll clinch division by beating Baltimore on Christmas but would lose control of it if Ravens complete season sweep. [Remaining games: vs. Ravens, vs. Browns]
4. Houston Texans (8-6): AFC South leader. Now 5-0 in divisional games, they maintain tiebreaker advantage while sharing first place with the Titans. Houston needs only to beat Tennessee in Week 17 to keep its crown. The Texans can also clinch Saturday with a win plus Titans loss. [Remaining games: vs. Bengals, at Titans]
5. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4): Wild card No. 1. A win against Denver on Christmas night will lock Chiefs into playoffs and would put them back atop AFC West if Raiders also lose. Kansas City would also clinch a berth if Baltimore loses. [Remaining games: vs. Broncos, at Chargers]
6. Miami Dolphins (9-5): Wild card No. 2. They lock in with a win plus a loss by the Broncos. But Miami can't afford to slip given losses to Ravens and Titans earlier this season could hurt dearly if this spot winds up being decided by tiebreakers. [Remaining games: at Bills, vs. Patriots]
In the hunt
7. Baltimore Ravens (8-6): They'll claim AFC North by winning final two games. Defeating Miami would also serve them well in wild-card race if they wind up tied. [Remaining games: at Steelers, at Bengals]
8. Tennessee Titans (8-6): They'll claim AFC South by winning final two games. They also beat Dolphins and would own head-to-head tiebreaker for wild card. [Remaining games: at Jaguars, vs. Texans]
9. Denver Broncos (8-6): They're only in running for wild card at this point and would be eliminated this week by loss and a Miami win. [Remaining games: at Chiefs, vs. Raiders]
10. Indianapolis Colts (7-7): Any loss eliminates them. They still have path to AFC South crown but need to finish tied atop division with Tennessee or benefit from Titans-Texans tie in Week 17. [Remaining games: at Raiders, vs. Jaguars]
11. Buffalo Bills (7-7): Any loss eliminates them. They must win out and receive significant help to get sixth seed. [Remaining games: vs. Dolphins, at Jets]
I think hou/Cincy meaningless anyhow if I got this right (although I think qb change has hou playing like it counts). Hou beats titans next week they in I believe. So yea if titans beat jags I think Indy out, pretty sure they need titans to lose today then beat hou for Indy to get in. Of course what happens if hou/titans tie? Lol this time of year gives me headache!
Yea doesn't seem real likely titans lose to jags but I mean if hou titans tie week 17 colts could take div. obviously not likely but I would think you get their best effort as they just tell themselves to control what they can control. I'm leaning Indy as well, ya know it prob be close and kinda suspect the young raiders have a hard time refocusing after clinching 1st playoff spot in god knows how long?
For most part I think we typically get teams best effort regardless. What I have heard from a few former players is on game day you get max effort, where the motivation comes into play is how hard or lack of preparation during the week at practice which obviously shows up on game day. In this case colts went thru the week as if they were still alive so you would think they put in the work to succeed today. Seems much more likely if anyone slacked this week it would have been Oakland.
Agreed,unless the coach, to be clicke, "loses the locker room:
But I don't think that has happened in HOU (since Savage was put in) in Buffalo (who may go 9-7 and still lose their head coach) etc....I do wonder about Chip Kelly, but I am not sure a single coach in the NFL could win more than 3 games with that team, so I do blame ownership a lot for that team's record. I think if you go in on Chip you might as well give him 3 years to build a culture (which is what Belichck says is the minimum a new coach needs to "build a culture."
That's dead on. I'm with you, I think these guys give a lot of effort almost all of the time not just for their team, but to keep their job and continue to make a bunch of money. Money's a huge motivator. Motivation is a much better word to describe the extra "effort" or lack thereof that teams seem to display from week to week. Switching head coaches, someone dying on the team, complacence, scheduling, etc.
