Admin December 27, 2024
NFL Week 17 picks: Why you should consider Lions, Panthers and Colts
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his three best bets ahead of Week 17 games. Find out why he likes the Lions, Panthers and Colts to cover the spread.
There are still five available playoff spots and five division titles still up for grabs in the final two weeks of the season.
After two Christmas games on Wednesday and the Seattle Seahawks‘ “Thursday Night Football” win over the Chicago Bears, there are still three more days of NFL action this week. Saturday will feature a three-game slate with nine more games on Sunday before the final “Monday Night Football” matchup of the season.
There’s plenty to play for in those remaining 13 games. All four NFC divisions could have a winner determined this week, while three more teams could also clinch a playoff berth by the time Week 17 wraps up.
Here’s what to know about the NFL playoff picture as the penultimate week of the regular season rolls into its weekend action:
Who is in the NFL playoffs so far?
Nine teams have clinched a playoff spot as of the start of Week 17. Here’s who they are, grouped by conference:
AFC
NFC
NFL division winners 2024
After Week 17’s edition of “Thursday Night Football,” there are still five division title races yet to be decided, including all four in the NFC. Here’s which teams have already clinched their divisions entering Week 17’s Saturday and Sunday slates:
AFC
- AFC East: Buffalo Bills (12-3)
- AFC North: TBD
- AFC South: Houston Texans (9-7)
- AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)*
NFC
- NFC East: TBD
- NFC North: TBD
- NFC South: TBD
- NFC West: TBD
(*): The Chiefs clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their Christmas Day win over the Steelers. The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC will go through Arrowhead Stadium.
NFL playoff bracket update
AFC Bracket
No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners): BYE
The Chiefs clinched the top seed in the AFC with their Week 17 win over the Steelers on Christmas. For the fourth time in seven years, Kansas City is guaranteed home-field advantage up until the Super Bowl. As an extra prize for clinching the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs get a bye through the wild-card round of the playoffs and will play the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round.
No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East winners) vs. No. 7 seed Denver Broncos (9-6, wild card No. 3)
Buffalo can finish no better than the No. 2 seed and no worse than the No. 3 seed in the AFC bracket this year with its 12 wins. If the season ended before Week 17, the Bills would be playing the Broncos in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Buffalo would also maintain home-field advantage up until the conference championship.
The race for the No. 7 seed is still up in the air, so the Bills shouldn’t start preparing for Denver quite yet. The Broncos need one win in their last two games to clinch a playoff spot, but the Colts, Dolphins and Bengals are all right on their heels if they slip up.
No. 3 seed Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders) vs. No. 6 seed Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, wild card No. 2)
The Ravens jumped the Steelers for the top spot in the AFC North and No. 3 seed with their win and Pittsburgh’s loss on Christmas. Baltimore will secure the division title with a Week 18 win over the Browns or a Steelers loss to the Bengals. If Buffalo loses out and Baltimore wins next week, the Ravens would climb to the No. 2 spot.
Los Angeles still needs one more win – or a loss or tie from both the Colts and Dolphins – to clinch its playoff spot. The Chargers can climb as high as the No. 5 seed if they win out and the Steelers lose in Week 18. Though as things stand now, a second Harbaugh Bowl of the season is on the docket for the wild-card round. John Harbaugh and the Ravens came out victorious in the first matchup between these two teams back in November.
No. 4 seed Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners) vs. No. 5 seed Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)
Houston clinched its division title in Week 15, meaning it can finish no lower than the No. 4 seed in the AFC bracket. When the Texans lost to the Ravens on Christmas, it meant Houston could finish no higher than the No. 4 seed.
All that’s left to determine in this wild-card matchup is which team will be the No. 5 seed that will face the Texans. Right now, it’s the Steelers, who fell to second place in the AFC North and into the top wild-card spot in the AFC with their loss and the Ravens’ win on Wednesday. Pittsburgh could drop as low as the No. 7 seed with a Week 18 loss and two wins from each of the Chargers and Broncos, the two nine-win teams currently trailing the Steelers in the AFC playoff picture.
NFC Bracket
No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North leaders): BYE
Unlike in the AFC, the NFC’s No. 1 seed is still very much up for grabs in the final two weeks of the regular season. Both the Lions and Vikings control their own destiny in the race for the top spot with a Week 18 matchup to potentially decide the NFC North title looming.
Entering Week 17, the Lions hold the tiebreaker with their Week 7 win in Minnesota. Detroit has already set a franchise record with 13 wins in the regular season and could clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time ever with two more.
No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles (12-3, NFC East leaders) vs. No. 7 seed Washington Commanders (10-5, wild card No. 3)
Philadelphia is still in the driver’s seat for the NFC East title but doesn’t control its own destiny in the race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. With one more win in the next two weeks – featuring matchups against the lowly Cowboys and Giants – the Eagles can clinch a division title. However, they’ll need to win out and hope for Lions and Vikings losses in Week 17 for a shot at a first-round bye.
The Commanders can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the NFC South-leading Falcons on “Sunday Night Football.” As things currently stand, Washington would be playing a third game against the Eagles this season in the first round of the playoffs after splitting the regular season series with Philadelphia.
No. 3 seed Los Angeles Rams (9-6, NFC West leaders) vs. No. 6 seed Green Bay Packers (11-4, wild card No. 2)
The race for the NFC West division title remained close with the Seahawks’ “Thursday Night Football” win over the Bears in Chicago. Los Angeles still controls its own destiny and can clinch the divisional crown with wins in its last two games. The Rams need some help to secure the title in Week 17, but hold the No. 3 seed entering Saturday night’s clash with the Cardinals.
Green Bay sits in third place – behind the Lions and Vikings – in the triumvirate of outstanding NFC North teams this year. It’s already clinched a playoff spot with the “Monday Night Football” win last week, though the Packers will have to hit the road to start their playoff run now that they’re locked out of the division title race. Still, they’re winners of four of their last five and hold a 5-2 record on the road. They’re still red-hot and will be a dangerous playoff team in the NFC this year.
No. 4 seed Atlanta Falcons (8-7, NFC South leaders) vs. No. 5 seed Minnesota Vikings (13-2, wild card No. 1)
The Falcons are leaders in the NFC South after Week 16’s results but neck-and-neck with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with two weeks left to play. Should Atlanta and rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hold onto the top spot in the division, they’d host whichever NFC North team finishes in second place.
Right now, that’s the Vikings, who could jump into first place in both the division and conference with two wins to close out the year. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and starting quarterback Sam Darnold have been a match made in heaven for Minnesota this year, and the two could match the franchise record for single-season wins with two more. Otherwise, the Vikings need just one more win to be the top NFC wild-card holder – and a scary team for any division leader to host with their 5-1 road record this year.
NFL playoff picture
AFC
- Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners)
- Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East winners)
- Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders)
- Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, wild card No. 3)
- Denver Broncos (9-6, wild card No. 2)
In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (7-8), Miami Dolphins (7-8), Cincinnati Bengals (7-8).
NFC
- Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North leaders)
- Philadelphia Eagles (12-3, NFC East leaders)
- Los Angeles Rams (9-6, NFC West leaders)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-7, NFC South leaders)
- Minnesota Vikings (13-2, wild card No. 1)
- Green Bay Packers (11-4, wild card No. 2)
- Washington Commanders (10-5, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (9-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)