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NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: Latest AFC, NFC Standings and Bracket Scenarios
- Updated: December 22, 2016
We’re just about to enter the 16th week of the 2016 NFL season. This, folks, is the time of year they refer to as the homestretch.
A few teams, like the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, have already locked up their spots in the 2016-17 postseason. There are still several berths up for grabs, however, and these last couple of gameweeks are going to determine who gets them.
Will teams like the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers hang on to secure their respective divisions? Will teams such as the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins leap up and secure postseason spots that would have seemed surprising at the start of the season? No one can be certain. All we know is what could happen before Week 17 draws to a close.
We’re going to examine the standings at the top of each conference and examine some of the more interesting potential playoff scenarios.
Week 16 NFL Standings
If the Season Ended Today
If the NFL season were only 15 weeks long, the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders would have first-round byes in the AFC. Over in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks would get a break for the opening round.
The Pittsburgh Steelers would host the Miami Dolphins in the opening round, which would be an interesting matchup. The Dolphins hosted Pittsburgh earlier this season and earned a 30-15 victory. That was before Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered ligament sprains in his knee, though. The Houston Texans would host the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last year’s opening round.
The Chiefs won that game 30-0.
In the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons would host the Green Bay Packers. This would be a rematch from earlier in the season, when the Falcons won 33-32 in Atlanta. The New York Giants would visit the Detroit Lions.
The Giants beat Detroit 17-6 in New York on Sunday.
Scenarios to Watch For
The Packers Win Out
The Packers sit a game behind the Lions in the NFC North. The Packers also have one head-to-head win over the Lions on their resume and will visit Detroit in the regular-season finale. This means that if Green Bay goes 2-0 down the stretch, …
