The NFL playoff landscape, one game away from the conclusion of Week 17

With Week 17 Sunday complete, only three tickets to the postseason remain to be dealt in the NFL

The postseason invite list for the NFL it is almost complete.

With only one match pending Week 17, a “Monday Night Football” between the Cleveland browns (7-8) and Pittsburgh steelers (7-7-1), rivals of the AFC North, there are only three passports to be distributed in the league, two in the AFC and one in the NFC.

Besides, the NFC You already know who will be the first team in the sowing, with which the rest day of the Wild Card Round there.

After 15 of the 16 games played on the seventeenth day, this is how the postseason of the NFL if the campaign came to an end right now.

American Conference

The Tennessee Titans (11-5) outperformed Miami dolphins (8-8), and took advantage of the stumbling Kansas city chiefs (11-5) before Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) to seize first place in sowing the AFC, by virtue of their 27-3 victory over KC on the Week 7. Tennessee I would tie the first place in the American with beating the Houston Texans (4-12) on the final day of the regular season.

On the way, Tennessee tied the title of the NFC South for the second season in a row. Cincy The divisional crown was also put on the stock market, taking advantage of the fact that Baltimore Ravens (8-8) succumbed to Los Angeles Rams (12-4). Kansas city was flaunted as champion of the AFC West from the previous day.

That means that only the championship belt of the East, where the Buffalo bills (10-6) and New england patriots (10-6) are classified, but the final order in this sector remains to be determined.

With a team ticket Wildcard set aside for him East, there are two others in dispute for five teams. The Indianapolis Colts (9-7) and Los Angeles Chargers (9-7) are temporarily with those passages in their possession, but Las vegas raiders (9-7), Ravens Y Steelers they keep on the lookout, although they require help.

The crosses for the Wild Card Round on the AFC would be made up of the visit of the Chargers to Chiefs, Colts to Bengals Y Patriots to Bills, with the Titans waiting for results to meet his opponent from the Divisional Round.

The Chargers Y Chiefs already divided wins in the campaign, the same case that occurs with Patriots Y Bills as division neighbors. Indy against Cincy It would, on the other hand, be an unprecedented match for the current campaign.

National Conference

In the National Conference, the Green bay packers (13-3) were confirmed as the first place of sowing, a place that no one takes away from them, after beating in the Lambeau Field to the Minnesota Vikings (7-9), whom they eliminated from the postseason contest.

The champions of the NFC East, Dallas Cowboys (11-5) lost the possibility of fighting for the possibility of that first place in the National, and the rest day, when stumbling at home in front of the Arizona cardinals (11-5).

At West, the Rams (12-4) stayed one step ahead of the Cards, but they have not managed to tie the title of the division. Mind you, both teams are mathematically qualified for the postseason. With the defeat of Dallas, the Rams rose to the second rung on the NFC, for the moment.

At South, the Tampa bay buccaneers (12-4) lived a day of high drama, when Antonio Brown He chose to leave his team in the middle of the game. The Bucs are in the postseason, and momentarily reached third place in the conference, thanks to the fall of the Cowboys.

A ticket from Wildcard is waiting to meet its owner in the West —it can be for Rams or Cardinals, but from there it does not come out–, and one more surrendered to Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) with the victory of the Packers before the Vikings. The last entry to the playoffs to be distributed is temporarily in the hands of the San Francisco 49ers (9-7), but we cannot completely rule out the New orleans saints (8-8) without risking the Week 18.

If the campaign ended today Green bay would await results of the Wild Card Round from among the following clashes: Arizona would visit again Dallas, the Niners would travel to Tampa bay in a duel between the last two conference champions, and the Eagles they would pack suitcases to play before the Rams.

The Cards they won in this Week 17 to Cowboys, by 25-22, while the matches between 49ers Y Bucs, e Eagles Y Rams, would be unpublished for the season.

The eliminated

The list of eliminated teams grew significantly, compared to the previous day, when there were only eight teams without options for the postseason. Today, there are already 14.

The Seattle Seahawks (6-10), New York Giants (4-12), Carolina Panthers (5-11), Chicago Bears (6-10), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14), New York Jets (4-12), Detroit Lions (2-13-1) and Texans (4-12), were the teams without mathematical possibilities before the start of the Week 17.

After Sunday’s session, that list has grown with six more teams. The new discarded are the Vikings, Dolphins, Browns –without playing–, Denver Broncos (7-9), Atlanta Falcons (7-9) and the Washington Football Team (6-10).

A defeat for the Pittsburgh in view of Cleveland at “MNF“would mean adding to the Steelers to the group of those eliminated in the Week 17.

The battle for first place in the first round of the next draft remains close. The Jaguars They would have the first turn if the draft took place today, a year after choosing, also, first in the global order. The Lions They would be second, but they are still in the fight for the first selection. one that they have not practiced since 2019, although Detroit it has been a frequent protagonist of the highest part of the order of elections in most recent seasons.