Coming into the 14-game slate on the final Sunday of the NFL’s regular season, there was still a lot on the line in terms of both playoff berths, as well as seeding.
With just one game remaining, we have gained a great deal of clarity on how the Wild Card round will look. Especially in the AFC, where all seven seeds have officially been set and the teams can now begin to prepare for their first-round opponent. In the NFC, all that remains is the final seed, which will be decided based on the result of the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions game.
Below is how things currently look based on the results of Sunday’s opening 13 games:
AFC:
No. 1 Chiefs on bye
No. 2 Bills vs. No. 7 Dolphins
No. 3 Bengals vs. No. 6 Ravens
No. 4 Jaguars vs. No. 5 Chargers
NFC:
No. 1 Eagles on bye
No. 2 49ers vs. No. 7 Seahawks (8-8)/Packers (8-8)
No. 3 Vikings vs. No. 6 Giants
No. 4 Buccaneers vs. No. 5 Cowboys
(Note: Teams bolded are locked into their seed and will not move regardless of future results)
Here is what the final game of the NFL regular season means for the playoff picture:
Lions (8-8) @ Packers (8-8) | Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET
With the Seahawks win over the Rams, the Lions were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Now, all they can do is play spoiler, as the Packers need to win to secure the final berth in the NFC. A Green Bay loss and the Seahawks would sneak in thanks to their OT win over the Rams. Regardless of who comes out, they will head to San Fransisco to take on the red-hot 49ers on Wild Card weekend.