With two weeks remaining, 10 playoff spots have been clinched: five in the AFC (Buffalo, Denver, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers and New England) and five in the NFC (Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle).
Philadelphia (NFC East) is the only team to secure a division title so far and since 2002, this marks the third season, along with 2010 and 2013, that one or fewer divisions have been clinched with two weeks remaining.
With Chicago, Jacksonville, New England, San Francisco and Seattle all reaching the postseason, at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before in 36 consecutive seasons (1990-2025).
With Chicago, New England and San Francisco all qualifying for the playoffs after finishing last in their division in 2024, at least one team has made the playoffs the season after finishing in last or tied for last place in 27 of the past 30 seasons (1996-2025).
This week, there are four matchups between teams currently in playoff position: on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network), the Houston Texans (10-5) visit the Los Angeles Chargers (11-4); on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (CBS), the Seattle Seahawks (12-3) visit the Carolina Panthers (8-7) and at 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX), the Buffalo Bills (11-4) host the Philadelphia Eagles (10-5); and on Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), the Chicago Bears (11-4) visit the San Francisco 49ers (11-4).
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Here’s a look at each division race entering Week 17:
AFC East: The New England Patriots (12-3) have clinched their first playoff berth since 2021 and lead the Buffalo Bills (11-4) by one game in the AFC East. The Patriots finished last in the division in 2024 and in 19 of the past 22 seasons (2003-24), at least one team finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place.
- The Patriots visit the New York Jets (3-12) on Sunday(1 p.m. ET, FOX) and with a win and a Bills loss or tie, can clinch their first AFC East division title since 2019.
- The Bills, who host Philadelphia (10-5) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX), are the only team that has qualified for the postseason in each of the past seven seasons (2019-25).
AFC North: The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) lead the Baltimore Ravens (7-8) by two games and look to secure their first division title since 2020. Pittsburgh visits Cleveland (3-12) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) and with a win or tie, will clinch the division title for the eighth time and a playoff spot for the 13th time in 19 seasons under head coach Mike Tomlin.
- The Steelers, with their Week 16 win at Detroit, secured their 22nd consecutive season with a .500-or-better record and surpassed the Dallas Cowboys (21 consecutive seasons from 1965-85) for the longest such streak in NFL history.
AFC South: The Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) have won six consecutive games and lead the Houston Texans (10-5), who have won seven consecutive games, for first place in the AFC South. The Jaguars, along with the Patriots, have clinched playoff spots after selecting in the top five in the 2025 NFL Draft. In seven consecutive seasons (2019-25) and in 22 of the past 24 seasons (2002-25), a team that chose in the top five of the NFL Draft has qualified for the postseason.
- The Jaguars visit Indianapolis (8-7) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and with a win and a Texans loss or tie, will secure their first division title since 2022.
- Houston, looking to become the fifth team since 1990 to begin 0-3 and qualify for the postseason, visits the Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network) in a matchup between two AFC teams currently in Wild Card position. The Texans, who have won the AFC South in each of the past two seasons, can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie or an Indianapolis loss or tie.
AFC West: The Denver Broncos (12-3) hold a one game lead over the Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) in the AFC West and currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC after clinching a playoff spot for the second-consecutive season. Denver visits Kansas City (6-9) on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) while the Chargers host Houston (10-5) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network). The Chargers are the only team with an undefeated record within their own division this season (5-0) and will visit the Broncos in Week 18.
- The Broncos can win 13 games in a season for the first time since 2013 and the AFC West title for the first time since 2015.
- The Chargers have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since four straight playoff appearances from 2006-09.
NFC East: The Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) clinched a division title in Week 16 and became the first team to repeat as NFC East champions in 20 seasons, since they won four consecutive division titles from 2001-04. The Eagles are currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff standings, trailing Seattle (12-3) and Chicago (11-4).
NFC North: The Chicago Bears (11-4) clinched their first playoff berth since 2020 last week after overcoming a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Green Bay (9-5-1), 22-16, in overtime. The Bears are the first team in NFL history to win six games after trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
- The Bears visit San Francisco (11-4) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) and with a win, will clinch the NFC North for the first time since 2018.
- The Packers, who host Baltimore (7-8) on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, Peacock), can qualify for the postseason for the fifth time in the past six seasons with a win or tie in Week 17.
NFC South: The Carolina Panthers (8-7) defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8), 23-20, in Week 16 to take over the top spot in the NFC South and will meet again in Tampa in Week 18. The Panthers host Seattle (12-3) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) while the Buccaneers visit Miami (6-9) in Week 17 (1 p.m. ET, FOX).
- The Buccaneers have won four consecutive division titles since 2021 while the Panthers are seeking their first NFC South title since 2015 and first playoff berth since 2017.
NFC West: The Seattle Seahawks (12-3), Los Angeles Rams (11-4) and San Francisco 49ers (11-4) have each clinched a playoff berth. The Seahawks overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat the Rams, 38-37, in overtime last week to take over the division lead.
- The Seahawks, who travel to Carolina (8-7) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), reached the postseason for the first time since 2022 and can win the division for the first time since 2020.
- The Rams, who visit Atlanta (6-9) on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Week 17, qualified for the playoffs for the seventh time in nine seasons under head coach Sean McVay and can win the NFC West for the second-straight season.
- The 49ers, who host Chicago (11-4) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), qualified for the postseason for the fourth time in the past five years and can win the NFC West for the third time in the past four seasons.
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
AFC
CLINCHED:
Buffalo Bills (11-4) – playoff berth
Denver Broncos (12-3) – playoff berth
Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) – playoff berth
Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) – playoff berth
New England Patriots (12-3) – playoff berth
Denver Broncos (12-3) at Kansas City (6-9); Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video
Denver clinches AFC West division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- DEN win + LAC loss or tie + NE loss + BUF loss or tie + JAX loss or tie
Denver clinches AFC West division title with:
- DEN win + LAC loss or tie OR
- DEN tie + LAC loss
Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) at Indianapolis (8-7); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title with:
- JAX win + HOU loss or tie OR
- JAX tie + HOU loss
New England Patriots (12-3) at New York Jets (3-12); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX
New England clinches AFC East division title with:
- NE win + BUF loss or tie OR
- NE tie + BUF loss
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) at Cleveland (3-12); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title with:
- PIT win or tie OR
- BAL loss or tie
Houston Texans (10-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (11-4); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Houston clinches playoff berth with:
- HOU win or tie OR
- IND loss or tie OR
- HOU clinches at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over IND
*Note: HOU needs the following to happen to clinch a tie in strength of victory with IND:
BAL win + BUF win + KC win + SF win + ATL loss + MIA loss
NFC
CLINCHED:
Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) – NFC East
Chicago Bears (11-4) – playoff berth
Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – playoff berth
San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – playoff berth
Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – playoff berth
Seattle Seahawks (12-3) at Carolina (8-7); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Seattle clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- SEA win + LAR loss or tie + SF-CHI tie
Seattle clinches NFC West division title with:
- SEA win + LAR loss or tie + SF loss or tie OR
- SEA tie + LAR loss + SF loss
Carolina Panthers (8-7) vs. Seattle (12-3); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Carolina clinches NFC South division title with:
- CAR win + TB loss or tie OR
- CAR tie + TB loss
Chicago Bears (11-4) at San Francisco (11-4); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Chicago clinches NFC North division title with:
- CHI win OR
- GB loss OR
- CHI tie + GB tie
Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) vs. Baltimore (7-8); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, Peacock
Green Bay clinches playoff berth with:
- GB win or tie OR
- DET loss or tie
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