After a wild slate of games in the final week of the regular season, the NFL playoff field is finally set as the Philadelphia Eagles topped the Dallas Cowboys to take the NFC East crown and the No. 3 seed.
In the AFC, the Denver Broncos secured the top spot and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs for the second straight year after defeating the Oakland Raiders 34-14 on Sunday. The New England Patriots clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a home win over the Buffalo Bills, and the Cincinnati Bengals locked up the No. 3 seed.
The Indianapolis Colts began the day knowing they could finish anywhere between the No. 2 and 4 seeds depending on how the day played out, but they will enter the playoffs in the No. 4 slot. They will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round. The Chiefs clinched the first AFC wild-card spot last week, and with their seeding already in place, head coach Andy Reid decided to rest his starters in the regular-season finale against the Chargers. San Diego battled to beat the Kansas City reserves in overtime, and in the process, they locked up the final wild-card spot with help from the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom dropped their final contests and were eliminated.
The Chargers will take on the Bengals in the first round.
As for the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks grabbed the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage with a win over the St. Louis Rams, and the Carolina Panthers took the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
In another win-and-in game, the Green Bay Packers topped the Chicago Bears to take home the No. 4 seed in the battle for the NFC North. The San Francisco 49ers clinched the No. 5 seed, and the New Orleans Saints rounded out the NFC playoff picture, squeaking in with a win that eliminated the Arizona Cardinals.
The Packers and 49ers will square off next week, and the Saints will take on the Eagles.
