It’s hard to fathom, but we’ve made it through 16 weeks of the NFL regular season.
And despite all the football that has been played, there’s still one week left and plenty at stake.
Most notably, two playoff spots — one in each conference — still are up for grabs. The Cincinnati Bengals clinched the AFC’s fifth playoff spot Monday night with an impressive win over the Denver Broncos.
Four teams remain in the chase for the AFC’s final playoff spot. Here’s how those teams can clinch it, according to the NFL.
San Diego Chargers clinch playoff spot with:
1. Win or
2. Tie plus a Baltimore Ravens tie or loss
Ravens clinch playoff spot with:
1. Win plus a Chargers loss or tie
2. Tie plus a chargers loss
Kansas City Chiefs clinch playoff spot with:
1. Win and Ravens loss and a Houston Texans loss or tie
Texans clinch playoff spot with:
1. Win plus a Ravens loss and a Chargers loss
In the NFC, the final playoff spot will be decided by Sunday’s de facto NFC South championship game between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
Here’s the rest of the playoff picture, as it looks right now.
AFC
First-round byes
1. New England Patriots (12-3)
2. Denver Broncos (11-4)
Wild-card round matchups
No. 6 San Diego Chargers (9-6) at No. 3Â Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-1)
No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) at No. 4Â Indianapolis Colts (10-5)
Notes:Â New England clinched the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with Denver’s loss Monday night.
NFC
First-round byes
1. Seattle Seahawks (11-4)
2. Detroit Lions (11-4)
Wild-card round matchups
No. 6 Arizona Cardinals (11-4) at No. 3Â Dallas Cowboys (11-4)
No. 5Â Green Bay Packers (11-4) at No. 4Â Carolina Panthers (6-8-1)
Notes:Â The NFC North title and a first-round bye will be at stake when the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions play Sunday.
Playoff scenarios via NFL.com
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
