We have to soak in every minute of football action we can. After 18 weeks, the NFL regular season is over, and most teams are left licking their wounds. However, the 14 teams left standing dial things up a notch, competing for glory and the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Here’s what the playoff brackets would look like if the postseason started today.
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NFC
| Division Leaders (odds to win the division) | Wild Card Teams (odds to make the playoffs) |
| No. 1 – San Francisco 49ers (Unavailable) | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Dallas Cowboys (-270) | No. 7 – Los Angeles Rams (+100) |
| No. 3 – Detroit Lions (-7000) | No. 6 – Minnesota Vikings (-110) |
| No. 4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-134) | No. 5 – Philadelphia Eagles (Unavailable) |
More NFC: Tommy DeVito Revives Giants
What the hell is going on in the NFC?! There are three weeks left in the regular season, and we have no idea who will make the playoffs or their seed. One of the few certainties we know is that the San Francisco 49ers are guaranteed a postseason berth. The Niners are four games up on the Seattle Seahawks with three games to play, meaning, at worst, they could fall to the third seed. The way things are going, it’s just a matter of time before San Fran sows up the top spot and a first-round bye.
A win against the Philadelphia Eagles wasn’t enough to convince bettors the Dallas Cowboys are for real. Ahead of Week 15, the Cowboys were priced as +245 underdogs to claim the NFC East title. Losses by both teams have shifted the odds and tiebreaker equation in favor of the Cowboys, with Dallas currently installed as -270 chalk. They would face a stiff challenge from the Los Angeles Rams, who have moved into the seventh seed, knocking the Green Bay Packers from their berth.
Still, two NFC North teams are occupying a playoff spot, and they’ve been destined to face each other in the opening round for most of the season. The Detroit Lions’ first division crown as NFC North Champions is a virtual certainty. They are priced as a prohibitive -7000 favorite in the futures market. Home field would be a substantive advantage against a Minnesota Vikings squad undergoing a crisis at quarterback.
Another team has solidified their division odds, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have moved from +155 to -134 to win the NFC South. However, there is no margin for error as the Bucs are tied with the New Orleans Saints at 7-7, with the Atlanta Falcons hovering in the background at 6-8. It doesn’t matter who wins the division, as they’ll be fodder for the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
AFC
| Division Leaders (odds to win the division) | Wild Card Teams (odds to make the playoffs) |
| No. 1 – Baltimore Ravens (-3500) | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Miami Dolphins (-245) | No. 7 – Indianapolis Colts (-144) |
| No. 3 – Kansas City Chiefs (Unavailable) | No. 6 – Cincinnati Bengals (Unavailable) |
| No. 4 – Jacksonville Jaguars (-112) | No. 5 – Cleveland Browns (-750) |
More AFC: AFC Playoff Chaos
Things don’t get any clearer as we shift our gaze to the AFC side of the bracket. The Baltimore Ravens are in the most envious position, but there’s still plenty of work to do. Baltimore leads the conference with 11 wins, but eight teams could catch them in the standings. Winning out is the only way to guarantee themselves a first-round bye, but they could lose a game and still get some help along the way.
All of a sudden, we have a race for the second seed. The Miami Dolphins are the odds-on favorite to claim the AFC East banner, but the Buffalo Bills have kept within striking distance of their foes. If the Bills don’t catch Miami, they could still catch the Indianapolis Colts for a wild card spot, setting up a clash with a familiar foe, the second-seed Dolphins.
We have a new contender in the sixth seed, and it’s an unsuspecting team. Just a few weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were written off. Joe Burrow went down with a season-ending injury, and they were already too far out of a playoff spot. Jake Browning has marched the team to three straight wins and a potential postseason berth. Their path to the second round would have to come against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Patrick Mahomes and company don’t look as unbeatable as they once did.
Lastly, we have a pile-up of squads clamoring for the AFC South title and a home-field playoff game in the Wild Card Round. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Ravens on Sunday, moving them into a tie with the Houston Texans and Colts for the fourth seed. Whichever team emerges from the rubble hosts the fifth seed in Round 1. It’s looking more and more likely that it will be the Cleveland Browns.
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