• Bills on the precipice of the postseason: The Buffalo Bills have a 97% chance of making the playoffs with a Week 17 win against the New England Patriots, but their chances will fall to 41% with a loss.
• Rams need a Week 17 win vs. the Giants: The Los Angeles Rams have an 87% chance of making the playoffs with a Week 17 win against the New York Giants, but their chances will fall to just 24% with a loss.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The current situation ahead of Week 17
Current AFC playoff standings
- Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
- Miami Dolphins (11-4)
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
- Cleveland Browns (10-5)
- Buffalo Bills (9-6)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
Current NFC playoff standings
- San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
- Detroit Lions (11-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
The projections
Naturally, it’s unlikely the playoff picture will remain constant over the remainder of the season. And that’s why it makes sense to look at the projected playoff picture — the estimated chances PFF gives each team to make the playoffs.
The following charts show the projected playoff chances for each team alongside the playoff leverage, i.e., how the playoff chances would change with a win or loss.
The logos show the current playoff chances. The points to the right of the logos indicate the chances after a win, and the points to the left indicate the chances after a loss.
AFC PLAYOFF CHANCES
NFC PLAYOFF CHANCES
TEAMS WITH THE MOST AT STAKE IN WEEK 17
| Team | Chances with win | Chances with loss | Leverage |
| Los Angeles Rams | 87% | 24% | 63% |
| Green Bay Packers | 62% | 2% | 60% |
| Buffalo Bills | 97% | 41% | 56% |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 56% | 6% | 50% |
| Seattle Seahawks | 89% | 41% | 48% |
| Indianapolis Colts | 69% | 24% | 45% |
Playoff scenarios
Playoff matchups
As of now, the following wild-card matchups are most likely to happen:
- Cowboys at Buccaneers (68%)
- Browns at Jaguars (48%)
- Bills at Chiefs (40%)
- Seahawks at Lions (31%)
- Rams at Lions (28%)
- Seahawks at Eagles (22%)
Looking further ahead, these are the most likely matchups to happen at any point in the playoffs:
- Cowboys – Buccaneers (70%)
- Bills – Chiefs (52%)
- Browns at Jaguars (48%)
- Chiefs – Dolphins (47%)
- Cowboys – 49ers (36%)
- Eagles – 49ers (35%)
Home-field advantage
Teams that hold the No. 1 seed in the conference have a huge advantage going into the playoffs. Here are the most likely teams to do that.
| AFC | % | NFC | % |
| Baltimore Ravens | 74% | San Francisco 49ers | 70% |
| Miami Dolphins | 25% | Philadelphia Eagles | 17% |
| Cleveland Browns | 1% | Detroit Lions | 12% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1% |
Two wild cards for the same division
With the introduction of the seventh playoff seed, we've become accustomed to seeing three playoff teams from the same division. This has happened every year since 2020, when the playoffs were extended.
| AFC | NFC | |
| North | 35% | 2% |
| East | 0% | 0% |
| South | 2% | 0% |
| West | 0% | 38% |
Looking ahead to draft season
There are a few teams whose playoff chances are already bleak. But don’t fret — there is always the offseason and, most importantly, the draft.
The following teams have the biggest chance of picking first overall:
- Chicago Bears (via Panthers): 93%
- Arizona Cardinals (own pick): 6%
- Washington Commanders: 1%
Here are the chances of selecting inside the top five:
- Chicago Bears (via Panthers): 100%
- New England Patriots: 93%
- Arizona Cardinals (own pick): 97%
- Washington Commanders: 97%
- New York Giants: 51%
- Los Angeles Chargers: 35%
- Tennessee Titans: 22%
- Chicago Bears (own pick): 5%
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