2024 NFL playoff picture: Who’s clinched and who’s still fighting to reach the postseason after Week 17 | CNN

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With just one week left in the NFL regular season, the playoff picture is getting clearer.

Week 17 saw three more teams clinch their postseason berths, and two were eliminated from contention. Five teams will have to suffer through nail-biting finals, including one that should be all but over by now.

Here’s everything you need to know during finals week.

So far, 12 teams across the two conferences have qualified for the playoffs.

Leading the way are the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the only team to beat them this season, the Buffalo Bills, both of whom won back in Week 13.

It was a great Christmas for the Chiefs, who secured the AFC No. 1 seed. 1 last Wednesday in a 29-10 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Last week also saw the Los Angeles Clippers claim the sixth AFC playoff spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. Justin Herbert was at the center of the action, throwing three touchdown passes to join Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson as the only players in NFL history to record 3,000-plus yards and 20-plus passes. TD in each of their first five seasons.

In the NFC, wins for the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings set up a must-see matchup in Week 18 with the winner claiming the No. 1 seed. .

Elsewhere in the conference, the Washington Wizards won their first home game since 2020 thanks to Jayden Daniels’ overtime heroics in a 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons – perhaps the most impactful game of the week in terms of play areas.

Joining them are the Los Angeles Rams, who struggled to score against the Arizona Cardinals but emerged victorious 13-9 on Saturday night. Wins for the Chiefs, Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings confirmed the power of victory for the Rams over the Seattle Seahawks.

Somehow, Denver has never kept its playoff spot. A win over the Colts on Dec. 15 put the Broncos at 9-5 on the year, but subsequent losses to the Chargers and then the Bengals on Saturday mean they still need a win to secure a berth.

The three-time Super Bowl champions will host the Chiefs on the final day – a tough prospect on paper but could be a lot easier in the grass, as Kansas City reportedly plans to rest starters already clinched the No. 1 seed .The NFL’s playoff tracker still gives 9-7 Denver an 83% chance of making the postseason.

However, there are two 8-8 teams looking to capitalize on the Broncos. The Miami Dolphins beat the Cleveland Browns comfortably 20-3 on Sunday to give themselves a 12% advantage. They face the New York Jets this Sunday.

The Bengals are another team in contention, but since Miami has won so many games against AFC opposition, Cincinnati can only make the playoffs if it beats Pittsburgh on Saturday and the Broncos and Dolphins both lose on Sunday, a chance limited to only 6%. .

In the NFC, there are only two teams that compete against each other. The Falcons were slight favorites to make the playoffs before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17, but their OT loss to the Chiefs saw their chances drop to just 11%. It is possible that the introduction of rookie Michael Penix Jr. replacing Kirk Cousins ​​has arrived in Atlanta too late.

The beneficiaries are the Bucs, who beat the Carolina Panthers 48-14 to move to 9-7 with an 89% chance of the playoffs. However, Tampa Bay has made a habit of losing right after winning big this season, so Bucs fans will be biting their nails on Sunday afternoon.

Week 17 saw the two teams drop out of contention. In the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts saw their odds drop from 15% to 0% with a shocking 45-33 loss to the New York Giants. They are out, along with the Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Browns, Tennessee Titans and Patriots.

In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks managed to win a non-TD game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough due to some factors stacked against them. They join the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Bears, Panthers and Giants as teams look ahead to next season.

AFC

1) Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) – clinched

2) Buffalo Bills (13-3) – clinched

3) Baltimore Ravens (11-5) – clinched

4) Houston Texas (9-7) – clinched

5) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) – clinched

6) Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) – clinched

7) Denver Broncos (9-7)

Outside

8) Miami Dolphins (8-8)

9) Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)

It has been terminated

10) Indianapolis Colts (7-9)

11) New York Airlines (4-12)

12) Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)

13) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)

14) Cleveland Browns (3-13)

15) Tennessee Titans (3-13)

16) New England Patriots (3-13)

NFC

1) Detroit Lions (14-2) clinched

2) Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) – clinched

3) Los Angeles Rams (10-6) – clinched

4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)

5) Minnesota Vikings (14-2) – clinched

6) Washington Chiefs (11-5) – clinched

7) Green Bay Packers (11-5) – clinched

Outside

9) Atlanta Falcons (8-8)

It has been terminated

8) Seattle Seahawks (9-7)

10) Dallas Cowboys (7-9)

11) Arizona Cardinals (7-9)

12) San Francisco 49ers (6-10)

13) New Orleans Saints (5-11)

14) Chicago Bears (4-12)

15) Carolina Panthers (4-12)

16) New York Giants (3-13)