NFL playoff picture Week 17: Bills, Chiefs, Bengals in fight for No. 1 AFC postseason seed

Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic
·4 min read
5

There are just two weeks left in the NFL regular season and a lot is still left to be decided in the AFC and NFC playoff races.

Including which teams will get the No. 1 seed in each conference and the coveted bye week that comes with it.

In the AFC, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are both 12-3 entering their Week 17 games, while the Cincinnati Bengals are 11-4.

The Bengals host the Bills on Monday Night Football this week, while the Chiefs host the Denver Broncos.

In Week 18, the Chiefs play at the Las Vegas Raiders, the Bills host the Patriots and the Bengals host the Ravens.

NFL Week 17 odds: Cowboys vs. Titans | Cardinals vs. Falcons | Bears vs. Lions | Jaguars vs. Texans | Broncos vs. Chiefs | Dolphins vs. Patriots | Colts vs. Giants | Saints vs. Eagles | Panthers vs. Buccaneers | Browns vs. Commanders | 49ers vs. Raiders | Jets vs. Seahawks | Vikings vs. Packers | Rams vs. Chargers | Steelers vs. Ravens | Bills vs. Bengals

In the NFC, The Eagles are 13-2 entering their home game this week against the New Orleans Saints. The 12-3 Vikings are on the road at the Green Bay Packers.

The San Francisco 49ers (11-4) are at the Raiders, while the Dallas Cowboys (11-4) are at the Tennessee Titans.

The Eagles host the New York Giants in Week 18, the Vikings play at the Chicago Bears, the 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals and the Cowboys are at the Washington Commanders.

Advantage Kansas City and Philadelphia for the No. 1 postseason seeds in each conference?

NFL Week 17 picks: Cowboys vs. Titans | Cardinals vs. Falcons | Bears vs. Lions | Jaguars vs. Texans | Broncos vs. Chiefs | Dolphins vs. Patriots | Colts vs. Giants | Saints vs. Eagles | Panthers vs. Buccaneers | Browns vs. Commanders | 49ers vs. Raiders | Jets vs. Seahawks | Vikings vs. Packers | Rams vs. Chargers | Steelers vs. Ravens | Bills vs. Bengals

The top seed in each conference gets a bye in the wild card round of the NFL postseason and the other division winners get the No. 2 through No. 4 seeds.

The No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 seeds go to the non-division winners with the best records.

Here's how the NFC and AFC playoffs would look if the postseason began after NFL Week 16.

NFL Week 17 odds:Point spreads, moneylines, over/unders for Week 17 NFL games

The Kansas City Chiefs have a favorable schedule over the final two weeks of the NFL season.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a favorable schedule over the final two weeks of the NFL season.

NFC playoff picture Week 17:

  • No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (13-2) - NFC East leader (clinched playoff berth)

  • No. 2 Minnesota Vikings (12-3) - NFC North winner

  • No. 3 San Francisco 49ers (11-4) - NFC West winner

  • No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) - NFC South leader

  • No. 5 Dallas Cowboys (11-4) - Wild Card (clinched playoff berth)

  • No. 6 New York Giants (8-6-1) - Wild Card

  • No. 7 Washington Commanders (7-7-1) - Wild Card

In the hunt:

  • Seattle Seahawks (7-8)

  • Detroit Lions (7-8)

  • Green Bay Packers (7-8)

  • Carolina Panthers (6-9)

  • New Orleans Saints (6-9)

NFC playoff matchups right now:

  • No. 7 Washington Commanders at No. 2 Minnesota Vikings

  • No. 6 New York Giants at No. 3 San Francisco 49ers

  • No. 5 Dallas Cowboys at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notes: The Seahawks would win a tie breaker over the Lions right now because of their win over Detroit this season after a division tie breaker was used to eliminate the Packers because of the Lions' head-to-head win over Green Bay.

How to watch:NFL Week 17 schedule, television information

AFC playoff picture Week 17:

  • No. 1 Buffalo Bills (12-3) - AFC East winner

  • No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs (12-3) - AFC West winner

  • No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) - AFC North Leader (clinched playoff berth)

  • No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8) - AFC South leader

  • No. 5 Baltimore Ravens (10-5) - Wild Card (clinched playoff berth)

  • No. 6 Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) - Wild Card (clinched Wild Card berth)

  • No. 7 Miami Dolphins (8-7) - Wild Card

In the hunt:

  • New England Patriots (7-8)

  • New York Jets (7-8)

  • Tennessee Titans (7-8)

  • Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8)

  • Las Vegas Raiders (6-9)

AFC playoff matchups right now:

  • No. 7 Miami Dolphins at No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs

  • No. 6 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals

  • No. 5 Baltimore Ravens at No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars

Notes: The Bills take a tie breaker over the Chiefs because of their win over Kansas City. The Jaguars take a tie breaker over the Titans because of their win over Tennessee.

Super Bowl 57 odds:NFL Week 17 betting odds for every NFL team to win 2023 Super Bowl

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL playoff picture Week 17: Bills, Chiefs, Bengals in fight atop AFC

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