The playoff picture for the 2016-2017 NFL season is beginning to take shape, and appears to look a bit different than the recent past. In the AFC, the New England Patriots are clearly above the pack, sitting with a current record of 12-2, and the first seed in the conference. Behind them, a surprising Oakland Raiders squad owns the second seed, along with the best record in the AFC West, one game better than the Kansas City Chiefs. After a four-loss stretch from Weeks 6 -10, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won four straight games to claim their place as the current third seed. Despite poor play from their expensive quarterback Brock Osweiler, even warranting a benching in Week 15 for virtually unknown Tom Savage, the Houston Texans own the fourth seed in the AFC with an 8-6 record.
At 10-4, the Kansas City Chiefs are currently the fifth seed, followed by the Miami Dolphins, who have won their last eight out of nine games, to put themselves in that final wild card spot with a record of 9-5. With two more weeks of football left, there are five AFC teams who are still alive and could earn a playoff berth with some wins and a little help from other teams along the way. In order of current seeds 7-11, those teams are the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills.
When it comes to the NFC post season picture, much like the AFC, one team stands large above the rest. The Dallas Cowboys are on fire, with a 12-2 record and a three game lead on any other team in their conference. At 9-4, the Seattle Seahawks hold the second seed, followed by a surprising Atlanta Falcon team, who are just one game ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South. In a tight NFC North division, the fourth seeded Detroit Lions, at 9-5, are on top, with a red hot Green Bay Packers team right in their heels just one game back. Rounding out the fifth and sixth seed, are two teams from the east, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins.
They better watch out, because there are five teams on the bubble, trying their best to snag a wild card spot in the final two weeks of the regular season. Those teams in order of current placement are: the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.
With just two weeks left in the NFL regular season, teams fighting for playoff spots are under intense pressure to perform, which should translate to exciting football for the fans. Be sure to secure your NFL playoff tickets now, so that you can support your team in the post season, and be there to see it all go down live and in person. You won’t want to miss one pass, play or incredible tackle when it comes to the NFL playoffs!