Two weeks of the NFL regular season remain and four playoff spots are still up for grabs.
The Baltimore Ravens are in control of the AFC and can secure home advantage throughout the playoffs with a win this week, while the AFC East title is on the line when the New England Patriots host the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
The situation is a lot more complicated in the NFC, where the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints all share an 11-3 record.
Here's the state of play ahead of Week 16.
AFC
Having clinched a playoff spot two weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens secured a second consecutive AFC North title by thrashing the New York Jets 42-21 on Thursday Night Football.
The Ravens moved to 12-2 after a 10th consecutive win and can clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a win in Cleveland on Sunday.
A loss against the Browns would still be enough for Baltimore to earn a first-round bye as long as the Kansas City Chiefs fail to win in Chicago on Sunday Night Football.
The New England Patriots secured an NFL-record 11th consecutive playoff berth last week with a 34-17 win in Cincinnati, which improved their record to 11-3 for the season.
The reigning Super Bowl can win the AFC East for the 11th straight year if they avoid defeat against the Bills on Saturday.
As shown by this graphic provided by Statista, a win over Buffalo would also secure a first-round bye for New England if the Chiefs don't win in Chicago.
Elsewhere, the Houston Texans can take the AFC South for the fourth time in five years if they win in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers in the opening game of Saturday's triple-header.
NFC
The New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have all clinched a playoff spot but much remains to be decided.
The Saints, Packers and Seahawks are all 11-3 but while New Orleans, who has won the NFC South, holds the tiebreaker over Seattle, its conference record would penalize it in a three-way tie.
The Packers can win the NFC North if they defeat the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis on Monday Night Football, while the Vikings can book a postseason slot if they beat the Packers.
Minnesota would also clinch a playoff berth if the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.
San Francisco fell to fifth in the NFC rankings after losing 29-22 to the Atlanta Falcons, which saw the 49ers slip to 11-3.
The Seahawks hold the tiebreaker over their NFC West rivals by virtue of their win in San Francisco in Week 10, but the 49ers can clinch the No. 1 spot if they win their two remaining games—which include a matchup in Seattle in Week 17.
Elsewhere, the Dallas Cowboys can become the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles in over a decade if they defeat the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Both teams are 7-7 but the Cowboys hold the tiebreaker over the Eagles—who are the last team to successfully defend the divisional title, winning it four times in a row between 2001 and 2004—after defeating them in Week 7.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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