After 17 weeks of regular season, the NFL playoffs picture is now complete. The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers will have a first-round bye and home advantage throughout the playoffs in the AFC and NFC respectively.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers also earned a first-round bye, while the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings clinched the four wild-card spots on offer.
Here's all you need to know about the NFL playoffs.
AFC
Baltimore Ravens (14-2)
Having already clinched the top seed in the AFC and home advantage throughout the playoffs, the Ravens extended their winning run to 12 games with a 28-10 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Baltimore can enjoy a well-deserved rest next week, before taking on the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round on Saturday, January 11.
According to FiveThirtyEight's statistical projections, the Ravens have a 62 percent chance of making the SuperBowl.
Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)
The Chiefs entered Week 17 with an outside chance of clinching a first-round bye and did exactly that, thanks to their 31-21 win in Kansas City over the Los Angeles Chargers and to the New England Patriots' home loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The Chiefs will welcome the highest remaining seed in the divisional round on Sunday, January 12 and have a 25 percent chance to make the Super Bowl.
New England Patriots (12-4)
The Patriots let a first-round bye slip through their grasp in Week 17, losing to 27-24 at home to the Miami Dolphins. Aside from reinforcing the belief this Patriots team lacks the star quality of previous iterations, the result means New England will be in action again next week when it takes on the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round on Saturday.
New England's chances of making the Super Bowl for the fourth season in a row stand at five percent.
Houston Texans (10-6)
The Texans' 35-14 defeat at home against Tennessee on Sunday was inconsequential as Houston had already clinched a playoff spot but had no chance of securing a first-round bye.
The Texans host the Buffalo Bills on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the wild-card round and their chances of making the Super Bowl stand at two percent.
Buffalo Bills (10-6)
As was the case for the Texans, the Bills' 13-6 loss at home against the New York Jets had no impact on their playoff seeding.
Buffalo will play its first postseason game since 2017 when it travels to Houston on Saturday afternoon for the opening game of the wild-card round.
The Bills have won 10 games in the regular season for the first time since 1999 but their chances of making the Super Bowl are smaller than one percent, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Tennessee Titans (9-7)
The Titans did what they had to do in Week 17, winning in Houston to clinch the second wild-card spot in the AFC.
The reward is a trip to New England on Saturday night to take on the defending Super Bowl champion in the second game of the wild-card round.
FiveThirtyEight gives Tennessee a one percent chance of reaching the Super Bowl.
NFC
San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
The 49ers left it late but their 26-21 win in Seattle on Sunday means the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through San Francisco.
Kyle Shanahan's team can now enjoy a well-deserved rest, before playing the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round on Saturday, January 11.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the 49ers have a 41 percent chance of making the Super Bowl—the second-highest of the 12 teams that have qualified for the playoffs, except for the Ravens.
Green Bay Packers (13-3)
Green Bay clinched a first-round bye with a 23-20 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday and will now take on the highest remaining seed in the divisional round on Sunday, January 12.
The Packers have made a habit of winning without impressing this season and their chances of reaching the Super Bowl stand at 24 percent.
New Orleans Saints (13-3)
The Saints were the first team to secure a playoff spot, but failed to earn a first-round bye on Sunday, despite thrashing the Panthers 42-10 on the road in Carolina.
New Orleans, whose chances of making the Super Bowl stand at 24 percent, will now host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in the wild-card round instead.
Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)
The Eagles took charge of the NFC East with a win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 and completed the job on Sunday, defeating the New York Giants 37-14 to clinch the division and a playoff spot.
Along with the Titans Philadelphia has the joint-worst record of the 12 teams that have made the playoffs, but at six percent its chances of reaching the Super Bowl are higher than the Patriots'.
The theory will be put to test on Sunday afternoon, when the Eagles host the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round.
Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
The Seahawks had one hand on the first seed in the NFC going into Week 17, but their 26-21 loss at home to San Francisco significantly altered the playoff picture.
While the 49ers secured a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Seahawks must travel to Philadelphia on Sunday night in the final game of the wild-card round.
Seattle has been one of the hottest team throughout the season, but its chances of reaching the Super Bowl are as low as two percent now.
Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
With a postseason berth secured and little to play for in Week 17, the Vikings rested a number of starters in their 21-19 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Minnesota travels to New Orleans on Sunday afternoon in the opening game of the NFC wild-card round and its chances of reaching the Super Bowl stand at three percent.
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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