NFL Playoff Standings 2017: Seattle Seahawks With First-Round Bye, Green Bay Packers Take Back Wild Card

NFL playoff standings for 2017 have the Seattle Seahawks taking back the No. 2 seed and with it a first-round bye in the postseason. The Detroit Lions lost to the New York Giants in Week 15, causing the team to fall all the way back to the No. 4 seed to this point. In the upcoming Week 16 NFL schedule, the Giants are on the road for a Thursday night game (Dec. 22) against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants still have a shot at catching the Dallas Cowboys for the top seed in the conference as well a division title in the NFC East.

The Atlanta Falcons moved up in the NFL playoff standings, taking over the No. 3 seed after a big Week 15 victory. The Falcons and Lions have identical 9-5 records, but tiebreakers are already coming into play for the conference. Now sitting in the two NFC Wild Card slots are the Giants (10-4) and Green Bay Packers (8-6).

Just outside of the NFC playoff brackets are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6), Washington Redskins (7-6-1), and Minnesota Vikings (7-7). The Vikings are in the toughest position, as they trail two teams in the NFC North and must win their final two games just to even have a shot at the postseason.

In the updated AFC standings, three divisions could come down to the final week of the regular season. The Oakland Raiders (11-3) lead the AFC West by one game over the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4), the Houston Texans (8-6) and Tennesee Titans (8-6) are tied for first place in the AFC South, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) are one game up on the Baltimore Ravens (8-6) in the AFC North.

Over in the AFC East, the New England Patriots (12-2) have clinched the division as well as a first-round bye in the 2017 NFL Playoffs. The Patriots will battle it out with the Raiders to decide which team finishes with that No. 1 seed, but Tom Brady has his team ahead in the latest NFL playoff standings.

The two Wild Card teams in the AFC are currently the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, but several teams are hot on the trail of one of the final playoff spots. If the Dolphins win their final two games, they automatically qualify as one of the Wild Card teams. The Chiefs need to win only one more game to take one of the slots. The Dolphins play the Bills and the Patriots, while the Chiefs play against the Broncos and the San Diego Chargers to close out the regular season.

Just outside of the 2017 NFL playoff standings are the Ravens (8-6), Titans (8-6), Denver Broncos (8-6), Indianapolis Colts (7-7), and Buffalo Bills (7-7). There are quite a few games among the contending teams that will certainly shake up the playoff scenarios this week. Those games include Indianapolis vs. Oakland, Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh, and Denver vs. Kansas City in the AFC. In the NFC, Monday night football (Dec. 26) has Detroit vs. Dallas.

The Oakland Raiders can clinch a first-round bye by beating the Indianapolis Colts and having the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16. Likewise, the Seattle Seahawks can clinch a first-round bye in the NFC by beating the Arizona Cardinals and by having the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons. The divisions are extremely close in the latest NFL playoff standings, predicting that just about every game in the Week 16 NFL schedule has an impact on playoff scenarios.

Full 2017 NFL Playoff Standings

AFC Playoff Standings

1 – New England Patriots (12-2)
2 – Oakland Raiders (11-3)
3 – Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
4 – Houston Texans (8-6)
5 – Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)
6 – Miami Dolphins (9-5)

7 – Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
8 – Tennessee Titans (8-6)
9 – Denver Broncos (8-6)
10 – Indianapolis Colts (7-7)
11 – Buffalo Bills (7-7)
12 – Cincinnati Bengals (5-8-1)
13 – San Diego Chargers (5-9)
14 – New York Jets (4-10)
15 – Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
16 – Cleveland Browns (0-14)

NFC Playoff Standings

1 – Dallas Cowboys (12-2)
2 – Seattle Seahawks (9-4-1)
3 – Atlanta Falcons (9-5)
4 – Detroit Lions (9-5)
5 – New York Giants (10-4)
6 – Green Bay Packers (8-6)

7 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
8 – Washington Redskins (7-6-1)
9 – Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
10 – New Orleans Saints (6-8)
11 – Carolina Panthers (6-8)
12 – Arizona Cardinals (5-8-1)
13 – Philadelphia Eagles (5-9)
14 – Los Angeles Rams (4-10)
15 – Chicago Bears (3-11)
16 – San Francisco 49ers (1-13)

[Featured Image by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images]