NFL playoff picture: Eagles scenarios following Bills win; four divisions will be decided next week

The Eagles are one of four teams in the NFL that have clinched their division, but could still move up in the playoff standings thanks to their 13-12 win against the Buffalo Bills Sunday.

Unfortunately, it won’t be to the No. 1 seed. The Birds’ were mathematically eliminated from ending the season in the NFC’s top playoff spot by the San Francisco 49ers’ win last week against the Indianapolis Colts.

But the 49ers helped the Eagles Sunday night by defeating the Chicago Bears in a high-scoring thriller, keeping the Birds’ hopes for the No. 2 seed alive.

Thankfully, the Birds can’t drop below the No. 3 seed, because the Carolina Panthers lost to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.

The big winner of Sunday’s games was the NFL. Thanks to losses by the Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the league will have two win-and-you’re-in games in Week 18: Panthers at Buccaneers for the NFC South and Ravens at Steelers for the AFC North.

Two other divisions will also be decided in Week 18: The NFC West and AFC South.

The Colts were officially eliminated from the playoffs by the Houston Texans’ win against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday night. Thanks to the win, the Texans clinched a playoff spot and the Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West.

And thanks to the Eagles win, the New England Patriots clinched the AFC East, ending the Bills five-year reign as division champions.

Here are all the remaining NFL playoff scenarios and potential clinches:

The Eagles entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last season, and ended up winning the Super Bowl.

The Birds had two different paths to the No. 2 seed, but needed the Seattle Seahawks to lose their final two games of the season. But the Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers Sunday, leaving just one scenario remaining for the Eagles to end the season as the No. 2 seed:

While the Birds still have a path to the No. 2 seed, it’s far more likely they’ll end the season as the No. 3 seed.

In that case, the Eagles would host a wild card game against the No. 6 seed at the Linc, currently against the Los Angeles Rams. But the Birds could also face the 49ers or Seahawks, depending how the NFC West shakes out.

If the Eagles do end up the No. 2 seed, they’d host the Packers at the Linc during the first round of the playoffs.

The NFC playoff picture is pretty much set, with just two divisions and one postseason spot still up for grabs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers will face off in Week 18, with the winner claiming the NFC South title and moving forward to the playoffs.

The math is pretty easy here. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks will end up deciding the NFC West champion and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.

Thanks to the Packers’ loss to the Ravens Saturday night, the Bears officially clinched their first NFC North title since 2018.

Because of their loss to the 49ers, the Bears can no longer end the season as the No. 1 seed. But Chicago will end up the No. 2 seed with a win or an Eagles’ loss in Week 18.

The Panthers entered Sunday with a chance to clinch the NFC South, but let it slip away by losing to the Seahawks.

Thankfully, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Miami Dolphins Sunday. That means the Panthers vs. Buccaneers game in Week 18 will decide who wins the NFC South and claims the NFC’s final playoff spot.

That is, unless the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Rams Monday night. If that happens, a Falcons and Buccaneers win next week could force a three-way tie at 8-9 atop the NFC South. In that case, the first tiebreaker would be head-to-head among the three teams, which the Panthers would win.

Just like the NFC, just one playoff spot remains up for grabs in the AFC.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will face off in Week 18 for the AFC North title. The winner will be the AFC’s No. 4 seed heading into the playoffs, while the loser will go home.

Thanks to the Chargers’ loss Saturday night, the Broncos clinched the AFC West for the first time since 2015. But they’ll have to wait until Week 18 before the could clinch the No. 1 seed.

Thanks to the Bills loss to the Eagles, the Patriots have officially clinched the AFC East for the first time since 2019.

To finish the season as the No. 1 seed, the Patriots need to defeat the Dolphins in Week 18 and have the Broncos lose to the Chargers.

Because of the Texans’ win Saturday night, the Jaguars missed out on a chance to clinch the AFC South in Week 17.

But thanks to their win Sunday against the Colts, the Jaguars will clinch the AFC South with a win in Week 18 against the Tennessee Titans or a Texans’ loss to the Colts.

Because of their loss to the Eagles, the Bills will enter the playoffs as a wildcard team. Which seed the Bills end up with will be determined by what happens in Week 18.

Meaning the Bills game against the New York Jets last week could be the final game at Highmark Stadium, their home since 1973, when it was known as Rich Stadium.

The Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns Sunday, which sets up a showdown against the Ravens for the AFC North in Week 18, with the winner advancing to the playoffs and ending the loser’s season.

Not only did the Texans clinch a playoff spot with their win against the Chargers Saturday night, Houston remains alive in the hunt for an AFC South title.

The Texans will need to beat the Colts in Week 18 and have the Jaguars lose one of their final games against the Titans to claim the division title.

The Ravens remain alive in the playoff hunt thanks to their win Saturday night against the Packers and the Steelers’ loss Sunday. The two teams would face off for the division title in Week 18.

The first playoff game will take place on wild-card weekend, beginning Jan. 10.

Six games will take place in the first round of the playoffs, airing across Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. Amazon will also exclusively stream a wild-card game on Prime Video for the second straight season.

Super Bowl LX (or 60, for those who don’t like Roman numerals) is being held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers. NBC will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl, with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on the call.

Here are the sites announced for future Super Bowls: