NFL playoffs could've looked a lot different if every one score game ended differently

The NFL playoffs are in full swing and with just one Wild Card round game left to be played Monday night, fans already have a nearly clear picture of who will be fighting for spots in their respective conference championship games.

That being said, the regular season produced results that could've been easily altered with just a minor switch in circumstances. Several teams, most notably the Kansas City Chiefs, won multiple close games by just a single score. If those close games don't turn out the way they did, then the playoff field would look very, very different.

In fact, Kelley Ford Ratings put together what the final league standings would've looked like if every one-score game had a reversed result (this was something tracked throughout the season with interesting potential consequences). The new playoff picture might shock you.

Half of the 2024-25 NFL playoff field wouldn't have qualified if one-score games had flipped results

You'll notice that seven of the 14 playoff teams this season (three in the AFC and four in the NFC) would be on the outside looking in if their fortunes had been reversed. Most notably, the current one-seeded Chiefs would've been in the basement of the AFC and selecting in the top three of April's draft.

In addition to them, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings would have been booking trips to Cancun instead of playing in the postseason.

It just goes to show that teams chalked up to be terrible this year like the New York Giants, Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Jacksonville Jaguars could've been playoff-caliber with just a few more game-winning drives.

Seeing the Giants as winners of the NFC East might be the next most glaring difference in this alternate reality. Perhaps quarterback Daniel Jones is still considered the future in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Denver Broncos would've been the one-seed in the AFC and perhaps rookie passer Bo Nix would be the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. And Cincinnati Bengals fans wouldn't have had their hearts broken in Week 18 by coming up just short, instead they'd be comfortably sitting at the two-seed with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase peaking at just the right time.

Oh what could've been, NFL fans. What alternate fate do you see for your team in these woulda, coulda, shoulda scenarios?