The early window of Week 18 is officially in the books, with six more games bringing at least a little bit more clarity to the NFL playoff picture. But with just the late window (and the Sunday night clash between Baltimore and Pittsburgh) remaining, there's still a ton that's left to be decided in terms of both seeding and division titles.
Where does your team currently stand? And what do they need to maximize their seeding or get the best possible playoff matchup? We've got you covered.
AFC Playoff Picture
Already decided or win-and-in
Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers
Very little is simple about the AFC playoff picture right now, but this one's easy: The winner of Sunday night's Steelers-Ravens showdown in Pittsburgh will clinch the AFC North title and be assured of the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. (As for the loser, well, brace yourselves.)
Houston Texans
It came down to the wire after Houston decided to sit CJ Stroud in the second half (understandable, as Jacksonville's blowout win over Tennessee took the AFC South off the table), but the Texans eventually held on for a win against the Colts. Combined with the Jags beating the Titans, that locks DeMeco Ryans' team into the top Wild Card spot and the No. 5 seed. No matter what the Chargers or Bills do in the late window, Houston holds the tiebreaker edge.
Simple paths to seeding
Denver Broncos
It's all in front of the Broncos as we enter the late window on Sunday. If Denver beats the Chargers at home, they clinch the top seed in the conference and a first-round bye. They can still earn the No. 1 spot with a loss, but it would require some help — and the Jags' win earlier in the day means that a Broncos loss and a Patriots win over the Dolphins would drop Denver all the way to No. 3.
New England Patriots
Jacksonville's win simplifies things a bit for New England. If the Pats win, they're guaranteed a top-two seed, with the Broncos-Chargers result determining exactly which one (No. 1 with a Denver win, No. 2 with a Denver loss). If they somehow lose at home to Miami, they'll be locked into the No. 3 seed.
Los Angeles Chargers
With the Texans and Jaguars winning, the Chargers can be no higher than the No. 6 seed (having already lost head-to-head to Houston in December). If L.A. upsets the Broncos in Denver, they'll be assured of the No. 6 spot no matter what happens elsewhere. But if they lose, they can drop down to No. 7 if the Bills beat the Jets at home.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo gets the flip side of that coin. Again, the Bills can't climb any higher than No. 6 based on their head-to-head loss to the Texans, who have already won in Week 18. If they beat the Jets and get a Chargers loss to the Broncos, then Josh Allen and Co. become the No. 6 seed. If they lose to New York, or if L.A. beats Denver, the Bills will be the No. 7 seed.
It's still a bit complicated
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville took care of their end of the bargain, romping over the Titans at home to close the regular season. Where they'll ultimately wind up, however, depends on multiple late-window results. There's still a path to the top seed for the Jags if both the Broncos and Patriots lose in front of them. If just one of those two teams lose, Jacksonville will be the No. 2 seed. And if neither Denver nor New England lose, then the Jaguars will stay put at No. 3.
NFC Playoff Picture
Already decided or win-and-in
Seattle Seahawks
The top seed in the conference got decided on Saturday night, when the Seahawks wrapped up home-field advantage and a first-round bye with a win in San Francisco. Sam Darnold and Co. now get to rest at home as NFC West champs while waiting to see who their opponent will be in the Divisional round.
Carolina Panthers
Only in the NFC South could a team clinch a division title by losing on the final weekend of the regular season. But hey, the Carolina Panthers don't much care how they make it to the playoffs, and after the Falcons held off the Saints at home on Sunday, Dave Canales' team officially wrapped up the No. 4 seed and a home game in the Wild Card round. And as for who they might play ...
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay was the one team that entered Week 18 with absolutely nothing to play for: The Packers knew they were in the playoffs, but they also knew they couldn't climb any higher than the No. 7 seed. Matt LaFleur chose to sit most of his key starters in a meaningless loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and now they'll await the result of the Bears and Eagles games in order to see who their Wild Card opponent will be.
Simple paths to seeding
Chicago Bears
If the Bears take care of business at home against the Lions in the late window, they'll lock the No. 2 seed up. If they lose, though, they could drop down to the No. 3 spot if the Eagles win at home against the Commanders (which is also a 4:30 p.m. ET kick).
Philadelphia Eagles
See above. The Eagles can still jump up to the No. 2 seed on Sunday, but just winning against the Commanders won't be enough. Philly will also need a Chicago loss against Detroit in the late window, or else they'll be stuck at No. 3.
Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco's loss on Saturday night makes things very simple for Los Angeles. Beat the lowly Cardinals in the late window on Sunday afternoon, and the Rams wrap up the No. 5 seed and a first-round matchup against Carolina. Lose, and they become the No. 6 seed, with the 49ers bumping back up to No. 5.