2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Full 14-team field set as Bucs, Broncos grab last spots
2025-01-06
Category: sports

The 14-team NFL playoff field is now set, and so are most of the matchups. But there’s still one big game left when the Minnesota Vikings face the Detroit Lions on Sunday night in a heavyweight battle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That will determine who gets the bye week and who heads to Los Angeles to face the Rams in the first round of the playoffs next weekend. Here, though, is the rest of the NFL playoff picture with just one game left in the regular season: (x-Clinched playoff berth) AFC x-1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) Don’t be alarmed. They were blown out on Sunday by the Denver Broncos (10-7) in a game the Broncos needed, but they did not. The Chiefs are still the No. 1 seed in the AFC and will have a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. x-2. Buffalo Bills (13-4) They sat their starters and lost to the New England Patriots (4-13), 23-16. But they were already locked into the No. 2 seed and now they know they’ll play host to the Denver Broncos in the first round next weekend.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; x-3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5) They barely broke a sweat beating the Cleveland Browns (3-14) and their multiple, third-string quarterbacks on Saturday. And with that, the Ravens won the AFC North title and locked up the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. They will play host to a first-round game against their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7), who slipped to the sixth seed when the Chargers beat the Raiders on Sunday. The Ravens split the season series with Pittsburgh, though they did win the game in Baltimore on Dec. 21. x-4. Houston Texans (10-7) They played their starters only a little, but it was still enough to beat the Tennessee Titans (3-14), 23-14. They were already locked into the No. 4 seed and they’ll play host to the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) in the first round next weekend after the Chargers clinched the fifth seed with a win over the Raiders on Sunday.&nbsp; x-5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) They finished off their season-ending, three-game winning streak with a win in Las Vegas over the Raiders (4-13) on Sunday. That vaulted them over the Steelers into the No. 5 seed — an important jump since it sends them to Houston in the first round instead of to Baltimore. x-6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) They ended the season with their fourth straight loss, dropping their finale to the Cincinnati Bengals (9-8) on Saturday. They lost their shot at the AFC North title, and then they lost their hold on the No. 5 seed when the Chargers beat the Raiders on Sunday. So the Steelers will finish sixth, which means they’ll head to Baltimore in the first round next weekend to face a Ravens team that took the AFC North title out of their hands. x-7. Denver Broncos (10-7) In the end, it was quite a break that they faced a Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) team with nothing to play for in the regular-season finale. That helped the Broncos hold off a strong challenge from the hard-charging Cincinnati Bengals, who finished the season with five straight wins. But the Broncos’ 38-0 win over the Chiefs backups got them to the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. Next up: A dangerous trip to Buffalo for the first round.  NFC x-1. Detroit Lions (14-2) Next game: Sunday, 8:20 p.m., at home against the Minnesota Vikings (14-2). A win locks up the NFC North title, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. A loss sends them tumbling to the fifth seed and puts them on the road for the postseason, starting next weekend against the Rams in Los Angeles. x-2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) They rested their entire team and still held off the New York Giants (3-14) by a score of 20-13. They were locked into the No. 2 seed and now know they’ll play host to the Green Bay Packers (11-6) in the first round next weekend. The Eagles beat the Packers way back on Opening Weekend in Brazil. x-3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) That was much closer than it should have been, but the Bucs have won the NFC South and clinched a playoff berth. It wasn’t easy. They trailed the New Orleans Saints (5-12) 16-6 at the half and 19-13 heading into the fourth quarter. But a spectacular TD catch by Jalen McMillan and a TD run by Bucky Irving in the fourth quarter gave them a 27-19 victory, and allowed them to not sweat out the Falcons-Panthers overtime game awaiting their fate. Then, when the Rams lost to the Seahawks, they moved up to the No. 3 seed. That keeps them away from the Vikings-Lions loser in the first round and sets them up to play host to the Commanders instead. x-4. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)&nbsp; They had already locked up the NFC West and a first-round home game. But when backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo fell just short of a late touchdown and they lost 30-25 to the Seahawks on Sunday, the Rams fell to the No. 4 seed. That means they will face the loser of the big Sunday night Lions-Vikings game in the first round of the playoffs next weekend. x-5. Minnesota Vikings (14-2) Next game: Sunday, 8:20 p.m., at the Detroit Lions (14-2). With a win, they will clinch the NFC North title, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If they lose, they stay at No. 5 and will go on the road for the postseason, starting in Los Angeles against the Rams. x-6. Washington Commanders (12-5)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They weren’t worried about seeding, since they pulled Jayden Daniels in the third quarter. But backup QB Marcus Mariota still rallied them to a 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys (7-10) anyway. That locked them into the sixth seed and a first-round game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. x-7. Green Bay Packers (11-6) The result didn’t matter once the Commanders won, but the Packers lost a heartbreaker to the Chicago Bears (5-12) on a last-second, 51-yard field goal. That locked them into the seventh seed and a first-round game in Philadelphia. More importantly, they lost receiver Christian Watson, who was carted off with a knee injury. And QB Jordan Love was pulled early with an injury to his right (throwing) elbow.  Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;@RalphVacchiano. [Want great stories delivered right to your inbox?&nbsp;Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]