| Seed | Team | Record | Playoff Odds | What’s at Stake / The Scenario |
| 1 | DEN | 12-3 | Clinched | Must Win: Controls the #1 seed. Can clinch the AFC West and the #1 seed this week with a win + losses by LAC, NE, and BUF. |
| 2 | NE | 12-3 | Clinched | Must Win: Trails Denver on tiebreakers. Can clinch the AFC East with a win over the Jets + a Bills loss/tie. |
| 3 | JAX | 11-4 | Clinched | Fighting for Seed: Can clinch the AFC South with a win + a Texans loss/tie. Still mathematically alive for the #1 seed. |
| 4 | PIT | 9-6 | 91% | The Saturday Trigger: Clinches the AFC North and a playoff spot if the Ravens lose on Saturday. If Baltimore wins, PIT must beat Cleveland. |
| 5 | LAC | 11-4 | Clinched | Division Hunt: If they beat Houston on Saturday, they set up a Week 18 "Winner-Take-All" for the AFC West against Denver. |
| 6 | BUF | 11-4 | Clinched | Seeding Scramble: Currently a Wild Card, but can still win the East if they win out and the Patriots stumble. |
| 7 | HOU | 10-5 | 93% | Win and In: Can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Chargers OR a Colts loss/tie. |
| 8 | IND | 8-7 | 7% | Life Support: Must win out and hope for the Texans to lose their final two games. |
| Seed | Team | Record | Playoff Odds | What’s at Stake / The Scenario |
| 1 | SEA | 12-3 | Clinched | Control: Clinches the #1 seed with a win + a Rams loss/tie + a CHI/SF tie. At minimum, can clinch the NFC West with a win + LAR loss. |
| 2 | CHI | 11-4 | Clinched | Division Hunt: Clinches the NFC North with a win over the 49ers OR a Packers loss to the Ravens. |
| 3 | PHI | 10-5 | Clinched | Division Clinched: Only team with their division locked. Can only move up if Seattle and Chicago both collapse. |
| 4 | CAR | 8-7 | 43% | The "South" Drama: Clinches the NFC South with a win + a Buccaneers loss/tie. If they lose, Week 18 vs. Tampa is for the division. |
| 5 | SF | 11-4 | Clinched | Seeding Chaos: A win over Chicago keeps them alive for the #1 seed and the NFC West title. |
| 6 | LAR | 11-4 | Clinched | Wild Card Trap: Despite an elite record, their division loss to Seattle has them in the #6 spot. Need wins and help to get a home game. |
| 7 | GB | 9-5-1 | 97% | Win and In: Clinches a playoff berth with a win/tie against the Ravens on Saturday. |
| 8 | DET | 8-7 | <10% | Hope: Must beat the Vikings and hope the Packers lose out to steal the #7 seed. |
The "Steelers/Ravens" Saturday Pivot: If the Ravens lose Saturday, the Steelers win the North. Mike Tomlin could potentially pull players for Week 17.
*Last add item: https://x.com/scott_pianowski/status/2003899363131904231?s=43
