No matter what happens in Monday night’s huge Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals showdown, we won’t have an AFC top seed crowned before the final week of the NFL’s regular season.
Meanwhile, the race for the top seed in the NFC also will go down to Week 18 after the Philadelphia Eagles blew a chance to wrap it up on Sunday.
Here’s a look at how things stand with the playoff picture heading into Sunday night’s Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game.
AFC TOP SEED
Buffalo, Kansas City or Cincinnati
The Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) put the pressure on the Bills (12-3) and the Bengals (11-4) by holding on for a 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Bills remain in control of their destiny. They can capture the top seed and a bye in the first round with wins in their final two games (they host the New England Patriots in their finale), but beating the red-hot Bengals in Cincinnati will be a tall task.
If the Bills lose one game, the Chiefs can take the top seed by beating the out-of-contention Las Vegas Raiders next week.
If the Bengals beat the Bills, they’ll need to beat the Ravens next week and have the Chiefs lose to Vegas.
AFC DIVISION CROWNS
Buffalo, Kansas City, Cincinnati or Baltimore and Jacksonville or Tennessee
The Bills and Chiefs have won their respective divisions.
The Bengals will take the AFC North if the Ravens lose to the Steelers. If Baltimore wins, the Ravens-Bengals game next week in Cincinnati will be a battle for top spot in the division and a guaranteed home playoff game.
Meanwhile, the surging Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8) host the free-falling Tennessee Titans (7-9) next week with the winner capturing the AFC South title.
AFC WILD CARDS
Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati or Baltimore and New England, Miami, Pittsburgh or Jacksonville
The Patriots (8-8) gained control of their playoff destiny with a 23-21 win over the struggling Dolphins on Sunday.
New England gets in if it can upset the Bills next week.
Miami (8-8), which has lost five in a row and was down to its third quarterback (Skyler Thompson) on Sunday, needs to beat the visiting New York Jets and have New England lose to Buffalo to go to the playoffs.
The Steelers need a win against Baltimore to stay in it, though they remain a long shot because of a poor conference record.
If the Jaguars lose to Tennessee and get a ton of help, they could get a wild-card spot.
The Los Angeles Chargers and the second-place finisher in the AFC North will get the other wild cards.
NFC TOP SEED
Philadelphia, Minnesota or Dallas
The Eagles (13-3), without injured QB Jalen Hurts, missed a chance to lock up top spot as they lost 20-10 to the New Orleans Saints.
The good news for the Eagles is they remain in control of their destiny. A win over the visiting New York Giants, who have nothing to play for, next week, would give the Eagles the top seed. The Eagles are hoping Hurts (shoulder) can play next week.
The San Francisco 49ers (12-4) have the best chance to overtake the Eagles after a wild 37-34 overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The Niners, who have won nine in a row, can grab the top seed with a win over Arizona next week and a Philly loss.
The Dallas Cowboys (12-4), who have the misfortune of being in the Eagles’ division, need a win at Washington and Philly and San Francisco losses to take the No. 1 spot.
NFC DIVISION CROWNS
Philadelphia or Dallas, Minnesota, San Francisco and Tampa Bay
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) wrapped up the NFC South crown and the No. 4 seed with a come-from-behind 30-24 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
A possible Brady vs. the Cowboys first-round matchup would be a dream for the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings (12-4) lost a chance at the No. 1 seed with their 41-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
NFC WILD CARDS
Dallas or Philadelphia, New York Giants and Green Bay, Detroit or Seattle
The New York Giants (9-6-1), under rookie head coach Brian Daboll (previously Buffalo’s offensive co-ordinator), booked their first playoff spot since 2016 with a blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
The Giants are locked into the No. 6 seed.
The Washington Commanders (7-8-1) lost control of their playoff destiny — and were eventually eliminated — after a 24-10 defeat against the Cleveland Browns.
That opened the door for Aaron Rodgers and the surging Green Bay Packers (8-8), who took advantage with a win over the Vikings.
The Packers, who have won four in a row, can nail down the final NFC playoff spot with a win over the visiting Detroit Lions next week.
The Lions (8-8) also are in the hunt for that spot after crushing the Chicago Bears on Sunday. They need to beat Green Bay and have the Seattle Seahawks lose to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks (8-8) beat the Jets on Sunday to give themselves a chance. A win over the Rams and a Packers loss to the Lions would put Seattle in.
No. 1 DRAFT PICK
The Houston Texans (2-13-1) will take the top pick if they lose to the downtrodden Colts next week.
If the Texans hurt themselves by winning, the Bears can grab the top selection with a loss to Minnesota.
