NFL Playoff Picture: Postseason seeds, projected draft order

NFL Playoff Picture is a weekly look at the teams jockeying to secure their shot to make it to Super Bowl LX.

AFC

x = clinched playoff berth
y = clinched division title

The Denver Broncos will secure the 1-seed with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers next week. The Broncos hold the common game tiebreaker over the AFC East champion New England Patriots, who would capture the conference's top spot with a win over the Miami Dolphins and a Broncos loss in Week 18. If both the Broncos and Patriots lose, the Jacksonville Jaguars would clinch home-field advantage and a first-round bye with a victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Buffalo's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles eliminated the Bills from 1-seed contention and dropped them to the No. 7 spot for now. The No. 5 Houston Texans hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bills and Chargers, and Los Angeles has a better record in common games than Buffalo.

In the hunt

With the Baltimore Ravens' win Saturday and the Pittsburgh Steelers' defeat Sunday, the two archrivals will play for the division title at Acrisure Stadium next week. The winner will advance to the playoffs as the 4-seed, while the loser will go home.

NFC

x = clinched playoff berth
y = clinched division title

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers both won Sunday to set up a huge NFC West clash in their regular-season finale. The winner of Seahawks-49ers in Week 18 will claim the NFC's No. 1 seed, securing home-field advantage and a first-round playoff bye.

In the hunt

The NFC South is still up for grabs after both the Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost Sunday. Carolina and Tampa Bay will face off next week. The Panthers will win their first division title since 2015 with another win over the Bucs.

If Tampa Bay beats Carolina, the Buccaneers will claim the NFC South crown as long as the Atlanta Falcons lose one of their final two games (versus the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints). If Atlanta wins its final two contests, the Panthers would go to the playoffs as division champs, regardless of what happens in their game against the Bucs.

Projected NFL draft order

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the driver's seat to pick first overall after losing Sunday to the New York Giants. Las Vegas has an 80% chance of securing the No. 1 selection in 2026, according to ESPN.