Which teams will make it to the postseason?

The NFL playoffs picture is becoming increasingly clear as Week 16 begins, and as the action on “Monday Night Football” comes to a close, as many as 11 playoff spots could be up for grabs.

However, there is still room for volatility. A handful of NFL division championships remain to be decided, with three still up for grabs in the NFC and one in the AFC. These division winners could have a domino effect on the Wild Card picture. Although half of the NFL playoff field is currently known, the matchups are still in flux.

The No. 1 seed in each conference is also still up for grabs. The Kansas City Chiefs are close to securing the AFC title, but the NFC race will likely come down to a three-week battle between the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings.

What will the playoff picture look like when the dust settles? There are many possible combinations, but here’s how USA TODAY Sports predicts things will change.

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Which teams have already secured a spot in the playoffs?

Seven teams had already secured a spot in the playoffs at the start of Week 16. The Baltimore Ravens moved into eighth place with their win on Saturday over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Below are the teams that have secured postseason spots.

AFC

NFC

Detroit Lions (playoff spot)
Philadelphia Eagles (playoff spot)
Minnesota Vikings (playoff spot)

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AFC

Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West champions)
Buffalo Bills (14-3, AFC East champions)
Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North champions)
Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South champions)
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6, Wild Card No. 1)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, Wild Card No. 2)
Denver Broncos (10-7, Wild Card No. 3)

Five teams have already secured a playoff spot in the AFC, and that includes all four division champions as one of the Ravens or Steelers will win the AFC North. So the main thing to watch this side of the playoffs is whether the Broncos can maintain seventh place in the conference.

Denver had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Chargers in Week 16, but Los Angeles edged out the Broncos on “Thursday Night Football.” That means a tough end to the season for the Broncos, as they now have to beat either the Cincinnati Bengals or Chiefs in the final two weeks to secure a playoff spot or see the Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts lose once each .

Week 17’s game against the Bengals, who are arguably their biggest threat to the No. 7 seed, is the game Denver should keep an eye on. A win in this contest would effectively end the AFC playoff race. However, a loss would guarantee the Bengals are just one game behind, with a head-to-head tiebreaker in hand, entering Week 18.

The Bengals need to win against the Cleveland Browns, Broncos and Steelers to have a chance at the postseason, so that possibility is far from guaranteed. That’s why the Broncos are sticking with this week’s predictions, even though their chances could diminish with a Bengals win on Sunday.

Otherwise there aren’t too many surprises. The Chiefs just need one more win to secure the No. 1 seed. The Bills appear to be the No. 2 seed, while the Ravens, despite being slightly behind the Steelers in the tiebreaker, will take home the No. 3 seed because their final two games are, on paper, much easier than Pittsburgh’s. This result could trigger another “Battle of the Harbaughs,” this time in the postseason.

NFC

Philadelphia Eagles (15-2, NFC East champions)
Detroit Lions (14-3, NFC North champions)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6, NFC South champions)
Los Angeles Rams (11-6, NFC West champions)
Minnesota Vikings (14-3, Wild Card No. 1)
Green Bay Packers (12-5, Wild Card No. 2)
Washington Commanders (11-6, Wildcard No. 3)

It’s possible that all seven NFC playoff teams could have 11 wins to start the postseason.

While the Lions currently have control of the No. 1 pick, it’s hard to imagine them keeping it. They have an easier game against the Chicago Bears in Week 16, but that is a divisional road game. They then play the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” before closing the season with a matchup against the Vikings that could determine the NFC North winner.

Could Detroit win all three of these games? Sure, it’s possible. But considering how ailing the team is, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was a slip-up. If that happens, the red-hot Eagles, who have the ninth-easiest remaining schedule in the league, could overtake them.

We still expect Dan Campbell to find a way to help the Lions win the NFC North crown, which would make them the No. 2 seed.

Number 3 goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will win the NFC South with a win. Even if that doesn’t happen, they just need to avoid losing a game in the standings to the Atlanta Falcons, who are switching to rookie Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback in place of Kirk Cousins. That makes it hard to trust the Falcons to advance after the season, even if Penix might be able to give them a spark.

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The Rams are in charge of the NFC West and given Geno Smith’s bad knee, it’s hard to imagine the Seattle Seahawks overtaking them. Los Angeles’ biggest remaining game is in Week 18 against Seattle, but if the Rams beat the New York Jets in Week 16 and see the Vikings take care of business against the Seahawks, their chances of winning the division should improve .

The Vikings have some potential to move up, but will most likely finish as the No. 5 seed in the NFC. Still, they could smell blood in the water if the Lions’ hurting defense stumbles in Chicago, so don’t sleep on them.

As for the Packers, they will almost certainly be the No. 6 seed at this point. The Commanders are the biggest opponent in the league, but given the quarterback questions facing the Seahawks and Falcons, it’s hard to imagine another team taking Washington’s playoff spot.

Still, Washington’s biggest “dangerous” game would come in Week 17 against Atlanta. If the Commanders lose this one, the Falcons could find a way to overtake them in the wild card race, assuming the Buccaneers stay ahead in the NFC South.

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Current NFL playoff picture

Our projected NFL playoff picture is a little different than the current NFL playoff picture. Here’s a look at how the conferences fare coming into play on Sunday:

AFC

Kansas City Chiefs (14-1, AFC West champions)
Buffalo Bills (11-3, AFC East champions)
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5, AFC North leaders)
Houston Texans (9-6, AFC South champions)
Baltimore Ravens (10-5, Wild Card No. 1)
Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, Wild Card No. 2)
Denver Broncos (9-6, Wild Card No. 3)

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