The NFL playoffs are nearly set in the AFC and the NFC after the Week 17 day games finished up on Sunday and now the final spot between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles will be decided on Sunday night football and here is a look at the seeds in the conferences as well as first round byes, home field advantage and the schedule for the postseason as the Packers, Chargers and Saints clinched spots in the postseason.
The Broncos clinched the number one seed with a win on Sunday over the Raiders, while the Saints clinched their playoff spot with a win and they will be in the sixth seed after the 49ers won and the seattle Seahawks have home field advantage as the number one seed in the conference after winning over the Rams. The Green Bay Packers are in the playoffs after an amazing game against the Chicago Bears and they got in after a last minute touchdown from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb and now they will be in the playoffs out of the NFC North after Rodgers missed seven games earlier in the season.
The Colts and Bengals were already in and now the San Diego Chargers are in the playoffs over the Steelers after they were able to win in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs and that game was one that went into overtime and saw the team come back from a tough deficit and they are now in over the Steelers, who needed the Ravens. Dolphins and Chargers to lose, but they only got two of those and now they will be home for the playoffs, while the Panthers clinched the two seed in the NFC with the south division title.
Click here for the full playoff standings.
Here is a look back on last week's game from Reuters.com for the Cincinnati Bengals, as they clinched a playoff berth and now they have the AFC North title all set as they defeated the Baltimore Ravens to eliminate them from playoff contention, sending the Super Bowl champions out of the playoffs for the second straight season
In Cincinnati, Andy Dalton tossed four touchdowns as the Bengals (10-5) pounded the Minnesota Vikings 42-14 to clinch a playoff berth.
That result coupled with Miami Dolphins loss to the Buffalo Bills was enough to earn the Bengals a third straight playoff appearance.
Later on Sunday, the Bengals had more to celebrate when the Patriots crushed the Ravens 41-7 earning Cincinnati the AFC North crown.
Even before New England (11-4) had kicked off against Baltimore they had clinched a fifth straight AFC East crown and playoff spot when the Dolphins (8-7) were upset 19-0 by the Bills in icy Buffalo.
In Houston, Peyton Manning enjoyed a record smashing day throwing four touchdown passes as the Broncos (12-3) tamed the Texans 37-13 nailing down a third consecutive AFC West division title and a first round bye after the Chiefs (11-4) were surprised 23-7 by the Colts (10-5).
Manning's four touchdown strikes gave him 51 for the season eclipsing the record of 50 set by the Patriots' Tom Brady in 2007.
The Dallas Cowboys (8-7) kept their post-season hopes alive when Tony Romo found DeMarco Murray with a 10-yard touchdown strike with just 68 seconds left on the clock to eke out a 24-23 win over the Washington Redskins.
The victory sets up a winner-take-all showdown next Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-6) in the regular season finale that will decide the NFC East champion.
The San Diego Chargers remained in the AFC playoff picture with a 26-13 win over the Oakland Raiders. (Reuters)
