Things always get kind of crazy during the final week of the regular season, and this year was no different.
The Tennessee Titans sent shockwaves around the AFC during the early slate of games with a 28-20 win over Jacksonville. If the Jaguars had won, they would have clinched the AFC South title, but instead, they're out of the playoffs.
Here's how Tennessee's win impacted the AFC playoff race:
- The Texans clinched the AFC South
- The Steelers clinched a playoff berth
- The Bills clinched a playoff berth
- The Jaguars were eliminated
The Bills closed out the season by beating the Dolphins to win the AFC East. The Bills are now the fourth team in NFL history to win a division after being down at least three games in the standings with five or fewer games left on the schedule.
In the NFC, the Packers clinched the final spot with a 17-9 win over the Bears. The Rams also picked up a 21-20 win over the 49ers to claim the sixth-seed in the NFC and that victory created a ripple effect that will now have Los Angeles facing Jared Goff and the Lions in the wild-card round.
With that in mind, here's a look at the full playoff field along with the wild-card schedule.
Of course the ultimate goal for each team in the postseason is to play in Super Bowl LVIII, which will be televised by CBS and streamed via Paramount+ (sign up for free 7-day trial).
AFC playoff standings
| 1. AFC North Champion (13-4) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 1. The Ravens have already clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, which means we won't be see them on the field again until the divisional round of the playoffs. The loss to the Steelers meant nothing to Baltimore, which is a big reason why the Ravens decided to rest Lamar Jackson. | |
| 2. AFC East Leader (11-6) |  |
| Possible seeds: Clinched No. 2. The Bills knew they would clinch the AFC East with a Sunday night win over the Dolphins and they took care of business in a 21-14 victory. The win by Buffalo means that the Bills will now host the Steelers in the wild-card round. | |
| 3. AFC West Champion (11-6) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 3. The Chiefs are locked into the third seed, which means they'll be opening the postseason against the Dolphins. | |
| 4. AFC South Champion (10-7) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 4. To win the AFC South, the Texans needed two things to happen in Week 18: They had to beat the Colts and the Jaguars had to lose. Both of those things happened, which means Houston will now be hosting the Browns in the wild-card round. | |
| 5. Wild Card 1 (11-6) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 5. The Browns rested everyone in their loss to the Bengals on Sunday and that's because they had nothing to play for. Heading into Week 18, the Browns had already clinched the fifth seed, and now, they know who they'll be playing. The Browns will be traveling to Houston to face the Texans for Super Wild Card Weekend. | |
| 6. Wild Card 2 (10-6) |  |
| Possible seeds: Clinched No. 6. After losing to the Bills, the Dolphins now have to hit the road for the wild-card round and they'll be heading to Kansas City where the temperatures are expected to be under 15 degrees. That's not ideal news for a team that's 0-10 since 2017 in games where the kickoff temperature is under 40. | |
| 7. Wild Card 3 (10-7) |  |
| Possible seeds: Clinch No. 7. The Steelers had to wait until Sunday night to find out who they'd be playing in the wild-card round and that they found out is that they'll be headed to Buffalo. | |
ELIMINATED
Colts (9-8): The Colts would have punched their ticket to the postseason with a win over Houston, but instead, they were eliminated.
Jaguars (9-8): The Jags had to beat the Titans to win the AFC South, but instead, they'll be staying at home after losing in Tennessee.
AFC wild-card matchups
AFC
(7) Steelers at (2) Bills -- Sunday, Jan. 14 (1 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+)
(6) Dolphins at (3) Chiefs -- Saturday, Jan. 13 (8:15 p.m. ET on Peacock)
(5) Browns at (4) Texans -- Saturday, Jan. 13 (4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, fubo)
Bye: Ravens
NFC playoff standings
| 1. NFC West Champion (12-5) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 1. The 49ers rested a good chunk of their starters in Sunday's loss to the Rams, and that's because they'd already clinched the top seed in the NFC. | |
| 2. NFC East Champion (12-5) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 2 seed. To clinch the NFC East title, all the Cowboys had to do on Sunday was beat the Commanders and that's exactly what they did. Thanks to their 38-10 win over Washington, the Cowboys will now be hosting a wild-card game against a team that Mike McCarthy knows well: The Packers. | |
| 3. NFC North Champion (12-5) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 3. To get the second-seed in the NFC, the Lions needed the Cowboys to lose, but that didn't happen, which means Detroit is locked into the third spot. The Lions will now get set to host their first playoff game in 30 years and they'll be facing a familiar face: Matthew Stafford. | |
| 4. NFC South Champion (9-8) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 4. The Buccaneers needed a win over the Panthers to clinch the NFC South, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday. The victory means that Tampa Bay will now host the Eagles in the wild-card round. | |
| 5. Wild Card 1 (11-6) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 5. The Eagles are stumbling into the playoffs. After getting blown out by the Giants, the Eagles have now lost five of their past six games heading into the postseason. They'll try to end their slump in the wild-card round at Tampa Bay. | |
| 6. Wild Card 2 (10-7) |  |
| Seeds: Clinched No. 6. The Rams rested most of their starters, but they were still able to beat the 49ers, which was huge. The win clinched the No. 6 seed, which means the Rams will be traveling to Detroit to face a familiar face: Jared Goff. If the Rams had lost, they would have been the seventh-seed and the Packers would have been the sixth. | |
| 7. Wild Card 3 (9-8) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 7. To clinch a playoff berth, the Packers had to beat the Bears and that's exactly what they did. The win by Green Bay now sets up a wild-card game in Dallas against the Cowboys. | |
ELIMINATED
Saints (9-8): The Saints had a chance at the NFC South title, but they needed the Buccaneers to lose. When that didn't happen, they also had a chance at a wild-card berth, but they needed the Packers to lose for them to have a chance to get in and that didn't happen.
Seahawks (9-8): To make the playoffs, the Seahawks needed a win combined with a Packers loss, but that second part didn't happen, which means their season is now over.
Falcons (7-10): To make the playoffs, the Falcons needed a win and a Buccaneers loss, and neither of those things happened.
Vikings (7-10): The Vikings had to beat the Lions to keep their playoff hopes alive, but that didn't happen.
NFC wild-card matchups
NFC
(7) Packers at (2) Cowboys -- Sunday, Jan. 14, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox, fubo)
(6) Rams at (3) Lions -- Sunday, Jan. 14, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC, fubo)
(5) Eagles at (4) Buccaneers -- Monday, Jan. 15, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC, fubo)
Bye: 49ers
