According to The New York Times' NFL playoff simulator, there are "nine billion different ways the season could end."
It is impossible to go through all nine billion ways in this article, so we're going to focus on the paths of least resistance for the NFL teams that are in (or outside but mathematically alive) the playoff picture.
For each team, we'll focus on simpler scenarios that will land them coveted playoff spots, or better yet division titles and/or wild-card byes.
AFC Standings
Division Leaders
1. New England Patriots: 11-3
2. Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-3
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-4
4. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-6
Wild Card
5. Tennessee Titans: 8-6
6. Buffalo Bills: 8-6
In the Hunt
7. Baltimore Ravens: 8-6
8. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-7
9. Oakland Raiders: 6-8
10. Miami Dolphins: 6-8
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots control their own destiny: If they win their last two games they will obtain home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. A win and a Jacksonville Jaguars loss next week will clinch a bye. They can still get the first seed at 12-4 if the Jags and Steelers lose once each.
Pittsburgh Steelers
If the Steelers win their last two games and the Patriots lose one of two they will jump over New England and earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. They will clinch a first-round bye regardless if they go 2-0 to finish the year. The Steelers can't finish worse than third in the AFC but would do so if they finish tied alone for second with Jacksonville in the standings due to a 30-9 loss earlier this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags have already clinched a playoff berth but will seal the AFC South title with a win or a Tennessee Titans loss. They can still earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and can do so under a variety of scenarios.
The simplest one: Two wins and one loss each from the Steelers and Patriots. All three teams would finish at 12-4, but the Jags would be No. 1 thanks to the conference record tiebreaker.
Their lowest possible seed is fifth.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs will win the AFC West with a win in either of their next two games. They can still win the division at 8-8: That would happen if the Oakland Raiders lose one game and the Los Angeles Chargers do the same. The Chiefs cannot earn a wild-card bye but would host a game in that round should they win the division.
Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens
This is a bit of a mess, so we're grouping these three together.
Even though they are currently on the outside looking in, the Baltimore Ravens are the only team that controls its own destiny in this group: The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills are almost assuredly in if they finish 10-6, but they do have four and five percent chances, respectively, of missing the postseason even with a 10-win mark.
The Titans, Bills or Ravens are assured of making the playoffs at 10-6 if one of the other teams in this group finishes 9-7. Here's an example: If the Titans go 10-6, the Ravens go 10-6 and the Bills finish 9-7, the Titans and Ravens are going to the playoffs.
There are plenty more scenarios for this wild-card mess, but those are the easiest paths.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Bolts can still win the AFC West, but they would need to win twice and have the Kansas City Chiefs lose twice for that to happen. Failing that scenario, the Chargers can sneak into the playoffs through different paths.
Here's one such path: If the Bolts and Baltimore Ravens win twice, the Tennessee Titans lose twice and the Buffalo Bills lose once, Los Angeles is guaranteed a playoff berth.
Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins
They need two wins each and a whole bunch of other teams to lose. In that case, they could find themselves on the right end of a massive tiebreaker at 8-8, but it's highly unlikely. Currently, The New York Times has the Dolphins with a three percent chance to make the field and the Raiders with less than a one percent shot.
NFC Standings
Division Leaders
1. Philadelphia Eagles: 12-2
2. Minnesota Vikings: 11-3
3. Los Angeles Rams: 10-4
4. New Orleans Saints: 10-4
Wild Card
5. Carolina Panthers: 10-4
6. Atlanta Falcons: 9-5
In the Hunt
7. Detroit Lions: 8-6
8. Seattle Seahawks: 8-6
9. Dallas Cowboys: 8-6
NFC Playoff Scenarios
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles will clinch the No. 1 seed with a win against the Oakland Raiders or Dallas Cowboys in their last two games. They will fall to No. 2 if they lose twice and the Minnesota Vikings win twice. The Eagles have already clinched a wild-card bye and division title.
Minnesota Vikings
The worst the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings can finish is fourth in the NFC, which would mean a home playoff game in the wild-card round. If they win just one more game, they are assured of a wild-card bye and a home game in the divisional round.
Los Angeles Rams
It's win and in for the Los Angeles Rams: As long as they defeat the Tennessee Titans or San Francisco 49ers in one of their remaining two games, L.A. will win the NFC West. The Rams can miss the playoffs if they fall to 10-6, the Seahawks win the division at 10-6 and everyone in the NFC South goes 11-5 or better. It's possible but highly unlikely.
The Rams can still clinch a first-round bye with two wins and two Minnesota Vikings losses: A tie with the Vikings in the standings would give the edge to Minnesota due to a 24-7 loss earlier this year.
A No. 1 seed is out of reach.
New Orleans Saints
If the New Orleans Saints win their last two games they will clinch the NFC South title. Their chances of obtaining a wild-card bye are unlikely given they do not own tiebreakers against the current No. 2 and No. 3 seeds (the Vikings and Rams) due to losses earlier this season. However, they can capture that bye with two wins, two Vikings losses and one Rams loss.
A loss and two Carolina Panthers wins will drop them into a wild-card spot. The Saints can still miss the playoffs, but they would need to lose their last two games and have many other contests go against them.
Carolina Panthers
It's win and in for the Carolina Panthers: If they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday or the Atlanta Falcons on New Year's Eve, then they move onto the playoffs. They can still clinch the NFC South title with two wins and one New Orleans Saints loss, among other scenarios. They can still miss the playoffs if they lose out, but a lot of dominoes would have to fall against their favor for that to happen.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are in the playoff field if they win just one more game. They can still make the playoffs at 9-7 but would need to hope that one of Seattle, Dallas and Detroit doesn't run the table and go 10-6.
On the flip side, Atlanta will win the NFC South if it takes its last two games. Their best-case scenario is a third seed in the NFC playoffs, which means a home wild-card game.
Detroit Lions
If the Detroit Lions win two and the Atlanta Falcons lose two, Detroit will be making back-to-back appearances in the playoffs regardless of whether Seattle or Dallas goes 10-6.
If Detroit loses once, however, then it is eliminated from playoff contention. The Lions can finish no higher than the sixth seed in the NFC.
Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys
These two teams play each other on Sunday, and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
The Seahawks can still win the NFC West with two wins and two Los Angeles Rams losses. If the Rams win once and the 'Hawks still go 10-6 Seattle can still sneak into the wild card if Atlanta loses twice and Detroit loses once.
Dallas can make the playoffs at 10-6. One such scenario in which the Cowboys can do so is if they win twice, the Falcons lose twice and the Lions lose once. Dallas cannot win the division and would be traveling in the wild-card round.
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