5 teams that clinched their playoff berth in Week 17 of 2021 NFL season
While 2022 has done little to eliminate the chaos that permeates the NFL atmosphere on a weekly basis, this year's playoff picture is gaining further clarity following Week 17. Which has now becomes the penultimate staging of the regular season thanks to the new 18-game schedule. Five teams punched their postseason ticket during Sunday's proceedings, leaving three of the 14 available playoff spots up for grabs.
Which NFL teams are moving onto the postseason after Week 17?
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-Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills clinched their third consecutive NFL playoff berth via a 29-15 victory over Atlanta, and Baltimore's loss to the Los Angeles Rams during the early portion of Week 17 action. Rushing ruled the day for the defending AFC finalists, as Devin Singletary and Josh Allen united for four scores on the ground.
Having ended their infamous 17-year postseason drought in 2017, the Bills (10-6) have now reached the NFL playoffs in three consecutive seasons, their longest such streak since their AFC dynasty days in the 1990s.
They are the current holders of the AFC's fourth seed, and the home playoff game that comes with it. Buffalo will clinch the division for the second consecutive season with a win at home on Sunday against the New York Jets (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
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-Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals needed a simple win to clinch not only their first NFL playoff berth since 2015 but also their first AFC North crown. They acquiesced and then some, with a 34-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The win was earned via a Evan McPherson game-winning 20-yard field goal just as time expired.
Cincinnati (10-6) erased three separate 14-point deficits en route to the big win. Thus throwing a wrench into the first-round bye situation in the AFC, more on that in a minute.
The Bengals, anchored by 446 yards and four scores from Joe Burrow on Sunday, are still eligible for that top spot. However, they will need a great deal of help from their AFC brethren to pull it off, not to mention a win over Cleveland next Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
-New England Patriots
Just when you thought it safe to bring up NFL football in New England, the Patriots are back in the postseason and gunning for a record seventh Super Bowl title with a vengeance. The Patriots (10-6) showed no mercy against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, opening the new year with a 50-10 triumph that ended a two-game losing streak.
One of those losses could loom large, however: the Patriots' Week 16 defeat at the hands of the aforementioned Bills means that they must not only beat the Miami Dolphins in South Beach (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS) but root for the Jets to do them a favor in Orchard Park against the Bills.
-Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are back in the playoffs after a one-year absence, having earned a win in Washington along with the necessary help (primarily a Minnesota loss in the NFL's Sunday night showcase). Some have argued that the Eagles (9-7) are trending toward becoming the NFC's "team you don't want to see in the playoffs," after earning four straight wins.
However, an argument against that notion could be the fact that the Eagles have built themselves up against the NFL's basement-dwellers, they swept Washington and topped both woebegone New York franchises (the Jets and the Giants).
But a prime opportunity to prove their worth comes on Saturday night, when they host the division champion Dallas Cowboys in what should be a tough contest (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
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-Tennessee Titans
Although they remained secure in their standing as the number 1 seed, due to the Indianapolis Colts' late loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Titans (11-5) handled business with a one-sided 34-3 win over the Miami Dolphins, who were thus eliminated in defeat.
Tennessee was afforded a late Christmas gift as they put the finishing touches on Sunday's triumph: with Kansas City's loss to Cincinnati, the Titans are the current holders of the AFC's only playoff bye, which they can fully secure with a win over the lowly Texans on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS)...though Houston did steal a 22-13 decision against them earlier this season.
Also check out: Green Bay Packers Playoff History, Appearances, Wins and more