NFL Playoff Picture 2021 Week 16: Updated AFC, NFC Standings, Bracket, Scenarios ft Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs
The 2021-2022 NFL regular season is nearing its end, which means that it's almost time for the playoffs to begin. Now is the time when health is imperative, particularly with the recent uptick in positive COVID-19 cases.
Teams in each conference are jockeying for pole position in the playoffs as there is only a bye week reserved for the sole top spot.
Over recent weeks, teams such as the Chiefs and Patriots (despite their loss last week to the Colts) have surged to the top of the AFC, while teams like the Arizona Cardinals have seen their fortunes take them from first to fourth place in the NFC.
Here are the NFL standings for Week 16:
NFL Standings - Latest
Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)
Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4)
Arizona Cardinals (10-4)
Los Angeles Rams (10-4)
New England Patriots (9-5)
Tennessee Titans (9-5)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
San Francisco 49ers (8-6)
Buffalo Bills (8-6)
Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-1)
Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)
New Orleans Saints (7-7)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
Miami Dolphins (7-7)
Cleveland Browns (7-7)
Denver Broncos (7-7)
Washington Football Team (6-8)
Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
Carolina Panthers (5-9)
Seattle Seahawks (5-9)
New York Giants (4-10)
Chicago Bears (4-10)
New York Jets (3-11)
Houston Texans (3-11)
Detroit Lions (2-11)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
Due to the short week, and limited time during the holidays, I have gone ahead posted a week 16 post with incomplete TEN & DEN scenarios, and less validation than normal. These will be updated as they are reviewed & calculated. nflplayoffscenarios.com/2021/week/16/w…
What does the AFC picture look like?
In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots rode the wave of winning numerous consecutive games to battle their way to the top of the conference.
The Chiefs are currently in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, while the Patriots' loss last week to the Indianapolis Colts halted their seven-game winning streak.
#1 - Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)
In Week 16, the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in an important battle to keep their top spot in the conference. This game may take on a different feel as several Chiefs players, including Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, have tested positive for COVID-19.
As of this writing, their statuses remain in question, along with several other key members of the team. With only being a game ahead of the Patriots and the Titans (and a loss to the latter), this is a must-win game for the Chiefs.
But they control their own playoff destiny by winning their last three games.
#2 - New England Patriots (9-5)
The Patriots saw their seven-game winning streak go by the wayside against Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts. However, they are in prime position to make noise in the playoffs and, perhaps, even take back the top seed in the conference.
Rookie quarterback Mac Jones has been playing lights-out for the season, despite hitting a brick wall last week. With the tutelage of Bill Belichick and the defensive prowess that the team has become known for, the New England Patriots are in a good spot to do some damage as the playoffs are almost upon us.
#3 - Tennessee Titans (9-5)
If it weren't for injuries, the Titans may have very well been staring down at the conference competition from the top spot. Derrick Henry's absence was felt, not only throughout the offense, but throughout the entire team.
Henry is representative of who the Titans are, and without him, the physicality that they are known for takes a hit. The team has also been without star receiver A.J. Brown and first-year receiver Julio Jones for a significant amount of time.
The team has still done well to rally around quarterback Ryan Tannehill and land in the third spot (for now) in the AFC. They hope to have Henry return in time for the playoffs.
Without him, their playoff lives look bleak.
#4 - Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are, perhaps, the surprise team of the year. As a rookie quarterback (last year) coming off a severe season-ending knee injury, Burrow has looked much like the player the Bengals selected with the number one pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Ja'Marr Chase, rookie wide receiver and former college teammate of Burrow, has been nothing short of spectacular. The rookie sensation has 61 catches for 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The combination of Burrow, Chase, receiver Tee Higgins and running back Joe Mixon (currently second in the NFL in rushing yards) looks to propel the Bengals into the playoffs and out of the logjam of the AFC North division.
#5 - Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
Speaking of running backs, the Colts have, perhaps, the best in the business going right now in Jonathan Taylor. The Colts' star player leads the league in rushing with 1,518 yards on the ground to go with 17 touchdowns.
Last week, he led his team to a victory over the New England Patriots as the team is battling to stay afloat in the convoluted AFC. They are chasing the Tennessee Titans with the hopes of overtaking them to win the AFC South division.
But, as a consolation prize, they will most certainly accept an invitation to the playoffs in lieu of another team.
#6 - Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
The Chargers, led by quarterback Justin Herbert, have had a relatively good season that has seen its share of ups and downs. Herbert began the season as an early NFL MVP frontrunner, only to be overlapped by others due to some less than stellar performances.
However, the Chargers remain a viable threat to the AFC in the playoffs and still have a chance to overtake the Chiefs for the AFC West title.
While Keenan Allen is a known commodity at receiver, fellow end Mike Williams is a big-play threat and can stretch the defense with his ability to win jump balls at a high-rate.
The Chargers' playoff chances will rely on their ability to make plays down the field on offense and for Joey Bosa and the defense to step up in a major way.
#7 - Buffalo Bills (8-6)
The Buffalo Bills have gone 2-3 over the last five games to put themselves in a position where they were overtaken by the New England Patriots in the division. They are now in a slugfest to make the AFC playoffs.
Quarterback Josh Allen, for the most part, has been brilliant and, until a few weeks ago, was a major factor in the NFL MVP discussion. The defense for the Bills has been a consistent force this season.
They are currently third defensively for points against, which means that only two other teams are allowing fewer total points. Although star cornerback Tre'Davious White was lost weeks ago due to a torn ACL, the team is still managing to remain relevant.
The Bills end the season with the Patriots, Falcons and Jets.
What does the NFC Playoff picture look like?
The NFC has also seen a recent change at the top of the standings as the Arizona Cardinals suffered an upset loss to the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings lead a bevy of teams with a record of 7-7 for the final spot in the NFC playoffs.
#1 - Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have had their fair share of mishaps this season. But due to their sheer determination and consistent play at the quarterback position, the team has risen all the way to the top of the conference and is in play to be a strong contender in the playoffs.
The team has won games without the services of arguably their two best defensive players in cornerback Jaire Alexander and linebacker Za'Darius Smith.
The offense finds a way to get the job done, even when they are handicapped as they were in Week 8 playing without their top two receivers (on reserve/COVID-19 list).
The Packers look to be a dangerous team, especially if the road to the Lombardi trophy and the playoffs has to go through the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.
#2 - Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
The Dallas Cowboys began the season with an opening day loss to the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the team won six consecutive games to stand at a record of 6-1.
Since then, the Cowboys have been up and down but find themselves positioned as the second seed in the conference.
The Cowboys will need to continue to win games as they have not yet clinched the NFC East division.
With the PHI win, PHI cannot be knocked out of NFC East title contention this week. #PHIvsWAS
The team has found gems in rookie linebacker Micah Parsons, who is two-and-a-half sacks away from tying the NFL rookie sack record of 14.5 set by Jevon Kearse of the Tennessee Titans in 1999.
Second-year cornerback Trevon Diggs leads the league with 10 interceptions and could perhaps be in competition with Parsons for consideration for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
With Dak Prescott beginning to round out from his recent calf injury earlier this season, the Cowboys will look to apply offensive and defensive pressure to teams in the playoffs.
#3 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4)
Despite last week's 9-0 shutout loss to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team is still in the third spot for the NFC playoffs. The most glaring issue from that game was not the loss itself but injuries to Mike Evans (hamstring), Leonard Fournette (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (ACL).
Godwin will miss the remainder of the regular season, while Evans and Fournette may possibly be shut down for the rest of the regular season as well.
With games remaining against the Carolina Panthers (twice) and the New York Jets, the Bucs may be in a good position to rest their injured stars until the playoffs.
#4 - Arizona Cardinals (10-4)
The Cardinals have taken a swan dive from the top seed in the NFC to the fourth spot. With consecutive losses to the Rams and the Lions, the team is now in panic mode as they are tied with the division rival Los Angeles Rams.
Star receiver DeAndre Hopkins is out until, at least, the playoffs, and quarterback Kyler Murray, once the frontrunner for NFL MVP, has seemingly regressed a bit.
The Cardinals round out the season with games against the Colts, Cowboys and Seahawks and will need to win out in order to solidify the NFC West division crown and a top tier spot in the playoffs.
#5 - Los Angeles Rams (10-4)
For the Los Angeles Rams, this year has been all about change. First-year quarterback Matthew Stafford has led the team to a stellar season, and newly acquired pieces such as Odell Beckham, Jr. and Von Miller are hoping to guide the team to the playoffs.
Before their current three-game winning streak, they'd dropped three consecutive games. For the Rams to succeed in the playoffs, they will need to show consistency against the better teams in the conference.
Cooper Kupp has been the MVP of the team as he leads the league in receiving with 1,625 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Although the team has weapons on the outside, their playoff lives will depend on how well the running game can complement the other segments of the team.
#6 - San Francisco 49ers (8-6)
The San Francisco 49ers have quietly been under the radar as the season progresses.
With positive contributions from Deebo Samuel (61 catches for 1,088 yards and five touchdowns) and George Kittle (63 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns), the team has now positioned themselves to play spoiler in the upcoming playoffs.
The team has faced several injuries, especially at the running back position. As for the assumed "quarterback battle," Jimmy Garoppolo has run the show for the most part this season under head coach Kyle Shanahan. He will be in place for the playoffs, barring injury.
The offseason may bring a tough decision as first-round draft pick Trey Lance is expected to take over as the signal caller for the team starting in 2022.
#7 - Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
The Vikings are currently in the final spot for the 2021-2022 NFC playoffs and fighting like heck to remain there. Kirk Cousins has, as always, been statistically good, but the question is, can he consistently win primetime games?
Dalvin Cook provides the flair at running back, while second-year receiver Justin Jefferson has already established himself as one of the premier receivers in the league.
The team is relentless at pressuring the quarterback as they rank first in team sacks per game with 3.1. The playoff hopes for the Vikings rest with how well Kirk Cousins can challenge opponents when forced to score points.
Also check out: Complete Monday Night Football Schedule 2021