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NFL Week 17 picks include Jaguars, Steelers and Niners<\/p>\n
Lorenzo Reyes shares his three picks for NFL games through Christmas week.<\/p>\n
Every week for the duration of the\u00a02025 regular season<\/a>,\u00a0USA TODAY Sports<\/a>\u00a0will provide timely updates to the\u00a0NFL<\/a>‘s ever-evolving playoff picture \u2013 typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too).<\/p>\n What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized Sunday, Jan. 4.<\/p>\n Here’s where things stand with\u00a0Week 17<\/a>\u00a0underway:<\/p>\n AFC playoff picture<\/p>\n x \u2212 1.\u00a0Denver Broncos<\/a>\u00a0(12-3), AFC West leaders:\u00a0They came into Week 16 with the possibility of clinching home-field advantage and the first-round bye. A decisive loss to Jacksonville re-opened that door to New England. Still, win out and Denver gets the top seed \u2026 and might even have it by Sunday. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs<\/a>, vs. Chargers<\/p>\n x \u2212 2.\u00a0New England Patriots<\/a>\u00a0(12-3), AFC East leaders:\u00a0Officially headed to the playoffs, the Pats are also still in driver’s seat to win AFC East and just a tiebreaker (common games) of sitting atop the conference. Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Dolphins<\/a>.<\/p>\n x \u2212 3.\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>\u00a0(11-4),\u00a0AFC South leaders:\u00a0They won their seventh straight Sunday with an impressive win over Denver<\/a>. The Colts<\/a>‘ loss Monday stamped the Jags’ playoff invite. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, at Titans<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>\u00a0(9-6),\u00a0AFC North leaders:\u00a0Their win Sunday in Motown clinched spots in the NFC field for the Bears<\/a> and 49ers<\/a>. No matter what else happens over the next two games, sweep the Ravens<\/a>, and Pittsburgh secures the division. A win Sunday in Cleveland will also sew up the division … if the Ravens don’t do it first by losing. Remaining schedule: at Browns<\/a>, vs. Ravens<\/p>\n x \u2212 5.\u00a0Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>\u00a0(11-4), wild card No. 1:\u00a0The Bolts have now won seven of eight, and Indy’s Monday night loss put them in the playoffs for the second straight year. A half-game advantage in AFC games (8-2) keeps them ahead of Buffalo.\u00a0Win out, and the Chargers win the AFC West … and maybe more. Remaining schedule: vs. Texans<\/a>, at Broncos<\/p>\n x \u2212 6.\u00a0Buffalo Bills<\/a>\u00a0(11-4), wild card No. 1:\u00a0Still alive to win their sixth straight AFC East crown, the Bills<\/a> were guaranteed at least their playoff shot with the Colts’ loss Monday. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles<\/a>, vs. Jets<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0Houston Texans<\/a>\u00a0(10-5), wild card No. 3:\u00a0They’ve won eight of nine, including seven in a row but haven’t been able to overtake similarly surging Jacksonville yet for the top spot in the AFC South. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, vs. Colts<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0Indianapolis Colts<\/a>\u00a0(8-7),\u00a0in the hunt:\u00a0Now in the hands of 44-year-old QB Philip Rivers<\/a>, who hasn’t been able to engineer a win despite two valiant attempts, their 7-1 start seems like ancient history. One more loss or Houston win eliminates Indy. Remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars<\/a>, at Texans<\/p>\n 9.\u00a0Baltimore Ravens<\/a>\u00a0(7-8),\u00a0in the hunt:\u00a0The lost control of their playoff path with Sunday night’s loss to New England and can be eliminated this weekend by a loss or Pittsburgh win. Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots, at Packers<\/a>, at Steelers<\/p>\n NFC playoff picture<\/p>\n x \u2212 1.\u00a0Seattle Seahawks<\/a>\u00a0(12-3),\u00a0NFC West leaders:\u00a0Splitting their season series with the Rams<\/a> in Week 16’s classic<\/a> means they’ll wind up with the No. 1 seed if they win their final two games. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, at 49ers<\/p>\n x \u2212 2.\u00a0Chicago Bears<\/a>\u00a0(11-4), NFC North leaders:\u00a0A remarkable overtime win against Green Bay<\/a> on Saturday night helped them clinch a playoff berth \u2212 cemented by Detroit’s loss Sunday. Chicago is also still in play for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and will win the division with one more win or Packers loss. Remaining schedule: at 49ers, vs. Lions<\/a><\/p>\n y – 3.\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>\u00a0(10-5), NFC East champions: With Saturday’s defeat of Washington, they became the first team this season to wrap up a division \u2212 and the first to win this division in successive years since they last did it 21 years ago. Philly’s victory also officially knocked the hated Cowboys out of playoff contention<\/a>. Remaining schedule: at Bills, vs. Commanders<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0Carolina Panthers<\/a>\u00a0(8-7), NFC South leaders:\u00a0Their defeat of the Bucs on Sunday moved them into first place. They can win the division Sunday with a win and Tampa Bay loss. A Week 18 defeat of the Buccaneers<\/a> would also do the job regardless of circumstances. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, at Buccaneers<\/p>\n x \u2212 5.\u00a0San Francisco 49ers<\/a>\u00a0(11-4), wild card No. 2:\u00a0Win out, which would entail completing a season sweep of Seattle on the final weekend of the regular season, and the Niners would get the No. 1 seed. Continue winning, and they won’t leave their stadium again this season \u2212 which would mean playing Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium. A 4-1 record in NFC West games moved them ahead of the Rams on Monday. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks<\/p>\n x \u2212 6.\u00a0Los Angeles Rams<\/a>\u00a0(11-4), wild card No. 1:\u00a0They became the first team to clinch a playoff spot but lost the inside track for home-field advantage and a first-round bye after failing to sweep Seattle. Remaining schedule: at Falcons, vs. Cardinals<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0Green Bay Packers<\/a>\u00a0(9-5-1),\u00a0wild card No. 3:They were undermanned going into last weekend, then it got worse. But the Pack should have gotten out of Chicago with a win. At least Detroit’s loss allowed Green Bay to maintain its 1\u00bd-game lead over the Lions in the wild-card standings. One more Packers win or Lions loss puts Green Bay into the field. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Vikings<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0Detroit Lions<\/a>\u00a0(8-7),\u00a0in the hunt:\u00a0Sunday’s loss not only locked two of their competitors (Chicago and San Francisco) into the field, it left the Lions \u2212 the NFC’s No. 1 seed a year ago courtesy of a 15-2 record \u2212 on life support. Detroit needs to win its final two games, including on Christmas afternoon in Minnesota, and hope the Pack lose both of theirs in order to qualify. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, at Bears<\/p>\n 9.\u00a0Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>\u00a0(7-8), in the hunt:\u00a0Sunday’s loss in Charlotte was Tampa Bay’s sixth in its last seven outings. But win their last two games, and the Bucs will retain the NFC South crown by a one-game margin in the common-games tiebreaker over Carolina (assuming the Panthers also finish 9-8 overall). Beating Miami ensures Buccaneers will play for the division in Week 18. Lose in South Florida, and they could be finished. Remaining schedule: at Dolphins, vs. Panthers<\/p>\n NFL playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 17<\/p>\n Denver clinches AFC West and AFC\u2019s No. 1 seed with:<\/p>\n \u25b6 Win + Chargers loss or tie + Patriots loss + Bills loss or tie + Jaguars loss or tie<\/p>\n Denver clinches AFC West with:<\/p>\n Win + Chargers loss or tie ORTie + Chargers loss<\/p>\n Jacksonville clinches AFC South with:<\/p>\n Win + Texans loss or tie ORTie + Texans loss<\/p>\n New England clinches AFC East with:<\/p>\n Win + Bills loss or tie ORTie + Bills loss<\/p>\n Pittsburgh clinches AFC North with:<\/p>\n Win or tie ORRavens loss or tie<\/p>\n Houston clinches playoff berth with:<\/p>\n Win or tie ORColts loss or tie ORTexans clinch at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over Colts \u2212 which would require a Ravens win + Bills win + Chiefs win + 49ers win + Falcons loss + Dolphins loss<\/p>\n Seattle clinches NFC West and NFC\u2019s No. 1 seed with:<\/p>\n \u25b6 Win + Rams loss or tie + 49ers-Bears tie<\/p>\n Seattle clinches NFC West title with:<\/p>\n Win + Rams loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie ORTie + Rams loss + 49ers loss<\/p>\n Carolina clinches NFC South with:<\/p>\n Win + Buccaneers loss or tie ORTie + Buccaneers loss<\/p>\n Chicago clinches NFC North title with:<\/p>\n Win ORPackers loss ORTie + Packers tie<\/p>\n Green Bay clinches playoff berth with:<\/p>\n Win or tie ORLions loss or tieNFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2025<\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0New York Giants<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Arizona Cardinals<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0New Orleans Saints<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Tennessee Titans<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Washington Commanders<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Atlanta Falcons<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0New York Jets<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Cleveland Browns<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Minnesota Vikings<\/a><\/p>\n \u25b6\u00a0Miami Dolphins<\/a><\/p>\n