The NFL final standings and playoff picture

The newly-extended NFL regular season is now over, and the maiden 17-game campaign certainly didn’t disappoint. There were plenty of blowouts, lots of shocks and a fair share of nail-biting encounters right up until the very end — just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers fans, who would have been watching through their fingers as the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers went into overtime.

With so much still up for grabs for a lot of franchises on the final gameweek, it’s no surprise that it was filled with twists, turns and upsets in the odds from this betting exchange site. The aforementioned Raiders kicked a playoff-deciding field goal with two seconds left of overtime, crushing the Chargers’ postseason hopes and allowing the Steelers to breathe a sigh of relief, while a few others snuck in at the last chance saloon as well.

That said, let’s take a look at the final standings and the conclusive playoff picture ahead of the remainder of the playoffs. Read on to find out more!

American Football Conference (AFC)

The Tennessee Titans (12-5) topped the AFC with a victory over the Houston Texans on gameweek 18 and will have the benefit of home-advantage through the playoffs. Despite boasting the same record, the Kansas City Chiefs had to settle for the No.2 spot due to the Titans having the superior head-to-head record. AFC East winners, the Buffalo Bills, and AFC North champions, the Cincinnati Bengals, secured the third and fourth spots, respectively.

Perhaps the most surprising postseason franchise from the AFC, the Las Vegas Raiders went on a four-game winning streak in the concluding weeks to land the No.5 spot, sending the Chargers packing and allowing the Steelers to sneak in at No.7. The New England Patriots, who had a turbulent season, took the No.6 seed in the AFC.

AFC wildcard matchups

Raiders 19-26 Bengals, Patriots 17-47 Bills, Steelers 21-42 Chiefs

AFC final standings

1. Titans – 12-5
2. Chiefs – 12-5
3. Bills – 11-6
4. Bengals – 10-7
5. Raiders – 10-7
6. Patriots – 10-7
7. Steelers – 8-7
8. Colts – 9-8
9. Dolphins – 9-8
10. Chargers – 9-8
11. Browns – 8-9
12. Ravens – 8-9
13. Broncos – 7-10
14. Jets – 4-13
15. Texans – 4-13
16. Jaguars – 3-14

National Football Conference (NFC)

The Green Bay Packers finished the regular season with an impressive 13-4 record, nabbing the top spot in the NFC and home advantage from defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rounded off the season with the same record but had to settle for second in the conference. The Dallas Cowboys are the No.3 seed, while the Los Angeles Rams secured fourth despite losing to the San Francisco 49ers on gameweek 18.

The Rams benefitted from the Arizona Cardinals also losing on the final gameweek and they now have home advantage over their NFC West rivals, who had to settle for the fifth spot due to that defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, in LA when the pair clash in the wildcard round. The victory for the 49ers means they’ve snuck in at No.6 seed with the Philadelphia Eagles wrapping up the NFC’s playoff places.

NFC wildcard matchups

Eagles 15-31 Buccaneers, 49ers 23-17 Cowboys, Cardinals @ Rams

NFC final standings

1. Packers – 13-4
2. Buccaneers – 13-4
3. Cowboys – 12-5
4. Rams – 12-5
5. Cardinals – 11-6
6. 49ers – 10-7
7. Eagles – 9-8
8. Saints – 9-8
9. Vikings – 8-9
10. Washington – 7-10
11. Seahawks – 7-10
12. Falcons – 7-10
13. Bears – 6-11
14. Panthers – 5-12
15. Giants – 4-13
16. Lions – 3-13