NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: Latest AFC, NFC Standings and Bracket Scenarios

The first two 2020 NFL playoff spots were claimed in Week 13 by the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.

Three more tickets can be punched in Week 14. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers can all make the big dance this weekend.

The Steelers have the most direct path, as a win or tie would get them in, as could losses or ties by the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins or Tennessee Titans (loss only). The Bills, who face the Steelers on Sunday night, are in with a win and a series of losses by several other clubs. A Packers win or tie can get them in if coupled with certain losses or ties.

In addition, the Chiefs, Steelers, Packers and Saints can all secure their respective division crowns. The full breakdown of everything on the line can be found here.

Let's update the league standings and playoff picture, then predict which clubs are likely to lock horns in Super Bowl LV.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills (9-3)

Miami Dolphins (8-4)

New England Patriots (6-6)

e-New York Jets (0-12)

         

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1)

Cleveland Browns (9-3)

Baltimore Ravens (7-5)

e-Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1)

         

AFC South

Tennessee Titans (8-4)

Indianapolis Colts (8-4)

Houston Texans (4-8)

e-Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11)

         

AFC West

x-Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)

Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)

Denver Broncos (4-8)

e-Los Angeles Chargers (3-9)

            

NFC East

New York Giants (5-7)

Washington Football Team (5-7)

Philadelphia Eagles (3-8-1)

Dallas Cowboys (3-9)

          

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (9-3)

Minnesota Vikings (6-6)

Chicago Bears (5-7)

Detroit Lions (5-7)

           

NFC South

x-New Orleans Saints (10-2)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)

Atlanta Falcons (4-8)

Carolina Panthers (4-8)

            

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (8-4)

Seattle Seahawks (8-4)

Arizona Cardinals (6-6)

San Francisco 49ers (5-7)

*x-: clinched playoff berth; e-: eliminated from playoff contention

AFC

First-round bye: No. 1 Pittsburgh Steelers

No. 7 Indianapolis Colts at No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs

No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Buffalo Bills

No. 5 Cleveland Browns at No. 4 Tennessee Titans

                    

NFC

First-round bye: No. 1 New Orleans Saints

No. 7 Minnesota Vikings at No. 2 Green Bay Packers

No. 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 3 Los Angeles Rams

No. 5 Seattle Seahawks at No. 4 New York Giants

The gulf between the NFL's haves and have-nots has widened over the course of the campaign, which makes it easier to identify the true elites.

In the AFC, it's the Chiefs and Steelers—the lone 11-1 teams and conference's only clubs with triple-digit scoring differentials—and then everyone else. If these two are on a collision course for the conference championship, then football fans should all be celebrating.

That'd be nothing less than a gift from the gridiron gods.

While the Steelers have the defensive weaponry to cause havoc against anyone, they don't have the same juice after losing both Devin Bush and Bud Dupree to ACL tears. Dupree is tied for second on the squad with eight sacks, and Bush, who went down in Week 6, was on pace to rank among their tackle leaders.

They can cover those voids against most clubs, but the Chiefs aren't most clubs. Their offense features a fully loaded arsenal of playmakers around quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has 31 passing touchdowns (plus a pair of rushing scores) against a meager two interceptions. With Kansas City's defense also sitting sixth in points allowed per game, the defending champs have the two-way balance to get back to the big game.

The NFC is more congested, especially since the top-seeded Saints have been playing without Drew Brees, who's still working his way back from multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung. The NFC West is busy beating up one another, and the NFC East's playoff berth is little more than a participation trophy.

Meanwhile, the second-seeded Packers are in prime position to make their first Super Bowl appearance since the 2010 season. They tilt more toward the offensive side of the ball, but that's not a bad thing when Aaron Rodgers is leading said offense. He's kept a step ahead of opposing defenses all season and pairs his 36 touchdown tosses with only four picks.

The ground game has plenty of juice between Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, Davante Adams makes the league's short list of top receivers and tight end Robert Tonyan has provided an unexpected lift in the touchdown department (eight, or six more than his first two seasons combined).

While a Rodgers-Mahomes collision has clear instant-classic potential, it's hard to pick against the Chiefs until proved otherwise.

Super Bowl prediction: Chiefs over Packers, 34-27