NFL playoff picture 2017: Cowboys clinched a bid in Week 13

After an 11th straight win, the Dallas Cowboys have become the first team in 2016 to qualify for the playoffs. After Dallas beat the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, the Cowboys were just a Buccaneers or Washington loss away from punching its ticket to the postseason for only the second time since 2010. The Cardinals beat Washington, and the Cowboys are headed to the playoffs.

The Buccaneers proved they won’t go down without a fight. Jameis Winston pushed his team into the playoff hunt with back-to-back upsets over Kansas City and Seattle. A win on Sunday over a dangerous San Diego team was another rung on the ladder that may push the Bucs to the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. With a victory over the Chargers, the Buccaneers move into a tie for first place in the NFC South after the Falcons fell to the Chiefs.

Washington has been similarly feisty behind a rejuvenated Kirk Cousins. However, its loss on Sunday to the Cardinals didn’t just hand Dallas a playoff spot — it also cost the franchise its lead in the NFC’s second wild card race.

The Seahawks have the West on lockdown, especially after their blowout win over the Panthers. The Cardinals, at 5-6-1, are a full three games behind their rival. It will take an epic collapse — and an epic revival — to upset that apple cart.

The view at the top of the AFC isn’t as clear. New England and Oakland are battling for the conference’s top spot, but Kansas City isn’t far behind after dispatching Denver in a Sunday Night Football thriller in Week 12 and then topping the Falcons in similar exciting fashion.

Miami was the beneficiary of Denver’s loss, but these two teams flip-flopped positions on Sunday. The Dolphins’ six-game winning streak was snapped when they were crushed by the AFC North-leading Ravens. The Broncos, meanwhile, held off a hapless Jacksonville team that has now officially been eliminated from the playoff race. It looks like it’ll be an all-AFC West affair in the conference’s wild card spots this winter.

Pittsburgh had a shot to pass the Ravens this weekend, but both teams won and improved to 7-5. Beating the Giants at home was be a message-sending win for the Steelers on Sunday. The Steelers control their own destiny in the North, but just staying neck-and-neck with Baltimore until their Week 16 rematch would be enough to land in prime playoff position.

The AFC South is similarly disheveled. Houston’s loss to the Packers knotted the Texans and Titans at the top of the standings at 6-6, though Houston holds the tiebreaker by virtue of a head-to-head win. Indianapolis, at 6-6, joined them by beating the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, further complicating the playoff race in the NFL’s weakest division.