Patriots and Seahawks could clinch 2017 NFL playoff berths this week

The Patriots and Raiders were tied for first in the AFC entering Week 14, but the Raiders fell to the Chiefs on Thursday night, costing them the lead in the conference and in the AFC West. Oakland had a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win, but instead it’ll have to wait.

The Patriots still have an opportunity to become the first AFC teams to do so if they can win this week. The Cowboys became the first team in the NFL to seal a playoff berth last week.

The Cowboys can also claim the NFC East with a win on Sunday at the Meadowlands against the Giants. Dallas can clinch a first-round bye if the Seahawks lose their clash at Lambeau Field against a 6-6 Packers team and if the Lions come away winless at home against the lowly 3-9 Bears. In the event both of those events occur this week, Dallas also locks up home field throughout the playoffs.

If the Patriots and Seahawks want to lock up a playoff spot this week, however, they’ll need a couple of things to happen first.

The Patriots host the AFC North-leading Ravens in a battle Monday night in Foxboro. The Ravens enter Week 14 as the third seed in the AFC owing to their division lead, but they are currently locked in a tie with the Steelers for the division lead. Furthermore, if they fall out of the division lead, they currently would not make the playoffs, as the Chiefs and Broncos have a lock on the two AFC Wild Card spots for the time being.

For New England to win this game, they will need to ensure their offense can continue to fire on all cylinders even with the loss of Rob Gronkowski, who will sit out the remainder of the season as he recovers from back surgery. It will be on quarterback Tom Brady, who has dealt with injuries of his own in recent weeks, to carry the Patriots to the playoffs for the 14th time in the last 16 seasons.

A Dolphins loss will lock the AFC East up for the Patriots provided New England comes out of their Week 14 matchup with a win or a tie. The Dolphins, currently 7-5, match up with the 5-6-1 Cardinals on Sunday in Miami. With four games remaining in the regular season for all teams, a loss on Sunday would force the Dolphins to compete for one of the two remaining Wild Card berths.

The Steelers can also help the Patriots’ cause by losing. If both the Steelers and Dolphins lose, New England can clinch a first-round bye. The 7-5 Steelers play Sunday in Buffalo against the Bills.

Seattle’s path to a division title is relatively simple. The 8-3-1 NFC West leaders can clinch if they win and if Arizona loses or ties. The Seahawks will have to play without All-Pro safety Earl Thomas the rest of the season, however, as Thomas cracked his tibia in Sunday’s win over the Panthers. Seattle’s path to a win goes through the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. The Seahawks travel to Green Bay to face the 6-6 Packers.

If the Seahawks tie for the second time this season, they will need Arizona to lose outright to clinch. Arizona, currently at 5-6-1, will be in Miami to face the Dolphins, where they may also end up factoring into the AFC East clinching scenario if they can earn the road win. While neither the Seahawks nor Cardinals are likely to tie again, as no team has done so since the institution of overtime prior to the 1974 season, the tie-based scenarios still exist and are mathematically possible. Nevertheless, the likeliest clinching scenario for the Seahawks involves a win and a Cardinals loss.