NFL Playoff Standings 2017: Dallas Cowboys Clinch Top Seed, New York Giants In Trouble

2017 NFL playoff standings have the Dallas Cowboys clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. When the New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night (Dec. 22), it also clinched the NFC East divisional title for the Cowboys. The 24-19 Giants loss drops the team to 10-5 and keeps New York from clinching its own spot in the 2017 NFL Playoffs. The Giants will still head into the weekend as the first Wild Card team in the conference, but it kept the door open for the Green Bay Packers (8-6) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) to catch up in Week 17.

The updated NFL standings also suggest that the Dallas Cowboys may start resting players in the final two weeks of the regular season. The team has nothing left to play for after going 12-2 and clinching home field advantage throughout the postseason. That has to come as great news for fans of the Detroit Lions, as that is the Week 16 opponent for the Cowboys. The teams meet on Monday night football (Dec. 26) in a game that the Lions must win to keep pace for not just one of the top seeds in the conference, but for first place in the NFC North.

The 2017 NFL playoff standings have no other spots completely set heading into the games on Saturday, December 24. The Seattle Seahawks (9-4-1) did clinch the NFC West, but still need to win their final two games to clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Atlanta Falcons (9-5) and Lions (9-5) are also in good positions but need to finish out the season with victories to keep the Buccaneers and Packers from catching them in the divisional races.

Over in the AFC playoff brackets, the New England Patriots (12-2) are still on top of the world. The team now has a full game lead over the Oakland Raiders (11-3) for the No. 1 seed in the conference. The Patriots have also already clinched the AFC East divisional title, giving Tom Brady yet another banner to raise for the fans. The Patriots are the clear favorite to win the conference and make it back to the Super Bowl, especially now that the team has also snagged a first-round bye in the 2017 NFL playoff standings.

The Raiders are trying to hold off the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) in the AFC West as well as for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff standings. If the Raiders win their final two games, the team could also catch the Patriots for that top seed, but things will have to break right for them in the next 10 days. The good news for Raiders fans is that the team clinched a playoff spot already, so the worst that they could do is finish with one of the Wild Card slots. Getting a first-round bye is important, though, as it means one less victory is necessary to make it back to the Super Bowl.

There are several really important games in the Week 16 NFL schedule, but the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (8-6) may be at the top of the list. The teams aren’t just battling for first place in the AFC North, but the loser could potentially slide out of the 2017 NFL playoff standings with a loss. There are three teams at 8-6 and not in a playoff spot, with the Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos trying to catch up to the field. All three teams are in must-win situations this week, creating some interesting playoff scenarios for Week 17.

Full 2017 NFL Playoff Standings

AFC Playoff Standings

1 – New England Patriots (12-2)
2 – Oakland Raiders (11-3)
3 – Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
4 – Houston Texans (8-6)
5 – Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)
6 – Miami Dolphins (9-5)

7 – Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
8 – Tennessee Titans (8-6)
9 – Denver Broncos (8-6)
10 – Indianapolis Colts (7-7)
11 – Buffalo Bills (7-7)
12 – Cincinnati Bengals (5-8-1)
13 – San Diego Chargers (5-9)
14 – New York Jets (4-10)
15 – Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
16 – Cleveland Browns (0-14)

NFC Playoff Standings

1 – Dallas Cowboys (12-2)
2 – Seattle Seahawks (9-4-1)
3 – Atlanta Falcons (9-5)
4 – Detroit Lions (9-5)
5 – New York Giants (10-5)
6 – Green Bay Packers (8-6)

7 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
8 – Washington Redskins (7-6-1)
9 – Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
10 – New Orleans Saints (6-8)
11 – Carolina Panthers (6-8)
12 – Arizona Cardinals (5-8-1)
13 – Philadelphia Eagles (6-9)
14 – Los Angeles Rams (4-10)
15 – Chicago Bears (3-11)
16 – San Francisco 49ers (1-13)

[Featured Image by Al Bello/Getty Images]