NFL Postseason Decided on Epic Sunday – January 7

At some point tonight, the NFL postseason picture will become completely clear. After tonight’s Bills-Dolphins game ends, we will have all 14 teams and their seeds in the NFL postseason. Some questions were answered last night when the Pittsburgh Steelers won their third game in a row beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10. Baltimore already owns the top seed in the AFC. Pittsburgh (10-7) can now earn a playoff spot with a Buffalo or Jacksonville loss today.

Speaking of the Bills and the Jaguars, they are two of several teams that can clinch either a spot in the NFL postseason or a higher seed with a win today. Buffalo has won four straight and plays at Miami. Jacksonville, which lost four in a row before beating Carolina last week, desperately needs a win to reach the playoffs. We’ll show you the various NFL postseason scenarios.

NFL Postseason Scenarios – AFC

We can start with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are in the NFL postseason with a win today. A victory over the Dolphins would give Buffalo the AFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the conference. A loss could end the Bills’ season. If they lose today, Buffalo needs a Jags loss to make the NFL postseason.

Jacksonville must win to win the AFC South Division. The Jags are at Tennessee, a team they beat 34-14 earlier this season. If the Jags win, they will be the No. 4 seed in the AFC. A loss means Houston wins the division and gets the No. 4 seed.

In the AFC, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland, Miami, and Houston have all clinched playoff berths. The results of today will determine the final seeding for the NFL postseason. Heading into today, the Ravens, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Texans own the top-4 seeds in the AFC. Cleveland is No. 5 followed by Buffalo and Pittsburgh. That can all change today.

NFL Postseason Scenarios – NFC

Like the AFC, the NFC’s top seed has already been determined. The San Francisco 49ers (12-4) have earned the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye, and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. As for the rest of the field in the NFC, there are a number of teams still alive. There are two division titles left to be won as well.

Dallas and Philadelphia are both 11-5. If both teams win (or lose), the Cowboys win the division based on tiebreakers. Either team wins the NFC East with a victory and a loss by the other. The NFC South race is a wild one. Tampa Bay could have clinched the division last week but lost to New Orleans 23-13. That means the Bucs, Saints, or Falcons can win the division today.

The only team that controls its own destiny in the NFC South is Tampa Bay. A win today at Carolina gives the Bucs the No. 4 seed in the NFL postseason. If the Bucs lose, Atlanta and New Orleans can still win the division with victories today. The Falcons and Saints play each other today. The winner wins the NFC South if Tampa Bay loses.

Heading into today, Green Bay is the seventh seed in the NFC. The Packers clinch a spot in the NFL postseason with a win over Chicago. A Green Bay loss opens the door for Minnesota (7-9) and Seattle (8-8). The Seahawks have the easier way into the NFL postseason. If the Packers lose, the Seahawks need to beat Arizona and they are in. Minnesota needs a combination of losses in order to earn the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

Another Top 3 Sweep

If you don’t have a Sports Hub membership account, you are definitely missing out. I mean, if you don’t like winning bets…I guess you can continue throwing money away. Or, you can hit that orange button at the top of this page and sign up to become a member of Sports Hub. That way, you will gain access to SportsHub exclusive professional handicappers like James Ackers, Sean Kuchman, and Ross Walker. Those three were at the top of our leaderboard yesterday.

Let’s take a look.

• No. 1: James hit all three of his picks, including nailing the underdog St. Louis Blues in their 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. As a result, James won $363 which gives him a total of $753 over the last three days. Imagine if you had made the same picks as James…which you could have done if you had a Sports Hub account.
• No. 2: Sean is relatively new to Sports Hub, but he fits right in…because he wins! Yesterday, he put in 15 picks and went 10-5. Overall, he won $335 which adds to his 30-day total of $3030! You might want to check out Sean’s NFL picks for today. He’s got 10 of them in the database.
• No. 3: Ross went 3-0 yesterday and earned $300. He’s up $541 for the last seven days an he also has NFL picks for today’s games. Find out which ones by checking him out in our members’ area. 

Wild Day in the NFL Decides Teams’ Fates

There is nothing like a number of NFL postseason scenarios to keep us busy on the final day of play in the regular season. There are still several teams that can make or miss the playoffs. The NFL is trending big time.

Let’s take a look.

• NFL postseason: It’s awesome when a number of playoff spots are determined on the final day of the regular season. That’s exactly what we have today. How about the AFC playoff picture? Buffalo plays at Miami tonight. The winners gets the No. 2 seed. If Buffalo loses, they could end up not making the NFL postseason at all.
• Nico Collins: The Texans receiver had nine catches for 195 yards and a huge touchdown yesterday as Houston beat Indianapolis to clinch a playoff berth. Collins has 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

• Steelers: Left for dead after losing three straight, Pittsburgh went to QB Mason Rudolph who delivered three straight wins to end the regular season. The Steelers now need a Jacksonville or Buffalo loss to make the NFL postseason.

NFL Postseason Decided Today

All the action today in the NFL will decide the 14 teams that qualify for the NFL postseason. There are several meaningful games, or at least games that will impact the playoffs. That gives bettors a wealth of opportunity today. 

The NFL isn’t the only thing on the sports schedule. It’s a pretty busy Sunday and bettors can find more than just football opportunities. Our expert handicappers already have NHL, NBA, and college basketball picks in our database, in addition to nearly 100 NFL picks already.

Here’s what you could bet on today.

1. Sunday NFL: After two games yesterday that impacted the NFL postseason, we get 14 games today with several that will play a role in determining the final NFL postseason field. It ends with Buffalo playing in Miami in the Sunday night game with the AFC East title on the line. 

2. College basketball: After a huge day in college basketball yesterday, it’s a little quieter today. There are only 18 games on the schedule today. The only ranked team playing is No. 15 Memphis. The Tigers will host SMU in an American Athletic Conference game.
3. NHL: There are only four games on the ice today. The Kings and Capitals drop the puck at 3:00 p.m. ET today to start things off. Detroit plays at Anaheim beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET in the final game of the day.
4. NBA: Nine games are on the NBA schedule today starting with San Antonio at Cleveland beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. Sunday NBA ends with a clash in Los Angeles. It’s the Clippers and the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, tipping off at 9:30 p.m.
5. Soccer: The English FA Cup schedule is another big one. There is a ton of international soccer today. Italy’s Serie A has five matches scheduled. Two of them are underway already. None of the other top leagues in the world have anything scheduled, but soccer bettors will find matches all over Europe, Australia, and Africa today.
6. Tennis: The ASB Classic and Adelaide International for both men and women continue today. The Hobart International also continues for the women today. Today also marks the first day of play in the Australian Open for both men and women.
7. Golf: The final round of The Sentry is today. Chris Kirk heads into Round 4 with a one-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia. Favorite Scottie Scheffler is three strokes behind the leader.

By the end of today before your head hits the pillow, the NFL postseason will be all set. We’ll spend next week getting ready for the wild card round of the playoffs. Today though, enjoy Week 18. If you haven’t already, visit our NFL Week 18 picks page for outstanding content, picks and more for this final weekend of the season.