2023 NFL Playoff Picture: Seahawks and Dolphins sneak in, Packers out after upset loss to cap wild Week 18

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The final week of the NFL regular season always gives us a lot of drama, and this year was no different.

The Packers had a chance to clinch the NFL's final playoff spot with a Sunday night win over the Lions, but Detroit was able to pull off a monstrous 20-16 upset that means Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will now be sitting at home this postseason.

With the Lions win, the seventh-seed in the NFC ended up going to the Seahawks, who kept their playoffs hopes alive earlier in the afternoon with one of the wildest wins of the day. With just three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks were trailing 16-13 and on the brink of elimination from the playoffs, but they managed to force overtime where Jason Myers hit a game-winning field goal from 32 yards away to give Seattle a 19-16 win.

In the early slate of games, the Dolphins were the biggest winner after they were able to sneak into the playoffs by stealing the seventh seed in the AFC away from the Patriots.

To get in the postseason, the Dolphins needed a win over the Jets and a loss by New England, which was playing the Bills. The Dolphins had their hands full with the Jets, but they were able to come away with an 11-6 win after Jason Sanders hit a 50-yard field goal with just 18 seconds left to play (Miami also got a safety on the final play, which pushed it to 11 points). The victory over the Jets marked the first time since 2003 that Miami was able to win a game without scoring a touchdown.

The Dolphins officially punched their ticket to the postseason after the Bills beat the Patriots 35-23, a victory that came thanks in large part to two kickoff return touchdowns by Nyheim Hines. The win by Buffalo means that a neutral-site AFC Championship is still in play, and that will happen if the Bills and Chiefs end up meeting in the AFC title game.

One thing that won't be happening is a coin flip to determine where the Bengals and Ravens will be playing in the wild-card round. Although those two teams will be playing next week, the game will officially be in Cincinnati, thanks to the Bengals' 27-16 win over Baltimore.

With that in mind, here's a look at the playoff standings.

AFC playoff standings

1. AFC West Champion (14-3)	Chiefs
Thanks to their win over the Raiders, the Chiefs have officially clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Although that gives them a first-round bye, there is one catch: If they make it to the AFC title game, that game will be played at a neutral site if they play the Bills. On the other hand, if the Chiefs were to host any other team in the AFC Championship, the game would be played in Kansas City.
2. AFC East Champion (13-3)	Bills
The Bills didn't get the No. 1 seed this year, but they did get the next best thing: Thanks to their 35-23 win over the Patriots, they now know they won't to have to play a true road game during the AFC playoffs. If the Bills make it to the Super Bowl, they'll do it by playing home games in the wild-card and divisional rounds. After that, they'll either play a neutral-site game against the Chiefs or they'd get to host the AFC title game if Kansas City doesn't make it.
3. AFC North Champion (12-4)	Bengals
The Bengals weren't happy when the NFL decided that a coin toss might decide the location of their wild-card game, but they won't have to worry about that anymore after beating the Ravens 27-16. The win by the Bengals sets up a rematch with the Ravens next week, but there will be no coin toss to decide the location. The game will be played in Cincinnati.
4. AFC South Champion (9-8)	Jaguars
The Jaguars are officially in the playoffs! The Jags' win over the Titans on Saturday means that they're now headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and just the third time since 2008. The Jags will now host a wild-card game against the Chargers, which is a team they destroyed 38-10 earlier this season.
5. Wild Card 1 (10-7)	Chargers
For some inexplicable reason, the Chargers decided to play their starters for a good chunk of the game against the Broncos even though L.A. had already locked up the fifth seed earlier in the day. The unfortunate thing for Brandon Staley is that playing his starters didn't even pay off as the Chargers ended up losing to the Broncos 31-28.
6. Wild Card 2 (10-7)	Ravens
The Ravens had an outside shot at hosting a playoff game if they had beaten the Bengals, but Baltimore gave up on those hopes pretty early. The Ravens benched many of their starters during the 27-16 loss. Those starters will now be fresh when the Ravens travel to Cincinnati again next week for the wild-card round.
7. Wild Card 3 (9-8)	Dolphins
For the first since 2016, the Miami Dolphins are headed to the playoffs and they got there in dramatic fashion. Jason Sanders hit a 50-yard field goal with just 18 seconds left to give Miami an 11-6 win (The Dolphins also got a safety on the final play). To make the postseason, the Dolphins also needed the Patriots to lose to the Bills and Buffalo did its part with a 35-23 win. Although the Bills did Miami a favor, the Dolphins probably won't be thanking them and that's because the two teams will be playing next week.

ELIMINATED

Steelers (9-8): The Steelers picked up a win in Week 18, but to make the playoffs, they needed the Dolphins to lose to the Jets and that didn't happen. The only upside here for Mike Tomlin is that his streak of consecutive seasons finishing above .500 will increase to 16 straight.
Patriots (8-9): All the Patriots had to do to get in the playoffs was beat Buffalo on Sunday, but they couldn't get that done, which means they'll be sitting at home for the postseason.
Titans (7-10): The Titans could have gotten into the playoffs with a win over Jacksonville, but they were officially eliminated on Saturday night after losing to the Jaguars.

NFC playoff standings

1. NFC East Champion (14-3)	Eagles
All the Eagles had to do to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC was beat the Giants, and that's exactly what they did on Sunday. With the Giants sitting most of their starters, the Eagles got a late scare, but in the end, they picked up a 22-16 win, which means they're now the top seed in the NFC for the first time since 2017 when they won the Super Bowl.
2. NFC West Champion (13-4)	49ers
The 49ers had an outside chance at getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but they needed the Eagles to lose. Although Philadelphia ended up winning, the 49ers still took care of business by destroying the Cardinals 38-13.
3. NFC North Champion (13-4)	Vikings
With their 29-13 win over the Bears, the Vikings gave themselves a chance to move up to the No. 2 seed with a 49ers loss, but that didn't happen. The 49ers steamrolled the Cardinals, which means the Vikings are now locked into a wild-card game with the Giants.
4. NFC South Champion (8-9)	Buccaneers
The NFC South champion Buccaneers had already clinched the fourth seed heading into Week 18, so they had nothing to play for and it showed. Tom Brady and the starters played for part of the first half before heading to the bench in Tampa Bay's 30-17 loss. With an 8-9 record, the Buccaneers will become just the sixth team in NFL history to enter the postseason with a losing record.
5. Wild Card 1 (12-5)	Cowboys
The Cowboys got embarrassed against the Commanders 26-6, but the good news for them is that the loss really didn't matter. The Eagles' win on Sunday meant that the Cowboys had no path to winning the NFC East. The Cowboys will now be opening the postseason against the same Buccaneers team they lost to back in Week 1.
6. Wild Card 2 (9-7-1)	Giants
The Giants had already clinched the sixth seed going into Week 18, so they decided to bench most of their starters against the Eagles, and not surprisingly, that didn't work out for them. The Giants lost 22-16, but they don't care about that, because all this team cares about is the fact it's in the postseason for the first time since 2016.
7. Wild Card 3 (9-8)	Seahawks
The Seahawks kept their playoff hopes alive with a wild 19-16 overtime win against the Rams and then the Lions did the rest. To get in the postseason, Seattle needed a win by Detroit and that's exactly what they got. The Seahawks are now headed to the postseason in their first season without Russell Wilson.

ELIMINATED

Lions (9-8): To stay in playoff contention, the Lions needed the Rams to beat the Seahawks, but that didn't happen, which means the Lions have no path to the postseason. However, the Lions did get a small consolation prize by knocking the Packers out of the playoffs with a win on Sunday night. The victory means the Lions will now finish with a winning record for the first time since 2017.

Packers (8-9): All the Packers had to do to get in the playoffs was beat the Lions on Sunday night, but they didn't get the job done. The Lions stunned the Packers 20-16, and now, Green Bay will be spending the postseason at home.