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The 2025 NFL season has been full of drama, but that drama might not carry over into the final week of the season. Heading into Week 17, there are still four playoff spots up for grabs and seven division races that haven't been decided, which seems like a recipe for a dramatic finish over the final two weeks. 

The problem for the NFL is that there's a nightmare scenario where almost every division race comes to an end and every playoff spot gets clinched in Week 17 and it's a scenario that's not too far-fetched. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, there has never been a season where EVERY playoff spot and EVERY division was clinched before the final week of the season, so this would definitely be an unwanted situation by the NFL. 

Let's break down the NFL's nightmare scenario: 

AFC WEST
There are two notable games with playoff implications in the AFC West this weekend: 

How the division race could end this week: A Denver win on Christmas Day combined with a Chargers loss to Houston would clinch the AFC West for the Broncos. 

AFC NORTH
There are two games in the AFC North that could lead to the division race ending: 

How the division race could end this week:  A win by Green Bay would clinch a playoff spot for the Packers AND it would also clinch the AFC North for the Steelers. That seems like the kind of result that would cause a nightmare for the NFL, so let's assume that happens. 

AFC SOUTH
There are two big games happening in the AFC South in Week 17: 

Breakdown: In our nightmare scenario for the NFL, we have the Texans beating the Chargers, so there's no way the Jaguars would be able to clinch the division in Week 17. 

AFC EAST
The Patriots could win the AFC East this week. Let's check out the two games that will have an impact on the division race: 

How the division race could end this week: If the Patriots beat the Jets and the Bills lose to Philadelphia, then New England will clinch the division title, and that's exactly what we're going to have happen in our nightmare scenario. 

Now, let's head to the NFC. There are only three division races going on in this conference because the Eagles have already clinched the NFC East. 

NFC NORTH
The Bears are the only team that has clinched a playoff spot in the NFC North, but that could change this week: 

  • Bears at 49ers
  • Ravens at Packers

How the division race could end this week: The Bears will win the division with a win over the 49ers while the Packers can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Ravens. In our nightmare scenario, we'll say the Bears beat the 49ers and the Packers beat the Ravens. (The Lions are still alive in the playoff race, but we're not going to worry about them here. If they lose to the Vikings on Christmas, they'll be eliminated. Even if they win on Christmas, they'd still be eliminated on Saturday if Green Bay beats Baltimore). 

NFC SOUTH
There are two huge games happening in the NFC South this week: 

How the division race could end this week: The Panthers will win the division with a win over the Seahawks combined with a Dolphins win over the Buccaneers and for the sake of our nightmare scenario, we'll assume that happens. 

NFC WEST
The NFC West already has three playoff teams and all three teams can still clinch the No. 1 overall seed. Here's a look at the big games in this division in Week 17: 

Breakdown: For the sake of our nightmare scenario, we'll say the Seahawks and 49ers both lose while the Rams win. 

If all of this happens, six of the eight division races would be decided and all 14 playoff spots would be clinched, which would certainly be a nightmare scenario heading into Week 18. 

Here's what the playoff standings would look like if our nightmare scenario played out in Week 17:  

AFC
1. Broncos -- AFC West winner
2. Patriots -- AFC East winner
3. Jaguars -- AFC South leader
4. Steelers -- AFC North winner
5. Texans -- Clinched playoff spot
6. Chargers -- Clinched playoff spot
7. Bills -- Clinched playoff spot

NFC
1. Bears -- NFC North winner
2. Rams -- NFC West leader
3. Eagles -- NFC East winner
4. Panthers -- NFC South winner
5. Seahawks -- Clinched playoff spot
6. 49ers -- Clinched playoff spot
7. Packers -- Clinched playoff spot

The NFL doesn't announce the Week 18 schedule until Week 17 is over and with this scenario, it would be almost impossible to come up with an entertaining schedule for the final week of the season. The league needs a doubleheader for Saturday and a prime-time game for Sunday, but there wouldn't be a single game with a "win-and-in" scenario. The No. 1 seed in both the NFC and AFC would be up for grabs, so the NFL would likely focus on those. 

You could put Chargers-Broncos in the Sunday night spot because Denver would likely be playing for the No. 1 seed, but if the Patriots and Jaguars both lost earlier in the day, then the game would mean nothing to Denver. 

You could put Seahawks-49ers on Sunday night, but if the Rams beat the Cardinals earlier in the day, then L.A. would clinch the NFC West and the Seattle-San Francisco game would only be for wild card seeding. 

You could put Lions-Bears on Sunday night. Assuming our nightmare scenario plays out in Week 17, the Bears would likely be playing for the No. 1 seed. The NFL doesn't like to put an eliminated team in the Sunday night slot, but it's not unprecedented. In 2022, the Lions were already eliminated but they got scheduled in the Sunday night game against a Packers team that needed a win to get to the playoffs. The Lions had nothing to play for, but they still managed to pull off a 20-16 stunner that kept Green Bay out of the postseason. 

Of course, the problem with putting Lions-Bears on Sunday night would be that if the Rams lost to Arizona, then the Bears would have already clinched the top seed heading into the game and they'd have nothing to play for. 

Last year, the final game was between the Lions and Vikings with the winner earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the loser getting stuck in the wild card round. The Lions ended up thrashing Minnesota 31-9 to earn the NFC's only bye. A similar scenario could play out this year if both the Seahawks (at Panthers) and 49ers (vs. Bears) win on Sunday. If that happens, the NFC West and No. 1 seed would be on the line when the two teams meet in Week 18. You can bet the NFL would love to see that scenario and not the nightmare one I put together here.