Week 10 was huge for sorting out the 2016-17 NFL playoff picture. We saw a top seed in the AFC come back to the pack, while the top seed in the NFC maintained its lead on potentially gaining home-field advantage.
The NFC East and AFC West continue to stranglehold their respective conferences. The Cowboys, Giants and Redskins are all in the playoffs right now on the NFC side, with the Giants holding onto the first wild-card seed after their win over the Bengals on Monday night. The Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos are all in the playoffs on the AFC side.
The Cowboys are the overwhelmingly obvious story coming out of Week 10. The Cowboys beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh on a monster performance from Ezekiel Elliott, with Dak Prescott snuffing out any discussion of being replaced by Tony Romo.
Now, fans of the Cowboys need to be asking themselves, when can the Cowboys clinch a playoff berth? And how does it happen?
It's a little too early to pinpoint an exact date -- that's the issue with Week 10 playoff scenarios. Dallas has a nice schedule coming up, but back-to-back losses would quickly alter its trajectory.
The schedule sure is friendly, however, with two home games on tap next and the reeling Vikings the week after that. The Cowboys are poised to be 11-1 or 10-2 heading into Week 14 against the Giants.
| Week | Opponent | Date | Location |
| Week 11 | Ravens | Nov. 20 (Sun.) | Dallas |
| Week 12 | Redskins | Nov. 24 (Thurs.) | Dallas |
| Week 13 | Vikings | Dec. 1 (Thurs.) | Minneapolis |
| Week 14 | Giants | Dec. 11 (Sun.) | New York |
| Week 15 | Buccaneers | Dec. 18 (Sun.) | Dallas |
| Week 16 | Lions | Dec. 26 (Mon.) | Dallas |
| Week 17 | Eagles | Jan. 1 (Sun.) | Philadelphia |
Still, a Dallas clinch scenario is probably a ways off given the state of the NFC East. Last year, the Panthers clinched a playoff berth in early December (Week 13, Dec. 6) because they were 12-0. The next closest team in their division was the Falcons at 6-6, giving the Panthers a hefty lead in the division.
Dallas is rolling, but it is just two games up in the division on the Giants after Monday night.
As of this writing, here's how the NFL playoff picture looks, as well as a snapshot of some games that could potentially impact what it looks like next week and beyond.
Here's a breakdown by conference:
Who's in from the AFC
- No. 1 New England Patriots (7-2)
- No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)
- No. 3 Houston Texans (6-3)
- No. 4 Baltimore Ravens (5-4)
- No. 5 Oakland Raiders (7-2)
- No. 6 Denver Broncos (7-3)
Who's out in the AFC
- No. 7 Miami Dolphins (5-4)
- No. 8 Tennessee Titans (5-5)
- No. 9 Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5)
- No. 10 Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
- No. 11 Buffalo Bills (4-5)
- No. 12 San Diego Chargers (4-6)
- No. 13 Cincinnati Bengals (3-5-1)
- No. 14 New York Jets (3-7)
- No. 15 Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
- No. 16 Cleveland Browns (0-10)
Who's in from the NFC
- No. 1 Dallas Cowboys (8-1)
- No. 2 Seattle Seahawks (6-2-1)
- No. 3 Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
- No. 4 Detroit Lions (5-4)
- No. 5 New York Giants (6-3)
- No. 6 Washington Redskins (5-3-1)
Who's out in the NFC
- No. 7 Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
- No. 8 Minnesota Vikings (5-4)
- No. 9 Arizona Cardinals (4-4-1)
- No. 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
- No. 11 New Orleans Saints (4-5)
- No. 12 Green Bay Packers (4-5)
- No. 13 Los Angeles Rams (4-5)
- No. 14 Carolina Panthers (3-6)
- No. 15 Chicago Bears (2-7)
- No. 16 San Francisco 49ers (1-8)
In terms of elimination from the playoffs this week, the Browns can't be eliminated. Rejoice! They can, however, be booted in Week 11 with a loss or a Ravens win.
