We basically know which teams are in the playoffs: Carolina, Arizona, Minnesota, Green Bay, Washington and Seattle have clinched the six NFC spots. New England, Denver, Cincinnati and Kansas City have clinched four spots in the AFC, with Houston almost certain to win the AFC South and the Jets having the inside track for the final wild card.
But with one exception -- Washington is the NFC No. 4 seed -- we don’t know what order those teams will be in for the playoffs. Here are the 11 Sunday games that will determine that:
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS FOR BOTH TEAMS
Seahawks at Cardinals, 4:25 p.m.: The Cardinals clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs if they win and the Panthers lose. The Seahawks will be the No. 6 seed if they lose or the Vikings beat the Packers. The Seahawks will be the No. 5 seed if they win and the Packers beat the Vikings.
Vikings at Packers, 8:30 p.m.: The winner is the NFC North champion and the NFC No. 3 seed. If the Packers lose, they’re the No. 5 seed. If the Vikings lose and the Seahawks win, the Vikings are the No. 6 seed. If the Vikings and Seahawks both lose, the Vikings are the No. 5 seed.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS FOR ONE TEAM
Jets at Bills, 1 p.m.: If the Jets win, they clinch a wild card.
Patriots at Dolphins, 1 p.m.: If the Patriots win, they clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m.: If the Bengals win out and the Broncos lose, the Bengals earn a first-round bye.
Steelers at Browns, 1 p.m.: If the Steelers win and the Jets lose, the Steelers are a wild card.
Jaguars at Texans, 1 p.m.: The Texans clinch the AFC South with a win. The Texans will also clinch the AFC South if they win the strength of victory tiebreaker with the Colts, which will probably happen. So this game, though not meaningless, is not particularly important.
Titans at Colts, 1 p.m.: The Colts can still win the AFC South, but they need to beat the Titans, the Texans need to lose to the Jaguars, and a lot of other things have to happen. The Colts will probably miss the playoffs even if they win. So this game, though not meaningless, is not particularly important.
Panthers at Buccaneers, 4:25 p.m.: The Panthers clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win. The Panthers also clinch home-field advantage if the Cardinals lose.
Raiders at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m.: The Chiefs clinch the AFC West with a win and a Broncos loss.
Chargers at Broncos, 4:25 p.m.: The Broncos clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win and a Patriots loss. The Broncos clinch a first-round bye with a win.