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Week 17: Crowns Claimed, Downfalls Pending

December 29, 2025

Week 17 was a big week in helping sort out several big divisional races, and solidifying playoff hopes for many teams. Let’s take a look at how things shook out.

First of all, let’s go to the division winners. In Week 17, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos secured the AFC East and AFC West divisions, respectively with wins and losses by their second place counterparts.

The two divisions left to solve are the AFC South and AFC North. With a win in Week 18, the Steelers and Ravens could win the division, and leave the other out in the cold January night.

In the AFC South, the Jaguars simply win the division, and Houston sneaks into the playoffs as the 5 seed. Houston guaranteed itself a playoff berth with a win over the Chargers on Saturday, giving them the head-to-head lead in seeding over the Chargers. With a Jags loss and a Houston win in Week 18, Houston would win the division and leave Jacksonville as the 5th seed.

As Week 17 ends, here is the AFC playoff picture:

  1. Denver Broncos (clinched division)
  2. New England Patriots (clinched division)
  3. Jacksonville Jaguars (clinched berth)
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers
  5. Houston Texans (clinched berth)
  6. Los Angeles Chargers (clinched berth)
  7. Buffalo Bills (clinched berth)
  8. Indianapolis Colts (eliminated)
  9. Baltimore Ravens

In the NFC, things are also especially tenuous in the NFC South, where the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have a win-and-get-in, do-or-die matchup.  This is basically the only race left up to chance.

Here are things as it stands at the end of Week 17 for the NFC. 

  1. Seattle Seahawks (clinched berth)
  2. Chicago Bears (clinched division)
  3. Philadelphia Eagles (clinched division)
  4. Carolina Panthers 
  5. San Francisco 49ers (clinched berth)
  6. Los Angeles Rams (clinched berth)
  7. Green Bay Packers (clinched berth)
  8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Two big matchups to watch in Week 18 will shake up division races, and many other games will impact seeding and home field advantage across the board.

Brandon, Author

Brandon spends his days managing a plumbing warehouse and his nights obsessing over the Broncos — and somehow still finds time to write for Broncos Wire. A diehard fan with orange and blue running through his veins, he’s currently training his toddler to boo the Chiefs on sight. Insightful, loyal, and just petty enough to be entertaining, Brandon brings the fandom fire every week.