NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: Examining AFC, NFC Scenarios Before Sunday's ...

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With so many of the Week 15 matchups featuring massive playoff implications, a world of scenarios are in play for postseason contenders to begin booking the available spots.

A handful of divisions remain so tight that one weekend of games won't be enough to separate anything, while some of the top teams in the league can start wrapping up divisions en route to first-round byes. Simply being able to separate yourself from the pack is hard enough through 14 weeks, but securing that playoff berth early would allow teams to put their focus toward the playoffs down the stretch.

Going into Week 15, no teams had wrapped up their spot in the postseason, but a handful enter it with that possibility.

Let's go ahead and see what it will take for those squads to reach the promised land, as we break down the current playoff outlook and roads to the playoffs for some top squads.

NFL.com

Note: Above standings reflect outlook prior to Week 15 Sunday games. Week 15 Playoff Scenarios Indianapolis Colts

David Richard/Associated Press

The playoff possibilities are long and confusing for many teams across the league, but they're quite simple for the Colts entering Week 15.

Beat the Houston Texans at home on Sunday, and Indianapolis will wrap up its second consecutive AFC South title. The ever-rare tie will also get them over the hump.

Andrew Luck and Co. could have had their playoff spot wrapped up earlier, but the Texans are trying to make things interesting. They've won two straight games heading into Indianapolis, but they would still need to win Sunday, as well as win their final two games-along with the Colts losing out-to win the division outright.

Luck's passing dominance has kept the Colts gunning for a first-round bye. NFL on ESPN captured his historic start to 2014:

Most pass yds through 13 games - NFL History * 2013: Peyton Manning - 4,522 * 2011: Drew Brees- 4,368 * 2014: Andrew Luck - 4,305

- NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 12, 2014

Teams such as New England and Denver (as mentioned below) will be hoping for a Colts loss to take them out of the discussion for first-round byes, but don't count on that with Indianapolis possessing the chance to wrap up the AFC South Sunday.

New England Patriots

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

Like the Colts, all the Patriots need to do in order to clinch their division Sunday would be win or tie with the Miami Dolphins. But New England has its sights set on clinching something else in Week 15.

That would be home-field advantage throughout the postseason-or at least the coveted first-round bye. The Pats can clinch the latter Sunday, but they will also need both the Colts and the Steelers to lose as well, as either Cincinnati or Denver.

Their soft schedule down the stretch doesn't hurt, as the New York Post's Bart Hubbuch cleverly quipped:

The Patriots end with Miami, the Jets and Buffalo. Also known as 'Bye Weeks 2, 3 and 4.'

- Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) December 8, 2014

Even with a second loss to the Dolphins this season, the Patriots could end up clinching a spot in the postseason if the Bills, Bengals, Steelers, Ravens and Texans all lose.

Yeah-just winning sounds a bit simpler.

Green Bay Packers

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

Considering how dominant the Packers have been throughout the last few months of the season, it feels sort of weird sitting here at Week 15 assessing what it will take for them to clinch a playoff spot.

But despite the Lions keeping right on their tail, the Pack can wrap up a postseason spot-at least-on Sunday.

Mike Spofford of Packers.com reported on how Green Bay can secure a playoff spot in Week 15, as it heads to Buffalo:

Yes, the Packers can clinch an NFC playoff spot this week. They need to beat Buffalo, have Philadelphia beat Dallas, and clinch the strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Cowboys.

With strength-of-victory almost certainly to end in Green Bay's favor-heading into this week's games, the Packers' vanquished foes have a collective winning percentage of .458, while the Cowboys' is just .371-there's no need to worry about that potential complication.

Despite the wild-card hunt being awfully jumbled in the NFC, the Packers can at least clinch one of the two spots Sunday. But of course, Green Bay would be selling itself short if that was its goal, given it currently leads the NFC North.

The 10-3 Packers are just one game up on the 9-4 Lions in the division, and Detroit's early-season win means it holds the tiebreaker. They play again in Week 17, and that game would be for the division should both teams win out until then.

Denver Broncos

Although they will be hoping for some Patriots blunders down the stretch, Denver knows that New England's win over San Diego in Week 14 put it in a great position for Sunday.

The Broncos can clinch the AFC West with a victory over the Chargers on the road. But after losing in New England earlier in the year, Peyton Manning and Co. will be intent on notching home-field advantage over the Pats.

The first step to achieving that would be clinching a first-round bye, which the Broncos can do in Week 15. Along with winning, they'll need the Colts, Bengals and Steelers to lose.

The Broncos would get the No. 2 AFC seed behind New England if both teams win out to finish the season. While the Patriots close out against Miami, the Jets and Buffalo, the Broncos have San Diego on Sunday before facing the 8-4-1 Bengals and the Raiders to finish out the year.

It's hard to say which of those schedules is tougher, but all the Broncos have to do to realize why winning everything down the stretch is so important is remember Week 9-a 43-21 loss at New England.

Arizona Cardinals

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The hard part-well, the part in their control at least-is out of the way for Arizona, and the Cardinals can get back to the postseason in a number of ways Sunday.

Actually, it's pretty much a formality entering the weekend after Arizona's victory over St. Louis on Thursday Night Football. Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm noted just how simple the scenario is for the Cardinals:

If Eagles-Cowboys doesn't end in a tie, Cardinals will make the playoffs.

- Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) December 12, 2014

Even if that somehow happens, some teams in the NFC North could help out. Should the Lions lose and the Packers win, Arizona will also get the nod.

The Seahawks are keeping close to Arizona, meaning the NFC West could come down to a Week 16 matchup against Seattle. But after missing the postseason altogether with 10 wins last season, it's safe to say the 11-win Cardinals will enjoy getting any sort of postseason spot clinched.