SportsPulse: It wasn’t pretty but who cares. The Browns end their 18 year playoff drought while the Dolphins fumbled a chance to end theirs. Mackenzie Salmon reacts to all the biggest storylines from Week 17 in the AFC.
USA TODAY
Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks with Week 17’s Sunday afternoon games complete. (Note: the postseason field expands to 14 teams this season.)
[All times ET]
NFC
z-1. Green Bay Packers (13-3), NFC North champions: They beat up rival Bears in Chicago to wrap up home-field advantage and first-round bye.
Wild-card weekend opponent: N/A
y-2. New Orleans Saints (12-4), NFC South champions: They settle in as the No. 2 seed by virtue of Sunday’s win and a better record in conference games (10-2) than Seattle (9-3).
Wild-card weekend opponent: vs. Bears, Jan. 10 at 4:40 p.m.
y-3. Seattle Seahawks (12-4), NFC West champions: Beat the 49ers on Sunday but couldn’t improve seeding.
Wild-card weekend opponent: vs. Rams, Saturday at 4:40 p.m.
y-4. Washington Football Team (7-9), NFC East champions: Third team to win a division with a sub-.500 record, but the other two (2010 Seahawks, 2014 Panthers) prevailed in wild-card round.
Wild-card weekend opponent: vs. Buccaneers, Saturday at 8:15 p.m.
x-5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5), wild card No. 1: They’d already advanced to postseason for first time since 2007 … and have now locked into fifth seed, meaning theoretically favorable matchup with Washington.
Wild-card weekend opponent: at Washington, Saturday at 8:15 p.m.
x-6. Los Angeles Rams (10-6), wild card No. 2: Former AAF star John Wolford closes the deal, leading L.A. past Arizona and into the postseason field.
Wild-card weekend opponent: at Seahawks, Saturday at 4:40 p.m.
x-7. Chicago Bears (8-8), wild card No. 3: They were smoked at home by arch rival Packers on Sunday, but Arizona’s loss allows Da Bears to remarkably back in to the field during a season in which they lost six straight games.
Wild-card weekend opponent: at Saints, Jan. 10 at 4:40 p.m.
NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: Colts-Bills to kick off ‘Super Wild Card Weekend’
AFC
z-1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-2), AFC West champions: They were locked in as conference’s top seed after Week 16.
Wild-card weekend opponent: N/A
y-2. Buffalo Bills (13-3), AFC East champions: Didn’t have much at stake Sunday but crushed division rival Dolphins anyway, locking Buffalo into No. 2 seed – meaning Bills wouldn’t face K.C. until AFC title game.
Wild-card weekend opponent: vs. Colts, Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
y-3. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4), AFC North champions: Played well in Cleveland even with QB Ben Roethlisberger resting back in Pittsburgh. Rematch next weekend in Steel City.
Wild-card weekend opponent: vs. Browns, Jan. 10 at 8:15 p.m.
y-4. Tennessee Titans (11-5), AFC South champions: They survived in Houston to wrap up division title. Miami’s loss clinched a berth for Tennessee earlier in the day.
Wild-card weekend opponent: vs. Ravens, Jan. 10 at 1:05 p.m.
QB Lamar Jackson, right, and the Ravens are once again playoff bound.
 (Photo: Joseph Maiorana, USA TODAY Sports)
x-5. Baltimore Ravens (11-5), wild card No. 1: Ran over, around and through Bengals for fifth consecutive win while securing third straight playoff appearance. Will travel to Nashville next weekend for playoff rematch from 2019 postseason.
Wild-card weekend opponent: at Titans, Jan. 10 at 1:05 p.m.
x-6. Cleveland Browns (11-5), wild card No. 2: Cleveland’s league-high 18-year playoff drought finally ends in dramatic fashion with defeat of arch rival Steelers in Week 17. Browns go to Pittsburgh for rubber match next.
Wild-card weekend opponent: at Steelers, Jan. 10 at 8:15 p.m.
x-7. Indianapolis Colts (11-5), wild card No. 3: Beating the Jaguars put them into field after Dolphins’ loss opened the door.
Wild-card weekend opponent: at Bills, Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
x — clinched berth
y — clinched division
z — clinched home-field advantage 
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis
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