2023 NFL Playoff Picture: Seahawks and Dolphins sneak in, Packers out after upset loss to cap wild Week 18

The final week of the NFL regular season always gives us a lot of drama, and this year was no different. 

The Packers had a chance to clinch the NFL’s final playoff spot with a Sunday nigth win over the Lions, but Detroit was able to pull off a monstrous 20-16 upset that means Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will now be sitting at home this postseason. 

With the Lions win, the seventh-seed in the NFC ended up going to the Seahawks, who kept their playoffs hopes alive earlier in the afternoon with one of the wildest wins of the day. With just three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks were trailing 16-13 and on the brink of elimination from the playoffs, but they managed to force overtime where Jason Myers hit a game-winning field goal from 32 yards away to give Seattle a 19-16 win. 

In the early slate of games, the Dolphins were the biggest winner after they were able to sneak into the playoffs by stealing the seventh seed in the AFC away from the Patriots. 

To get in the postseason, the Dolphins needed a win over the Jets and a loss by New England, which was playing the Bills. The Dolphins had their hands full with the Jets, but they were able to come away with an 11-6 win after Jason Sanders hit a 50-yard field goal with just 18 seconds left to play (Miami also got a safety on the final play, which pushed it to 11 points). The victory over the Jets marked the first time since 2003 that Miami was able to win a game without scoring a touchdown. 

The Dolphins officially punched their ticket to the postseason after the Bills beat the Patriots 35-23, a victory that came thanks in large part to two kickoff return touchdowns by Nyheim Hines. The win by Buffalo means that a neutral-site AFC Championship is still in play, and that will happen if the Bills and Chiefs end up meeting in the AFC title game. 

One thing that won’t be happening is a coin flip to determine where the Bengals and Ravens will be playing in the wild-card round. Although those two teams will be playing next week, the game will officially be in Cincinnati, thanks to the Bengals’ 27-16 win over Baltimore. 

With that in mind, here’s a look at the current playoff standings heading into the Sunday night game.  

AFC playoff standings

ELIMINATED

Steelers (9-8): The Steelers picked up a win in Week 18, but to make the playoffs, they needed the Dolphins to lose to the Jets and that didn’t happen. The only upside here for Mike Tomlin is that his streak of consecutive seasons finishing above .500 will increase to 16 straight.  Patriots (8-9): All the Patriots had to do to get in the playoffs was beat Buffalo on Sunday, but they couldn’t get that done, which means they’ll be sitting at home for the postseason.Titans (7-10): The Titans could have gotten into the playoffs with a win over Jacksonville, but they were officially eliminated on Saturday night after losing to the Jaguars. 

NFC playoff standings

ELIMINATED

Lions (9-8): To stay in playoff contention, the Lions needed the Rams to beat the Seahawks, but that didn’t happen, which means the Lions have no path to the postseason. However, the Lions did get a small consolation prize by knocking the Packers out of the playoffs with a win on Sunday night. The victory means the Lions will now finish with a winning record for the first time since 2017. 

Packers (8-9): All the Packers had to do to get in the playoffs was beat the Lions on Sunday night, but they didn’t get the job done. The Lions stunned the Packers 20-16, and now, Green Bay will be spending the postseason at home.  

Wild card round matchups

AFC

Bye: (1) Chiefs

NFC 

Bye: (1) Eagles