NFL playoff picture still a little foggy

Associated Press

On a day when most of the playoff races got tighter, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the only team to clinch a berth.

The Steelers (11-3) also are on track to secure home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs because the Titans (12-2) lost in Houston 13-12. So if Pittsburgh wins in Nashville next week and then again at home the final week against Cleveland, it is the top seed.

A look at the tight playoff races:

AFC

The Titans and Steelers have clinched the South and North.

But the East remained a three-way race among 9-5 teams: the New York Jets, Miami and New England, all of whom won Sunday.

The Jets and Dolphins meet in the Meadowlands the final Sunday and if both win next week — New York at Seattle and Miami at Kansas City — the winner takes the division. The Patriots, who have Arizona at home and are at Buffalo, would have to take their chances with a wild-card spot if they can get it because the Jets would finish with a better division record and the Dolphins with a better conference record.

New York, which appeared headed for its third straight loss, stayed alive by the barest of margins, beating the Bills 31-27.

Denver (8-6), entered the day needing a win or a San Diego loss to clinch the West. But the Broncos lost in Carolina as expected, 30-10.

But it looked like they might clinch the division anyway before they even started until the Chargers, trailing 21-3 in Kansas City, rallied to win 22-21 to improve to 6-8. The teams meet in San Diego on the final weekend, so San Diego has a shot if it wins at Tampa next week and Denver loses at home to Buffalo.

Indianapolis (10-4) won its seventh straight game by beating winless Detroit and leads the wild-card race. Baltimore (9-5) finishes with Dallas at home and at Jacksonville as it competes with whoever among the Jets, Dolphins and Patriots doesn’t win the East for a wild-card spot — unless it can catch Indy.

NFC

Nobody clinched anything in the day games, although a win by the Giants, who have already won the NFC East, would secure them a first-round bye and give Carolina (11-3) a playoff spot.

The Panthers, who finish at the Giants and at New Orleans, could go much farther — if they win out, they get home-field advantage in the conference.

But only the Giants and Arizona (8-6) have clinched playoff spots. The Cardinals, beaten at home by the Vikings 35-14 Sunday, won the weak West last week.

Tampa Bay and Atlanta (each 9-5) are alive in the South, although both much win out and hope the Panthers lose two. And Chicago (8-6) is a game behind Minnesota (9-5) in the North, so it can still make the playoffs as a division winner or a wild card.

Also alive for wild-card spots are Dallas and Philadelphia (7-5-1).