Best possible outcome: No. 1

Worst possible outcome: No. 5

The Patriots are on top of the A.F.C. East and appear likely to win their 11th consecutive division title. They are up a game on the Bills and could even afford to lose to them in Week 16, so long as they beat the lowly Dolphins to finish the season.

The No. 2 seed is the likeliest outcome for the Patriots, but if they win out and the Ravens lose out, the No. 1 seed is possible.

The nightmare scenario, unlikely as it is, involves the Patriots letting the division slip out of their hands — ceding the title to the Bills, who end the season at 12-4 — and entering the playoffs as a wild card at No. 5.

Best possible outcome: No. 2

Worst possible outcome: No. 5

The Bills are in the playoffs and appear destined for the No. 5 seed.

A division title — and even a bye week — remain possible. Those possibilities start with a Week 16 win at the 11-3 New England Patriots.

Best possible outcome: No. 6

Worst possible outcome: Out

The Browns are technically alive. But they need a highly improbable series of events to make the playoffs, above and beyond winning their remaining games. Worse, they face the 12-2 Ravens in Week 16.

Best possible outcome: No. 2

Worst possible outcome: Out

The Houston Texans have won the A.F.C. South and clinched a playoff berth, likely as a No. 4 seed. They technically have a path to a bye week and the No. 2 seed, but it isn’t very realistic.

Best possible outcome: No. 3

Worst possible outcome: Out

Our simulator suggests the Titans have about a 50-50 chance at making the playoffs. With the Texans’ win Saturday, it would have to be as a wild-card. Worse, they have two difficult games to end the season, hosting the Saints and visiting the Texans.

Their best-case scenario in Week 16 is a win and a Steelers loss.

Best possible outcome: No. 1

Worst possible outcome: No. 4

The Chiefs are in the playoffs and can do no worse than the No. 4 seed, hosting the No. 5 seed — probably the Bills — in the wild-card round. Even with a win in Week 16 against the middling Chicago Bears, the Chiefs could still finish with any of the top four seeds depending on the results of other games.

Best possible outcome: No. 6

Worst possible outcome: Out

The convoluted look of the Raiders’ playoff tree is proof of how slim their path to the playoffs really is. At 6-8, they are mathematically alive. But even if they win their remaining games, an 8-8 record is almost surely not enough to get a wild-card berth. But it is possible. Here’s how.

Best possible outcome: No. 4

Worst possible outcome: Out

The Cowboys have two games remaining, but one matters much more than the other. A win Sunday against the Eagles would guarantee a division title and the playoff berth that comes with it. The best and only N.F.C. seed the Cowboys can hope for is No. 4, hosting the No. 5 seed — probably Seattle or San Francisco — during wild-card weekend.

If the Cowboys lose to the Eagles, they can still advance if they win and the Eagles lose in Week 17.

Best possible outcome: No. 4

Worst possible outcome: Out

Like the Cowboys, the Eagles have just one route to the playoffs: as a division champion, which would earn them the No. 4 seed. They must beat the Cowboys in Week 16 to have a chance. If they do so, they are in the driver’s seat. A loss against the Cowboys eliminates the Eagles.

Best possible outcome: No. 1

Worst possible outcome: No. 6

The Packers are in the playoffs, and winning out would guarantee at least a bye week. But they can also fall as far as the No. 6 seed if they lose their remaining games. A win in either of their remaining games clinches the N.F.C. North.

Best possible outcome: No. 2

Worst possible outcome: Out

A range of possibilities remains open for the Vikings, including the slim possibility of missing the playoffs at 10-6.

A win in either remaining game clinches a playoff berth.

Best possible outcome: No. 1

Worst possible outcome: No. 6

The 49ers are in the playoffs, but they could enter the playoffs at very different perches depending on the outcomes of Weeks 16 and 17.

On one hand, a No. 1 seed — with a bye week and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs — remains a real possibility. But they could also finish 11-5 and enter the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, with no bye week and playing all their games on the road.

In either circumstance, their most important game is in Week 17, in what is shaping up to be the championship game of the N.F.C. West.

Best possible outcome: No. 1 seed

Worst possible outcome: No. 6 seed

The Seahawks are in a somewhat bizarre position for a team atop the N.F.C: If they win out, there is no guarantee they will stay the top seed. Three other N.F.C. teams — the 49ers, Saints and Packers — share the Seahawks’ 11-3 record.

With so many options remaining, these trees may be too big to be helpful for Seahawks fans; our playoff simulator may provide more clarity.

By far the most important game remaining for the Seahawks is in Week 17, when they play the 49ers, in what is likely to be a division championship game. Saints and Packers losses in Week 16 also help the Seahawks.

Best possible outcome: No. 6

Worst possible outcome: Out

The Los Angeles Rams (8-6) have a slim path to the playoffs, and even a 10-6 record would not make a berth likely. They need help in the form of two Vikings losses to get the No. 6 seed. If that happened, three of the four teams from the N.F.C. West would make the playoffs.