Only half the postseason field filled heading into Week 17

Notepads and calculators may compete with beer and nachos as essential items for watching football on Sunday with all the tabulations that might be required to figure out which teams make the postseason.

There are head-to-head tiebreakers that might become strength-of-victory tiebreakers when more than two teams are involved. It can all be so overwhelming, and that’s only after you remember there is a third wild-card team in each conference this season.

So let’s try to break it down as simply as possible to allow fans to watch the games without being overwhelmed with all the possibilities.

The AFC is the more wild of the conferences, so why not start there?

Kansas City has clinched the No. 1 seed, with Buffalo and Pittsburgh settled at No. 2 and No. 3 in some order.

Then there are five teams sitting at 10-5 for the other four available spots.

Tennessee and Indianapolis are both in the mix for the AFC South crown. The Titans will win that with a win at Houston. The Colts would need to beat Jacksonville and hope for a Titans loss.

So, Tennessee has the edge to take the division title and the home game that comes with the No. 4 seed. While the Colts wouldn’t be eliminated with a loss, they would need some help.

That’s because the other three 10-5 teams all control their destiny in the wild card race.

Cleveland, Baltimore and Miami are all in the postseason with wins, which would knock out Indianapolis .

The Browns are a big favorite over the Steelers, who are expected to rest several key starters. The Ravens, one of the hottest teams in the league, are favored to handle the Bengals.

The Dolphins have a difficult test on the road at Buffalo against a Bills team with little to play for except the No. 2 seed, which doesn’t carry a bye this year. Buffalo, however, appears to be leaning toward playing its starters at least to begin the game.

That could make things difficult for the Dolphins and open the door for a bit of chaos.

Basically, if all five teams win on Sunday, the Colts would be left out. If one or more lose, that’s when the calculators come out. Four teams are favored by more than a touchdown, with Miami a small underdog.

The NFC is only slightly more settled.

Green Bay, Seattle and New Orleans have all clinched their divisions, with the Packers and Seahawks still battling for the top seed and the lone bye. The Saints can still be in the mix if there is a three-way tie.

The NFC East is still up for grabs, Whichever of the three teams that captures the title will get a postseason nod despite a losing record.

Washington is in the best position. They win the division and the No. 4 seed with a win over the Eagles on Sunday.

Should the Football Team lose, the winner of the Cowboys-Giants game in New York will take that spot.

Tampa Bay has clinched the top wild-card spot and the No. 5 seed. After that, it gets a bit crazier.

Chicago controls its destiny, but faces a tough home game against a Green Bay team still playing for a first-round bye.

The Rams are also in with a win or a Bears loss, though they will play Arizona without starting quarterback Jared Goff after he had thumb surgery this week.

Should the Cardinals beat the Rams, who will play at quarterback John Wolford, an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest who has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game, they could still sneak into the playoffs with a Bears loss.

Got it? There will be a quiz later.

For extra credit, you can figure out on your own what happens if there’s a tie somewhere along the way.

Better yet, just enjoy the beer and nachos.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.