Two weeks to go now, and while some things are starting to cement themselves, there are still a couple of flies in the NFL's playoff picture. The biggest one plays in Tennessee, where Marcus Mariota's upstart Titans are still in this thing and don't seem to want to go away.

That said, two teams atop the AFC and one near the top of the NFC clinched playoff spots this week, and the picture is starting to come into focus in some places. Here it is through Week 15:

1. New England Patriots (12-2): Sunday’s victory in Denver, where Tom Brady was 2-7 in his career before this game, gave the Patriots their eighth straight division title and ensured a first-round bye. New England will either be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the AFC when the playoffs begin next month, and it will have the first weekend off. Rinse, repeat.

2. Oakland Raiders (11-3): The Raiders' comeback victory in San Diego clinched their first playoff berth since 2002. And Kansas City’s stunning loss earlier in the day allowed Oakland to move back into first place, free and clear, in the AFC West. They can’t slip up, since Kansas City beat them twice. But if they can beat the Colts at home next week and the Broncos in Denver in Week 17, the Raiders will be off the first weekend of the playoffs.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5): Both teams at the top of the AFC North came back to win at the end Sunday, which means next Sunday’s Ravens-Steelers game in Pittsburgh remains a huge one. Win it, and the Steelers clinch the division title. But if Baltimore wins, the Ravens would be in first place via the head-to-head tiebreaker, having beaten the Steelers in Baltimore earlier this season. A loss next week puts Pittsburgh’s overall playoff chances in jeopardy, too, as it has a head-to-head loss against Miami on its record.

4. Houston Texans (8-6): There's a quarterback controversy in Houston, after Tom Savage led the Texans to victory in place of a benched Brock Osweiler. The Titans are keeping the heat on, and the Texans finish the season two weeks from now in Nashville. Can Bill O’Brien manage his quarterback situation well enough for a second straight division title?

5. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4): The Chiefs got a taste of their own medicine Sunday. They’re usually the team pulling games out of the fire right at the end, but Tennessee did it to them this time, and now they’re back in the wild-card mix and trailing the Raiders in the division. With the Dolphins lurking, Kansas City has some work to do to get in. They get the Broncos at home and the Chargers on the road to finish out.

6. Miami Dolphins (9-5): The Dolphins’ victory Saturday, coupled with Denver’s loss Sunday, moved Miami back into playoff position. The Dolphins are in if they win their final two games -- at Buffalo and home against the Patriots. Can Matt Moore do enough to hold off the Broncos, Ravens and Titans, who all sit one game behind?

Surging: Those Tennessee Titans are right there at 8-6, tied with Houston for first place in the AFC South and one game out of the wild card. If the Titans can win in Jacksonville on Saturday, they can clinch the division with a victory over Houston in Week 17.

Slipping: The Broncos (8-6) go to Kansas City next week and finish with a home game against the Raiders. They need to win and get some help if they're to have a chance at defending their Super Bowl title.

Worth noting: The loss to Pittsburgh mathematically eliminated the Cincinnati Bengals (5-8-1), who will miss the playoffs for the first time in six years. It's the first time Andy Dalton and A.J. Green haven't made the postseason.

NFC

1. Dallas Cowboys (12-2): Those pesky Giants, who dealt the Cowboys both of those losses, just keep on winning, which means that even after beating the red-hot Buccaneers on Sunday night, Dallas has to wait at least a week to clinch the NFC East and the No. 1 seed. A Giants loss Thursday or a Dallas win next Monday night would do both.

2. Seattle Seahawks (9-4-1): The Seahawks still don't look right on offense -- not even at home Thursday night against a coachless Rams team. And a couple of teams lurk right behind them looking for that bye. But Seattle did officially clinch its playoff berth Thursday, so the Seahawks know they have time to work some things out.

3. Atlanta Falcons (9-5): One of those teams right behind Seattle is Atlanta, which takes over the No. 3 seed this week thanks to Detroit's loss and its own rout of San Francisco. The Falcons finish at Carolina and home vs. New Orleans, a couple of winnable division games that could land them a bye if the Seahawks lose another one.

4. Detroit Lions (9-5): Still in first place in the NFC North, but their loss to the Giants leaves the Lions vulnerable to an attack from behind. They are at Dallas next Monday night, and then they finish with a home game against the surging Packers that could decide the division and knock them out of the playoffs completely.

5. New York Giants (10-4): The Giants need only one more win -- one they could get Thursday night in Philadelphia -- to clinch their first playoff berth since 2011. Their final two games are on the road, but as long as they keep winning, they maintain some slim hope of hosting a playoff game in New Jersey.

6. Green Bay Packers (8-6). Well, would you look at this? Four wins in a row since Aaron Rodgers talked about running the table, and the Packers actually control their own playoff destiny. If they win their remaining two games, the second of which is Jan. 1 in Detroit, Green Bay will be the NFC North champion. As of right now, the Packers hold the teensiest of tiebreakers on Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed. Same record, conference record, common-opponent record and same strength of victory. Green Bay finally gets the edge when the tiebreakers get to strength of schedule, and even that's razor-thin. But again... keep winning, and they're in.

Surging: Green Bay is the obvious call here, but since we already addressed them, how about the Falcons, who are up to No. 3 and have an outside chance to claim the No. 2 seed if they keep winning? It would require the Seahawks to lose, but one of Seattle’s remaining two games is on the road in San Francisco. And they’re not the same team on the road.

Slipping: Sunday night's loss was a tough one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6), who now sit a full game behind Atlanta in the division race and behind Washington and tied with Green Bay in the wild-card race. But Washington's loss Monday gave Tampa Bay back control of its own destiny. If the Bucs win their last two, they'll be in... And that was a lousy loss for Washington (7-6-1), which had the No. 6 seed for another week if it had won. If you want in the playoffs, you win that game at home against a Carolina team with nothing left to play for.

Worth noting: The Giants have won 10 games in a season for the first time since 2010. They missed the playoffs that year, then they made the playoffs the following year at 9-7 and went on to win the Super Bowl.