Each N.F.L. team has only two games remaining, but there are about four billion ways the season could end. That may sound like a lot, but only a few games really matter for each contending team, and it’s possible for us to depict all the remaining playoff paths as the branches of a tree.

The charts below list the full range of outcomes for teams that are already in or have a mathematical shot at the playoffs. Some teams’ trees are wildly convoluted, while others are more straightforward. Note: We did not include ties -- which exponentially increase the charts’ complexity -- because teams rarely tie.

These trees are based on our interactive playoff simulator, which was created to let you explore all the ways the season could end for your team.

A.F.C. East

New England Patriots (11-3) The 11-3 Patriots have clinched a playoff berth; their remaining games will determine whether they will receive a bye week that comes with being the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the A.F.C. A win on Sunday against the 8-6 Bills – a team trying to compete in its first playoff game since 2000 – would simplify the Patriots’ picture, making a bye a near-guarantee. The tree does depict one scenario in which a 12-4 Patriots team would would miss out on a bye, finishing as the No. 3 seed, but it’s very unlikely. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Patriots’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Buffalo Bills (8-6) Three A.F.C. teams – the Bills, the Titans and the Ravens – are 8-6, most likely competing for two wild-card spots. Of these teams, the Bills are in the worst shape. The good news: A 10-6 record is almost always good enough for a playoff berth, and our playoff machine gives the Bills great chances – about 95 percent – for a wild card if they win their remaining games. But winning out is not enough: Even then, the Bills would need help. A Ravens or Titans loss would do it. In a convoluted scenario, if the Jaguars beat the 49ers on Sunday, that would work, too. Unfortunately for the Bills, they face the 11-3 Patriots on Sunday in New England, a team looking to shore up its chances for home-field advantage throughout the A.F.C. playoffs. As the trees show, the Bills do have paths to the postseason at 9-7 and (really) even at 8-8. Even if the Bills loses both games, fans in Buffalo can watch with hope until the bitter end – just as they always do. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Bills’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Miami Dolphins (6-8) The Dolphins’ playoff picture still exists, but it is bleak. Miami is 6-8, and three other A.F.C. teams vying for a wild-card berth are 8-6. It must win out and hope a half dozen games go its way. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Dolphins’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

A.F.C. North

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) At 11-3, the Steelers have clinched the A.F.C. North and a spot in the playoffs. They can do no worse than the No. 3 seed. A win in Week 16 or Week 17 would make a bye week very likely, though it’s still possible for a 12-4 Steelers team to host a game on wild-card weekend. This week, a Steelers win and a Jaguars loss would clinch a bye week for the Steelers. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Steelers’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Baltimore Ravens (8-6) Like the Bills, the Ravens are at 8-6 and hoping for a berth as an A.F.C. wild-card team. Unlike the Bills, the Ravens control their chances: Winning out guarantees a playoff berth. The most important game outside their own is a Week 17 matchup between the Bills and the Dolphins. As long as the Bills lose that game, a Ravens win in Week 16 or Week 17 would put them through as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Ravens’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

A.F.C. South

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) The Jaguars have clinched a playoff berth and are very likely to win the A.F.C. South. Even if they lose their remaining games – at the 49ers on Sunday and at the Titans in Week 17 – they will clinch the division with a Titans loss on Sunday. Alternatively, a Jaguars win in either of their next two games would do the same. The Jaguars also have realistic paths to a bye week. Finishing the season at 12-4 would be enough, provided the Steelers or the Patriots drop at least one of their two remaining games. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Jaguars’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Tennessee Titans (8-6) The Titans could yet win the A.F.C. South, but their most realistic playoff path is as a wild-card team. Winning out and ending the season at 10-6 would probably – but not definitely – be enough to do so. The Titans would need one loss from the Bills or the Ravens in the next two weeks to be certain. Of the two Titans games left, their matchup in Week 17, against the division-leading Jaguars, is the more important one. As long as the Titans wins that game, they are very likely to make the playoffs. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Titans’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

A.F.C. West

Kansas City Chiefs (8-6) The Chiefs, atop the A.F.C. West, are very likely to make the playoffs. A win in either of their next two games would clinch a playoff berth. Even if they lose both their remaining games, they will advance as long as the Chargers, 7-7 and in second place in the division, lose either of their next two games. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Chiefs’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Los Angeles Chargers (7-7) The Chargers are not mathematically eliminated, but their path to the N.F.L. postseason is narrow. They must win both their remaining games to have a chance. If they do that, they can get in a few ways. The Chargers would win the division if the Chiefs lost their remaining games. But a wild-card berth is more realistic. The Chargers need their wild-card competition – the Ravens, the Bills and the Titans – to lose. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Chargers’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Oakland Raiders (6-8) Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Raiders’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

N.F.C. East

Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) The Eagles have the best record in the N.F.C., at 12-2, and would clinch the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win in either of their next two games. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Eagles’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Dallas Cowboys (8-6) The Cowboys are in worse shape than their 8-6 record might suggest. A loss in either of their next two games eliminates them from postseason play. But even with a 10-6 record the Cowboys would be likely to miss a playoff spot. A win on Sunday against the Seahawks, along with losses by the Panthers, Lions and Falcons, would put the Cowboys back in control of their chances in Week 17. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Cowboys’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

N.F.C. North

Minnesota Vikings (11-3) The Vikings are in the playoffs and have clinched the N.F.C. North title. There is still an outside chance they could end up as the top seed in the N.F.C. with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they would need to win out and hope the Eagles drop one of their two remaining games. (Of note: The Super Bowl is in Minneapolis this year.) If the Vikings won on Sunday in Green Bay – against a Packers team that has recently been eliminated from the playoffs – they would clinch a bye week with a Panthers loss. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Vikings’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Detroit Lions (8-6) The Lions face slim playoff chances – our simulator gives them about a 15 percent chance. A loss eliminates them. The Lions’ best hope is to enter the postseason as the No. 6 seed, playing any playoff games on the road. In Week 16, that unlikely path would start with losses by the Panthers, Falcons and Cowboys. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Lions’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

N.F.C. South

New Orleans Saints (10-4) The N.F.C. South remains wide open heading into the season’s final two weeks. But the picture is brightest for the Saints, who would clinch a playoff berth with a win in either of their next two games. The Saints would clinch the division on Sunday with a win and a Panthers loss. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Saints’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Carolina Panthers (10-4) Like the Saints, who also have a 10-4 record, the Panthers will clinch a playoff berth with a win in either of their remaining games. If the Panthers win out, ending at 12-4, they could finish as high as the No. 2 seed – or as low as a No. 5 wild-card team. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Panthers’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

Atlanta Falcons (9-5) The Falcons may be a game behind in the N.F.C. South, but, like the two teams a game ahead of them in the division – the Saints and the Panthers – they need only one win in the next two weeks to clinch a playoff berth. Winning out and ending the season at 11-5 would mean a division title and the No. 3 or No. 4 seed; they would host a playoff game in the wild-card round. Bad news: Even at 11-5, the Falcons would not earn a bye. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Falcons’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.

N.F.C. West

Los Angeles Rams (10-4) Only a series of unlucky events would keep the 10-4 Rams from winning the N.F.C. West. As long as the Seahawks, two games behind at 8-6, lose at least one of their two remaining games, the Rams will win the division regardless of the outcomes of their own games. Pinch to zoom Explore all of the Rams’ playoff scenarios in our simulator.