NFL Nation reporters take stock of the best-case and worst-case scenarios for each team down the stretch.

AFC EAST

Best case: The Bills win out and make the playoffs. It's not as far-fetched as it might seem, with Brian Hoyer, Mark Sanchez (or Sam Bradford), Kirk Cousins, Matt Cassel and Ryan Fitzpatrick remaining on their schedule.

Worst case: Rex Ryan said Monday that the Bills are capable of winning -- and losing -- all of their remaining games. The latter result would give the Bills a 5-11 record, which would be terribly disappointing for Ryan in his first season. -- Mike Rodak

Best case: The Dolphins, who are 4-7 and play four of their last five games at Sun Life Stadium, finally establish a home-field advantage. If Miami protects home, an 8-8 finish at this point would be considered a major success.

Worst case: Miami struggles to win in December for the third consecutive year and gets most, if not all, of the coaching staff and front office fired in January, commencing another franchise-wide rebuild. -- James Walker

Best case: The Patriots win out to earn the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, while getting key players -- Rob Gronkowski (knee), Julian Edelman (foot) and Danny Amendola (knee) -- back on the field.

Worst case: The health of Gronkowski, Edelman, Amendola & Co. takes a turn for the worse and they don't return, which would put a major hit on the team's Super Bowl hopes. -- Mike Reiss

Best-case scenario: The Jets claim the No. 5 seed, drawing the AFC South winner in a wild-card game, the best path to the divisional round.

Worst-case scenario: Ryan Fitzpatrick gets hurt, they're forced to play Geno Smith and they lose four of their last five, finishing with their fifth straight non-winning season. -- Rich Cimini

AFC NORTH

Best case: Young players such as Crockett Gillmore, Buck Allen and Brent Urban continue to play well, laying a foundation that can help the Ravens return to the playoffs in 2016.

Worst case: The injury-depleted Ravens get roughed up by playoff contenders Seattle, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, which would put a damper on a season in which Baltimore remained competitive every week. -- Jamison Hensley

Best case: With a 9-2 record and the AFC's current No. 2 seed, the Bengals' best-case scenario looks like a trip to the Super Bowl and a legitimate chance to win their first league championship.

Worst case: They repeat their past six playoff trips with a one-and-done postseason performance. Compounding matters, they end up losing assistant coaches to other gigs right after the season and can't retain key free agents. -- Coley Harvey

Best case: Austin Davis or Johnny Manziel shows enough promise that the Browns enter the offseason without feeling the need to continue their seemingly endless search for a QB.

Worst case: Things continue to collapse, Manziel proves untrustworthy and a new coach and GM are brought in to start over yet again. -- Pat McManamon

Best case: The Steelers get revenge on the Bengals, win four of their last five games and post a second consecutive double-digit-win season, creating a clear-cut path to an AFC wild-card spot.

Worst case: Another key injury buries this team, the pass defense springs a leak and the Steelers, at 8-8, miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. -- Jeremy Fowler

AFC SOUTH

Best case: The Texans win their final three games of the regular season, including their first-ever victory in Indianapolis, securing the AFC South title and a playoff berth in the process.

Worst case: Losses to the Colts and Patriots plus another stumble vs. either the Bills, Titans or Jaguars cost Houston a chance to make the playoffs. That would end the Texans' season on a sour note, though not nearly as sour as might have been expected a month ago, when they were 2-5. -- Tania Ganguli

Best case: Matt Hasselbeck keeps the Colts in playoff contention, and Andrew Luck returns from his kidney/abdomen injury and leads Indy on a playoff run, which saves coach Chuck Pagano's job.

Worst case: Luck doesn't return, Hasselbeck starts playing like a 40-year-old quarterback and the Colts don't make the playoffs for the first time since 2012. -- Mike Wells

Best case: The Jaguars go 4-1 and finish the season at .500, marking their first non-losing season since 2010, when they went 8-8. Even if that doesn't result in a division title, it'd be a nice building block for next season.

Worst case: The team fails to win another game and coach Gus Bradley is fired, which probably would result in QB Blake Bortles having to learn his third offense in as many seasons. -- Mike DiRocco

Best case: The Titans hit an absolute home run with a coaching hire, someone who meshes well with QB Marcus Mariota's skill set. Oh, and getting the No. 1 pick wouldn't hurt, either.

Worst case: Mariota gets hurt in one of the final five games and misses valuable offseason time with a new coach. -- Paul Kuharsky

AFC WEST

Best case: With a championship-worthy defense already in place, Brock Osweiler keeps the Broncos' offense running smoothly and relatively turnover-free as the team keeps itself in the Super Bowl conversation.

Worst case: The who's-going-to-play-quarterback question overwhelms the franchise if Peyton Manning's foot heals and he is medically cleared to play. It's imperative for the Broncos to have a clear plan in place if this occurs. -- Jeff Legwold

Best case: Alex Smith continues to play as he has, the offense continues to score points as it has and the Chiefs get the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. That probably would make their wild-card opponent the winner of the weak AFC South, giving the team a great chance to end its eight-game playoff losing streak that dates back to 1993.

Worst case: The Chiefs, who couldn't sustain their pace after winning nine straight in 2013 and five straight last season, again fall apart down the stretch and miss the postseason for the second straight year. -- Adam Teicher

Best case: The Raiders win four of the next five games and, at 9-7, sneak into the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. It'll be a tough task with games against the Chiefs (twice), Broncos and Packers still remaining.

Worst case: The team shows Sunday's win at Tennessee was a mirage and flounder for the rest of the season to finish 5-11 or 6-10. -- Bill Williamson

Best case: The Chargers get hot and finish 7-9. That's not out of the realm of possibility: Four of their five games are against familiar AFC West foes.

Worst case: They lose three out of their last four games and finish 4-12, their worst record since 2003. That's not out of the realm of possibility, either: Three of the Chargers' last four games are on the road. -- Eric D. Williams

NFC EAST

Best case: The Cowboys run the table without Tony Romo at quarterback, finish 8-8 and somehow win the weak NFC East to make the playoffs.

Worst case: The Cowboys run the table without Tony Romo at quarterback, finish 8-8, win the weak NFC East to make the playoffs, lose their wild-card game and cost themselves a chance at a top 5-10 draft pick next spring. -- Todd Archer

Best case The Giants finish 3-2 against a schedule that includes the Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, Vikings and Eagles, whereas Washington slips up, allowing New York to win the division at 8-8.

Worst case: The Giants fall apart as they have in several recent Decembers, losing games they shouldn't lose, finishing the season 6-10 again and bringing the future of coach Tom Coughlin into question. -- Dan Graziano

Best case: It's not very likely, with the Patriots and Cardinals on the schedule, but winning their last five games would allow the Eagles to finish above .500 and end the season on a high note.

Worst case: The Eagles continue their decline, and questions about the direction of Chip Kelly's program loom over the offseason. -- Phil Sheridan

Best case: Kirk Cousins plays well down the stretch, the Redskins win the NFC East and they can scratch finding an immediate starting QB off their list.

Worst case: The Redskins and Cousins collapse, they finish with double-digit losses for the sixth time in seven seasons and they have to look for another QB and possibly another coach in the offseason. -- John Keim

NFC NORTH

Best case: The Bears win out, finish 10-6 and earn the last NFC wild-card berth. The schedule, which features only one team over .500 (Vikings), gives fans a reason to dream.

Worst case: John Fox's team falters down the stretch, loses to inferior teams such as San Francisco and Detroit, and squanders the momentum gained in the Thanksgiving win at Green Bay. -- Jeff Dickerson

Best case: The Lions win out and end up in the playoffs as a wild-card after winning a tiebreaker, completing one of the most remarkable in-season swings in NFL history.

Worst case: The team loses its remaining games and ends up with the No. 3 or 4 pick in the draft, a selection that could've been No. 1 overall if not for the Lions' current three-game winning streak. -- Michael Rothstein

Best case: Aaron Rodgers finds a receiver he can count on to get open, and the passing game comes out of its funk in time to claim a fifth straight NFC North title.

Worst case: The Packers join the 2009 Broncos and the 2003 Vikings as the third team since 1990 to start 6-0 and fail to make the playoffs. -- Rob Demovsky

Best case: The Vikings prove their mettle as a playoff contender against Seattle and Arizona, winning the NFC North for the first time since 2009 and earning a first-round bye.

Worst case: Protection problems come back to bite the Vikings against defenses that slow down Adrian Peterson and force Minnesota to throw; the team hits its first losing streak of the year and loses out on a wild-card spot. -- Ben Goessling

NFC SOUTH

Best case: The Falcons gain momentum by knocking Carolina from the ranks of the undefeated in Week 16 as Matt Ryan finds his touch and the team finishes the season with three straight wins, making the wild card at 10-6.

Worst case: Ryan's turnover streak and the Falcons' losing skid continue, as the team implodes to a 7-9 finish after starting 5-0. -- Vaughn McClure

Best case: The Panthers capitalize on their legitimate opportunity to run the table and finish 16-0, with Cam Newton and the defense continuing to play at a high level.

Worst case: A late-season skid costs the Panthers a first-round bye and home-field advantage during the playoffs. But it's hard to envision the team losing more than twice against the defenses they have remaining: Saints, Giants, Falcons (twice), Buccaneers. -- David Newton

Best case: The Saints finish this season on a high note, starting with a win over the unbeaten Panthers on Sunday, to prove they're headed in the right direction with Sean Payton, Drew Brees and a young roster.

Worst case: The team continues the free fall it has been in over the past three games and decides to go with a total offseason makeover that includes getting rid of Payton and Brees. -- Mike Triplett

Best case: Jameis Winston continues his strong play (10 TDs, 3 INTs since Week 5) and Tampa Bay runs the table to get the fifth playoff spot and a favorable wild-card matchup vs. the NFC East winner.

Worst case: Winston's progress is derailed and his confidence shaken with poor performances down the stretch, and the Bucs fail to threaten for a wild-card spot. -- Rick Brown

NFC WEST

Best case: The Cardinals win Super Bowl 50, plain and simple. They're already among the top teams in the NFL, and if they continue their tear, especially in road games, they could end up playing in Santa Clara, California.

Worst case: Quarterback Carson Palmer goes down with another injury and is lost for the season, the Cardinals nose dive, lose the No. 2 seed and are forced to play in the wild-card game again. Which they lose. Again. -- Josh Weinfuss

Best case: Realistically, the Rams aren't going to make the postseason. So while nobody would like it, losing out might be best for the team's long-term future. It would give the team a chance to draft a quarterback and perhaps force owner Stan Kroenke to actually consider making significant changes to the franchise.

Worst case: The Rams somehow win two or three of their final five, doing enough to keep themselves in the middle of the draft order and coming close enough to mediocrity that the only important change Kroenke attempts to make is to the organization's address. -- Nick Wagoner

Best case: The Niners stay competitive enough to ensure some sort of continuity for coach Jim Tomsula going forward, and they beat the Rams in the season finale to avoid going winless in the NFC West for the first time since 1978.

Worst case: They lose out and continue to get embarrassed on the road, and Tomsula loses the team. The reward would be a top-two draft pick, but it would probably cause another offseason full of change for the 49ers. -- Paul Gutierrez

Best case: Russell Wilson stays hot, the defense resolves its issues and this team catches fire down the stretch, making a run at a third straight Super Bowl appearance.

Worst case: The defense continues to get burned on explosive plays, the offensive line regresses, and the Seahawks fail to hold on to a wild-card spot. -- Sheil Kapadia