There is still one slate of regular-season games to go, but there is little intrigue left in determining the NFL playoff field.

In the NFC, all six playoff teams are set: Carolina, Arizona, Washington, Green Bay, Minnesota, and Seattle. And in the AFC, technically only four teams are set, with the Colts still battling the Texans for the AFC South title, and the Jets holding the keys over the Steelers for the final wild-card spot. The Jets are win-and-in on Sunday, but the Colts would need nine games to fall their way to overtake the Texans. The Las Vegas odds of hitting a nine-team parlay: 1 in 300.

So now that we basically know the postseason participants, let’s take a look at the field and rank the contenders based on likelihood to reach the Super Bowl:

1. Arizona Cardinals (13-2) — What’s not to love about the NFC’s current No. 2 seed? They can put up yards and points (first in scoring and total offense). They can stop the other team (fifth in points allowed and total defense). They have an MVP-caliber quarterback (Carson Palmer) and three dangerous receivers (Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown). They’re top 10 in run offense, pass offense, run defense, and pass defense. And they’re riding a nine-game win streak, with wins over the Seahawks, Bengals, Vikings, and Packers. Yes, we like the Cardinals in the NFC.

2. Carolina Panthers (14-1) — There is still plenty to like about the Panthers, even as they lost their bid for a perfect season last week. Cam Newton has become arguably the toughest offensive weapon to defend in the NFL, accounting for 41 touchdowns this season and gashing defenses with his arm and feet. And the Panthers’ defense is fast, aggressive, and stout at all three levels, led by linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, and rising star cornerback Josh Norman. If pressed to choose, we’d take the Cardinals in a head-to-head matchup, even if it’s played in Charlotte.

3. New England Patriots (12-3) — Which Patriots team will show up in the playoffs? If Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Devin McCourty are healthy, then the Patriots should cruise through a relatively weak AFC, especially if they lock up home-field advantage. But if Edelman isn’t quite 100 percent, and they suffer more injuries, and they play like the team that has lost three of five games, then the Patriots are ripe for an upset. But the defense is still excellent, the quarterbacks in the AFC playoff field don’t strike any fear into you, and they will likely be playing at Gillette, making them the favorites to reach Super Bowl 50.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (10-5) — Outside of Arizona, no team is hotter entering the playoffs than the Chiefs, who are riding a nine-game winning streak and can still win the AFC West. The defense is nasty, averaging just 12.3 points allowed per game during their current streak, while allowing 20-plus points just twice overall and no more than 22 in a game. They also have more balance on offense this year, with Jeremy Maclin (1,034 yards, 7 touchdowns) finally giving them a weapon on the outside to go along with tight end Travis Kelce. The only reason not to pick the Chiefs to win the AFC: Do we really think Alex Smith can beat the Patriots in Foxborough?

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-6) — The Seahawks are obviously playoff-tested, still have a great defense (third in points allowed, second in total defense), and Russell Wilson found his groove over the second half of the season, with Seattle scoring 30 points in four straight November-December games (and 29 in the other). The Seahawks might have to win at Green Bay, Carolina, and Arizona in consecutive weeks, but they can pull it off.

6. Denver Broncos (11-4) — Hard to know what to make of the Broncos, who could still finish with the No. 1, 2, or 5 seed in the AFC. They can hang their hat on their defense, which is fourth in points allowed and first in total defense. And they’re tough to beat in Denver, although the Chiefs and Raiders have done it this season. But it’s tough envisioning Brock Osweiler beating the Patriots in Foxborough.

7. New York Jets* (10-5) — The Jets are on fire, having won five straight to take control of the last wild-card spot. They have a top-10 defense and are surprisingly efficient on offense, and are the one team that would not be afraid of the Patriots in Foxborough. Then again, they needed overtime just to beat a wounded Patriots team at home last weekend.

8. Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) — The Bengals still have the NFL’s best roster from 1-53, and boast a fast, aggressive defense that has allowed the fewest points in the league (17.5 per game) and would give the Patriots fits even when New England is healthy. The problem, as always, is the quarterback. Do we have any faith in Andy Dalton or A.J. McCarron? No, we do not.

9. Washington Redskins (8-7) — The ’Skins have gone 5-2 since losing to the Patriots in Week 9 to take control of a weak NFC East, with Kirk Cousins finding his groove and throwing 16 touchdown passes against two interceptions in this seven-game stretch. The defense has too many holes to slow down the elite NFC teams, but Jay Gruden and the Redskins staff deserve a lot of credit for turning this team around.

10. Green Bay Packers (10-5) — They’ll be dangerous as long as Aaron Rodgers is behind center, but there’s something off about the Packers this season, stemming largely from the preseason injury to Jordy Nelson. The gap between the Packers and the top of the NFC became apparent last week when they lost, 38-8, at Arizona.

11. Minnesota Vikings (10-5) — The Vikings have two elements to succeed in the postseason: a stout defense (sixth in points allowed) and a great running game (1,418 yards, 10 touchdowns for Adrian Peterson). But quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still a pup, and it’s hard envisioning him winning multiple road playoff games.

12. Houston Texans (8-7) — The Texans are just happy to be here, the least-bad team in an awful AFC South. Their defense is good enough that they might win a wild-card game, but this team isn’t going anywhere deep with Brian Hoyer at quarterback.

* The Jets still haven’t clinched a playoff spot. If the Steelers make the playoffs, we rank them between the Redskins and Packers. Good offense, but that defense doesn’t scare anyone.

CHECK HIM OUT

Enough there for a Manning probe

Much of the NFL media was quick to come to Peyton Manning’s defense last week when Al Jazeera reported that shipments of HGH were sent to Manning’s home under his wife’s name in 2011 when Manning was out of football for a year and recovering from spinal fusion surgery.

The sourcing on the Al Jazeera story was a bit shaky; the outlet didn’t provide any documentation and relied solely on the word of an ex-intern who was filmed with a hidden camera. And there has been a lot of backtracking, with Al Jazeera since clarifying that it made no direct allegations against Manning, the intern backing off his claims, and Manning’s doctor stating that the intern didn’t work at his clinic at the time that Manning was a patient.

But if we’re going to view PED use as serious cheating (and that’s a whole different argument), then Manning deserves to be the subject of a thorough investigation from the NFL and intense scrutiny from fans and media.

Just in the last week, we learned that Manning’s doctor, Dale Guyer, has a not-so-clean past. The Indianapolis Star reported that in 2007 Guyer’s name appeared in a federal indictment against a pharmacy that allegedly gave him Chinese HGH, and that the Internal Revenue Service has filed tax liens on Guyer for several hundred thousand dollars.

The New York Daily News reported that Guyer was a defendant in a lawsuit in 2014 stemming from a $200 million Ponzi scheme. Guyer’s business partner is serving a 50-year prison sentence, while Guyer and his codefendants were ordered to pay back $35,000 over 18 years.

And Al Jazeera released a phone call confirming that the intern, Charles Sly, did in fact work at Guyer’s institute in 2011 when Manning was a patient.

Right now, all we know is that Manning’s wife received shipments of HGH, which no one has denied. It might be for a legitimate medical condition, or it might not. As colleague Christopher L. Gasper adroitly wrote last week, professional athletes have generally lost the benefit of the doubt with PED use, given how many have lied about using them in the past, and how much money is at stake in professional sports.

But the feeling here is that unless some sort of documentation emerges directly linking Manning to HGH use, he’s going to skate on this one. The NFL didn’t test for HGH in 2011, Manning has never failed a drug test, and the league will tread carefully about impugning one of its top stars (unlike how it smeared Tom Brady last summer).

EARNING POWER

Incentives there for some Patriots

As a team, the Patriots have only one thing at stake Sunday against the Dolphins: A win will clinch home-field advantage for the playoffs. But individually, a few Patriots have a lot at stake: significant incentive payouts.

Using contract records filed with the NFL Players Association and a big assist from Miguel Benzan and his indispensible website PatsCap.com, we find that a few Patriots have a lot of money riding on Sunday’s game.

Will Danny Amendola play as he recovers from a relatively minor knee injury? He has 225,000 reasons to do so. With 63 catches this season, Amendola already has achieved $525,000 in incentives, and he can achieve another $225,000 if he makes seven catches Sunday.

Julian Edelman’s broken foot, meanwhile, cost him a lot more than just seven games. Edelman (61 catches, 7 touchdowns) is nine catches away from a $500,000 bonus, but incentives don’t carry over into the postseason.

A few other incentives are almost certainly out of reach. Even if Sebastian Vollmer did play on his ankle injury, he would have needed 150 snaps to reach 80 percent for the season and trigger a $750,000 bonus. Brandon LaFell needs 292 receiving yards to trigger a $200,000 bonus, while Alan Branch, currently at 37.9 percent of snaps played this year, won’t be able to reach the 50 percent necessary to trigger a $250,000 bonus.

And if you think players rush back to the field out of their love for the game, think again. The Patriots are big believers in making players earn their money via per-game roster bonuses, and every snap or game missed can cost a player a significant chunk of money.

Jabaal Sheard, for example, missed out on $62,500 for each of three games that he wasn’t on the 46-man game day roster. And Ryan Wendell, who only played 13 snaps this season because of injuries, missed out on $1.3 million in playing-time incentives.

ETC.

Panic move by Eagles’ Lurie

No, Chip Kelly didn’t have a good season. He didn’t show enough “emotional intelligence,’’ as Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie put it, in communicating and connecting with his players. And he made a lot of questionable moves, such as trading for oft-injured players (Sam Bradford, Kiko Alonso) and discarding talented players such as DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.

But firing Kelly after three seasons as coach — and only one season in which Kelly had full control of the roster — reeks of a panic move by Lurie, and pandering to a fan base that isn’t happy unless it is yelling at something or someone. If you’re going to give Kelly the keys to the house and let him make several unconventional roster moves, you have to let him see it through for a few seasons.

The Eagles still don’t have a legitimate quarterback, and now fans will be treated to another 1-2 seasons of housecleaning and roster-fixing under a new coach.

Coaching changes coming

Black Monday is this week, although some teams have already fired their coaches (Eagles, Dolphins, Titans) and other teams have fired coordinators (Lions, Colts) and have a strong likelihood of firing their head coaches. Kelly, Nick Saban, and Sean Payton (if the rumors are true that the Saints are willing to trade him) will be the top head coaching candidates, but look for Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to be at the top of several teams’ lists. Two recycled names to watch: Doug Marrone, who did a lot better in Buffalo than Rex Ryan did this season, and Eric Mangini, who we think would be a good fit in Miami with Mike Tannenbaum running the team.

Extra points

Has the NFL become a defensive league again? Eleven of the top 12 teams in points allowed have reached or will likely reach the playoffs (Pittsburgh at 11th and Washington at 17th are the outliers) . . . Only five games on Sunday are fairly meaningless: Falcons-Saints, Bears-Lions, Redskins-Cowboys, Rams-49ers, and Eagles-Giants. But with the Rams having locked up third place in the NFC West, the loser of Eagles-Giants will finish third in the NFC East and earn a trip to London next year to play the Rams . . . The Patriots’ 2016 list of opponents will be finalized on Sunday. They will host the AFC South champion next season (likely Houston) and travel to the AFC West champion (Denver or Kansas City). They will also host the Ravens, Bengals, Seahawks, and Rams, and travel to the Cardinals, 49ers, Browns, and Steelers, in addition to the six division games . . . How important is home field for the Patriots? Since the start of the 2009 season, the Patriots are just 5-12 in road games against eventual playoff teams, but 16-2 at home, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. The trend continued this season, with the Patriots losing on the road to the Broncos and Jets (assuming they make it over the Steelers). This season’s schedule included only five games against playoff teams: Jets (twice), Broncos, Texans/Colts, and Redskins.

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.