This weekend will mark the end of the 2016 NFL regular season, with 20 of the league’s 32 teams heading home for the offseason. The other 12 teams will continue on to the league’s postseason tournament, looking for a shot at winning Super Bowl LI in Houston in February. This weekend’s games could go a long way toward deciding who gets that shot at the Lombardi Trophy, with playoff berths and seeding on the line all over the schedule.
What is on the line in each game? I’m glad you asked:
New England Patriots (13-2) at Miami Dolphins (10-5)
- Patriots have clinched AFC East title and first-round bye in AFC; clinch home-field advantage in AFC with a win or an Oakland loss
- Miami has clinched a Wildcard spot in AFC; clinches fifth seed in AFC with win and Kansas City loss
Dallas Cowboys (13-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-9)
- Cowboys have clinched NFC East title and home-field advantage in NFC
Cleveland Browns (1-14) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
- Steelers have clinched AFC North title are locked into the third seed in the AFC
Carolina Panthers (6-9) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
- Buccaneers clinch a Wildcard position in the NFC with a win, a Green Bay loss, a Washington tie, a Dallas win, an Indianapolis win, a Tennessee win, and a San Francisco win.
Houston Texans (9-6) at Tennessee Titans (8-7)
Texans have clinched AFC South title and are locked into the fourth seed in the AFC
New Orleans Saints (7-8) at Atlanta Falcons (10-5)
- Falcons have clinched NFC South title; can clinch second seed in NFC and first-round bye with win or Detroit loss and Seattle loss
Oakland Raiders (12-3) at Denver Broncos (8-7)
- Raiders have clinched a playoff berth; clinch AFC West and first-round bye with win or Kansas City loss; clinch first seed in AFC and home-field advantage with win and New England loss; clinch fifth seed in AFC with loss and Kansas City win
Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) at San Diego Chargers (5-10)
- Chiefs have clinched a playoff berth; clinch AFC West and second-seed in AFC with first-round bye with win and Oakland loss; clinch fifth seed in AFC with win and Oakland win or with Miami loss; clinch sixth seed in AFC with loss and Miami win
Seattle Seahawks (9-5-1) at San Francisco 49ers (2-13)
- Seahawks have clinched the NFC West title; clinch the second seed in the NFC and a first-round bye with a win and an Atlanta loss
New York Giants (10-5) at Washington Redskins (8-6-1)
- Giants have clinched a Wildcard spot in the NFC and are locked in the fifth seed.
- Redskins clinch a Wildcard spot in the NFC with a win and the Green Bay-Detroit game does not end in a tie or Washington wins and Green Bay loses and Tampa Bay loses/ties.
Green Bay Packers (9-6) at Detroit Lions (9-6)
- Winner clinches NFC North; Lions clinch second seed in and first round bye with win and losses from Atlanta and Seattle
- Packers clinch Wildcard in NFC with loss and Washington loss.
- Lions clinch Wildcard in NFC with loss with Washington loss.