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The NFL’s regular season ends today with the conclusion of game 256, the Sunday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. There are playoff scenarios all across the schedule today. We take a last look at the playoff scenarios heading into the Week 17 schedule.
AFC Playoff Scenarios (Week 17)
Clinched:
New England – AFC East division title and first-round bye
Pittsburgh – AFC North division title
Houston – AFC South division title
Oakland – playoff berth
Kansas City – playoff berth
Miami – playoff berth
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-2)
New England clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with:
- NE win or tie OR
- OAK loss or tie
OAKLAND RAIDERS (12-3)
Oakland clinches AFC West division title and a first-round bye with:
- OAK win or tie OR
- KC loss or tie
Oakland clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with:
- OAK win + NE loss
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-4)
Kansas City clinches AFC West division title and a first-round bye with:
- KC win + OAK loss
MIAMI DOLPHINS (10-5)
This is not an “official” clinching scenario, but since this is a Dolphins blog, here are what has to happen for the Dolphins to get the fifth seed or to be locked into the sixth seed:
Miami clinches the fifth seed with:
- MIA win + KC loss
Miami is locked into the sixth seed with:
- MIA loss OR
- KC win
NFC Playoff Scenarios (Week 17)
Clinched:
Dallas – NFC East division title and home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs
Atlanta – NFC South division title
Seattle – NFC West division title
New York Giants – playoff berth
ATLANTA FALCONS (10-5)
Atlanta clinches a first-round bye with:
- ATL win OR
- ATL tie + SEA loss or tie OR
- SEA loss + DET loss or tie OR
- SEA tie + DET loss
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9-5-1)
Seattle clinches a first-round bye with:
- SEA win + ATL loss or tie OR
- SEA tie + ATL loss + GB/DET tie
DETROIT LIONS (9-6)
Detroit clinches NFC North division title with:
- DET win
Detroit clinches a first-round bye with:
- DET win + SEA loss or tie + ATL loss
Detroit clinches a playoff berth with:
- DET tie OR
- WAS loss or tie
GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-6)
Green Bay clinches NFC North division title with:
- GB win or tie
Green Bay clinches a playoff berth with:
- WAS loss OR
- WAS tie + TB win + GB clinches at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over TB
(Note: GB clinches at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over TB if one of the following teams win or tie: SEA, HOU, JAX, PHI. GB has already clinched strength of schedule tiebreaker over TB in this scenario.)
WASHINGTON REDSKINS (8-6-1)
Washington clinches a playoff berth with:
- WAS win + GB-DET game does not end in a tie OR
- WAS tie + GB loss + TB loss or tie
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (8-7)
Tampa Bay clinches a playoff berth with:
- TB win + WAS tie + GB loss + TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over GB
(Note: TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over GB if all of the following teams win: TEN, IND, DAL and SF)
AFC Playoff standings (through Week 16)
1. New England Patriots (13-2) - AFC East champ; first-round bye clinched; Can finish in first- or second-seed
2. Oakland Raiders (12-3) - playoff berth clinched; Can finish in first-, second-, or fifth-seed
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) - AFC North champ; Locked into third seed
4. Houston Texans (9-6) - AFC South champ; Locked into fourth seed
5. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) - playoff berth clinched; Can finish in second-, fifth-, or sixth-seed
6. Miami Dolphins (10-5) - playoff berth clinched; Can finish in fifth- or sixth-seed.
NFC Playoff standings (through Week 16)
1. Dallas Cowboys (13-2) - NFC East champ; first-round bye and home-field advantage clinched; Locked into first seed
2. Atlanta Falcons (10-5) - NFC South champ; Can finish in second-, third-, or fourth-seed.
3. Seattle Seahawks (9-5-1) - NFC West champ; Can finish in second, third, or fourth-seed
4. Green Bay Packers (9-6) - Can finish in third-, fourth-, or sixth-seed or can miss playoffs
5. New York Giants (10-5) - playoff berth clinched; Locked into fifth seed
6. Detroit Lions (9-6) - Can finish in second-, third-, fourth-, or sixth-seed or can miss playoffs
Washington Redskins (8-6-1) - Can finish in sixth seed
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) - Can finish in sixth seed
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