Week 17 is here and that means we have a whole bunch of playoff scenarios! You, along with teams in the hunt for the playoffs or better seeding, will be scoreboard watching this Sunday. The NFL does a pretty good job of bunching these games together to keep teams from knowing their playoff and seeding fates before they play their games. But some teams could end up changing plans if they see a blowout that makes their game effectively useless in controlling their future.
AFC
CLINCHED:
Baltimore Ravens – AFC North division and home field advantage throughout AFC playoffs, Houston Texans – AFC South division, Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West division, New England Patriots – AFC East division, Buffalo Bills – playoff berth
Chiefs (11-4) vs. Chargers (5-10), 1:00 PM
Kansas City clinches a first-round bye with:
KC win + NE loss
Patriots (12-3) vs. Dolphins (4-11), 1:00 PM
New England clinches a first-round bye with:
NE win or tie OR
KC loss or tie
Raiders (7-8) at Broncos (6-9), 4:25 PM
Oakland clinches a playoff berth with:
OAK win + PIT loss + TEN loss + IND win + OAK clinches strength-of-victory tiebreaker over PIT*
*OAK clinches strength-of-victory tiebreaker over PIT if one of the following teams win or tie: CHI, DET, LAC OR NE
Steelers (8-7) at Ravens (13-2), 4:25 PM
Pittsburgh clinches a playoff berth with:
PIT win + TEN loss or tie OR
PIT tie + TEN loss OR
TEN loss + IND win + OAK loss or tie OR
TEN loss + IND win + PIT ties OAK in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*
*PIT ties OAK in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if all of the following teams win: MIN, GB, KC and MIA
Titans (8-7) at Texans (10-5), 4:25 PM
Tennessee clinches a playoff berth with:
TEN win OR
TEN tie + PIT loss or tie OR
PIT loss + IND loss or tie
NFC
CLINCHED: Green Bay – NFC North division, New Orleans – NFC South division, Minnesota -- playoff berth, San Francisco -- playoff berth, Seattle -- playoff berth
Cowboys (7-8) vs. Washington (3-12), 4:25 PM
Dallas clinches NFC East division with:
DAL win + PHI loss
Packers (12-3) at Lions (3-11-1), 1:00 PM
Green Bay clinches a first-round bye with:
GB win OR
NO loss OR
GB tie + SF loss OR
GB tie + NO tie
Green Bay clinches home field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
GB win + SF loss or tie OR
GB tie + SF loss + NO loss or tie
Saints (12-3) at Carolina (5-10), 1:00 PM
New Orleans clinches a first-round bye with:
NO win + GB loss or tie OR
NO win + SF loss or tie OR
NO tie + GB loss OR
NO tie + SF loss OR
SF loss + GB win or tie
New Orleans clinches home field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
NO win + GB loss or tie + SF loss or tie OR
NO tie + GB loss + SF loss
Eagles (8-7) at N.Y. Giants (4-11), 4:25 PM
Philadelphia clinches NFC East division with:
PHI win or tie OR
DAL loss or tie
49ers (12-3) at Seahawks (11-4), 8:20 PM
San Francisco clinches NFC West division title with:
SF win or tie
San Francisco clinches a first-round bye with:
SF win OR
SF tie + GB loss or tie OR
SF tie + NO loss or tie
San Francisco clinches home field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
SF win OR
SF tie + GB loss or tie + NO loss or tie
Seahawks (11-4) vs. 49ers (12-3), 8:20 PM
Seattle clinches NFC West division with:
SEA win
Seattle clinches a first-round bye with:
SEA win + GB loss
Seattle clinches home field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
SEA win + GB loss + NO loss