Playoff Clinching Scenarios for the NFL in Week 18
AFC
CLINCHED:
Cincinnati Bengals – AFC North division title
Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West division title
Tennessee Titans – AFC South division title
Buffalo Bills – playoff berth
New England Patriots – playoff berth
Baltimore Ravens (8-8) (vs. Pittsburgh (8-7-1), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Baltimore clinches playoff berth with:
- BAL win + LAC loss + IND loss + MIA loss or tie
Buffalo Bills (10-6) (vs. New York Jets (4-12), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
Buffalo clinches AFC East division title with:
- BUF win OR
- NE loss OR
- BUF tie + NE tie
Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) (at Cleveland (7-9), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Cincinnati clinches AFC’s No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- CIN win + TEN loss + KC loss + NE loss or tie OR
- CIN win + TEN loss + KC loss + BUF win
Indianapolis Colts (9-7) (at Jacksonville (2-14), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Indianapolis clinches playoff berth with:
- IND win or tie OR
- LAC loss + BAL-PIT tie OR
- LAC loss + PIT loss + MIA win
Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) (at Denver (7-9), Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC)
Kansas City clinches AFC’s No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- KC win + TEN loss or tie OR
- KC tie + TEN loss
Las Vegas Raiders (9-7) (vs. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7), Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
Las Vegas clinches playoff berth with:
- LV win OR
- LV tie + IND loss OR
- IND loss + PIT loss or tie
Los Angeles Chargers (9-7) (at Las Vegas (9-7), Sunday night, 8:20 PM ET, NBC)
Los Angeles Chargers clinch playoff berth with:
1. LAC win or tie
New England Patriots (10-6) (at Miami (8-8), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
New England clinches AFC’s No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- NE win + BUF loss or tie + KC loss + TEN loss
New England clinches AFC East division title with:
- NE win + BUF loss or tie OR
- NE tie + BUF loss
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7-1) (at Baltimore (8-8), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Pittsburgh clinches playoff berth with:
- PIT win + IND loss + LV-LAC game does not end in a tie
Tennessee Titans (11-5) (at Houston (4-12), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Tennessee clinches AFC’s No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
- TEN win OR
- TEN tie + KC loss or tie OR
- KC loss + CIN loss or tie + NE loss or tie OR
- KC loss + CIN loss or tie + BUF win
NFC
CLINCHED:
Green Bay Packers — NFC North division title, No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and home-field advantage
Dallas Cowboys — NFC East division title
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — NFC South division title
Arizona Cardinals — playoff berth
Los Angeles Rams — playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles — playoff berth
Arizona Cardinals (11-5) (vs. Seattle (6-10), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
Arizona clinches NFC West division title with:
- ARI win + LAR loss
Los Angeles Rams (12-4) (vs. San Francisco (9-7), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
Los Angeles Rams clinch NFC West division title with:
- LAR win or tie OR
- ARI loss or tie
New Orleans Saints (8-8) (at Atlanta (7-9), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
New Orleans clinches playoff berth with:
- NO win + SF loss
San Francisco 49ers (9-7) (at Los Angeles Rams (12-4), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
San Francisco clinches playoff berth with:
- SF win or tie OR
- NO loss or tie
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
