Playoff Scenario Clearing Up, As Three Divisions Still Undecided
NEW YORK (AP) — Three division titles remain undecided heading into the final week of the NFL season: the AFC South, NFC South and NFC West.
Indianapolis wins the AFC South by beating visiting Tennessee on Sunday, or if Jacksonville loses at Houston. Atlanta needed a victory Monday night at home against New Orleans or next Sunday, also at home against Carolina, to take the NFC South. The winner of Sunday's game in Seattle between the Rams and Seahawks wins the NFC West.
While the AFC wild cards belong to the Jets and either the Ravens or Steelers — whichever doesn't take the AFC North — five teams have shots at NFC wild cards: Atlanta, New Orleans, Green Bay, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants.
So the AFC is not very complicated, with New England the East winner, Kansas City champion of the West, and either Baltimore or Pittsburgh taking the North. The Steelers hold the tiebreaker over the Ravens and are at Cleveland on Sunday. Baltimore hosts Cincinnati.
The Chiefs and the AFC South winner will host a wild-card round playoff game.
Things are more unsettled in the NFC, where Chicago (North) and Philadelphia (East) own division titles. Seattle (6-9) could become the first division winner in NFL history with a losing record if it beats St. Louis (7-8) in their finale, which has been flexed to a Sunday night game.
Should New Orleans win at Atlanta and then beat visiting Tampa Bay, it would take the South and the Falcons would be a wild card.
But the defending Super Bowl champion Saints could fall right out of the picture by losing twice. They would then need either the Packers or Giants to lose their finale: Green Bay hosts arch rival Chicago, while New York is at Washington.
The Packers (9-6) have the inside track for a wild card — win and they are in. The Giants and Bucs must win Sunday to have a shot at a wild card.
No first-round byes have been clinched in the NFC, either. Atlanta gets one with a win Monday night.
AFC
CLINCHED: New England, AFC East and homefield advantage; Kansas City, AFC West; Baltimore, playoff spot; N.Y. Jets, playoff spot; Pittsburgh, playoff spot.
ELIMINATED: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Denver, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Oakland, San Diego, Tennessee.
PITTSBURGH
— Clinches AFC North and a first-round bye with:
1) Win OR
2) Tie and Baltimore loss or tie OR
3) Baltimore loss
BALTIMORE
— Clinches AFC North and a first-round bye with:
1) Win and Pittsburgh loss or tie OR
2) Tie and Pittsburgh loss
INDIANAPOLIS
— Clinches AFC South with:
1) Win or tie OR
2) Jacksonvile loss or tie
JACKSONVILLE
— Clinches AFC South with:
1) Win and Indianapolis loss
NFC
CLINCHED: Chicago, NFC North; Philadelphia, NFC East; Atlanta, playoff spot.
ELIMINATED: Arizona, Carolina, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, San Francisco, Washington.
PHILADELPHIA
— Clinched the NFC East and still has a chance to earn a first-round bye and homefield advantage next week.
CHICAGO
— Clinched the NFC North and still has a chance to earn a first-round bye and homefield advantage next week.
ATLANTA
— Clinches the NFC South and homefield advantage with a win or tie against New Orleans tonight. If Atlanta loses tonight, it still has a chance to win the NFC South, a first-round bye and homefield advantage next week.
NEW ORLEANS
— Clinches a playoff spot with a win or tie against Atlanta tonight and still has a chance to win the NFC South, a first-round bye and homefield advantage next week.
If New Orleans loses tonight, it can still clinch a playoff spot next week with:
1) Win or tie OR
2) N.Y. Giants loss or tie and GB loss or tie
GREEN BAY
— Clinches a playoff spot with:
1) Win OR
2) Tie and N.Y. Giants loss or tie and Tampa Bay loss or tie OR
3) N.Y. Giants loss and Tampa Bay loss
NEW YORK GIANTS
— Clinch a playoff spot with:
1) Win and Green Bay loss or tie OR
2) Win and New Orleans loses twice OR
3) Tie and Green Bay loss and Tampa Bay loss or tie
TAMPA BAY
— Clinches a playoff spot with:
1) Win and New Orleans loss to Atlanta and N.Y. Giants loss or tie OR
2) Win and New Orleans loss to Atlanta and Green Bay loss or tie OR
3) Win and N.Y. Giants loss or tie and Green Bay loss or tie OR
4) Tie and N.Y. Giants loss and Green Bay loss
ST. LOUIS
— Clinches NFC West with:
1) Win or tie
SEATTLE
— Clinches NFC West with:
1) Win
