Last Minute Playoff Scenarios You need to Know

By Adam Neiberg

We are closing in on Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season and just like any other year, it’s not short on drama.

In the AFC the Chiefs have clinched a first-round bye and the AFC West. The Bills have secured the AFC East for the first time in 25 years. Interestingly enough the Colts won the AFC East more recently than the Bills in 1999 and they are no longer in that division. The AFC North has been clinched by the Steelers who currently stand at 12-3 after snapping a three-game losing streak.

The South is the only division in the AFC that is still up for grabs between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts as the final week of the regular season is upon us. 

Over in the NFC, the first-round bye is still on the line for the Packers, Seahawks, and Saints who have all clinched their respective divisions, and the Packers hold a one-game lead on the Seahawks and Saints for the lead in the NFC. The only division open is the horrible NFC East where three of the four teams in the Washington Football Team, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys could all win the division this week. 

The NFC wild-card race is on with two spots open since the Buccaneers have clinched a postseason berth. The Arizona Cardinals face the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles at 4:25 PM EST on Sunday; the winner of this game clinches a spot in the playoffs. If the Chicago Bears lose to the Packers, this would send the Rams to the playoffs either way. If the Cardinals win against the Rams, and the Bears lose, the Rams and Cardinals will secure the last two remaining wildcard spots. Lastly, to finalize the NFC playoff seeding, the Chicago Bears will be sent to the playoffs with a win this Sunday against the Packers, or an Arizona Cardinals loss. 

The NFC East division is coming to a dramatic close as the Cowboys, Football Team and the Giants fight for the division title. The Washington Football matches up against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, and the Football will clinch the NFC East with a win against their division rival. While on the other hand, the Giants play the Cowboys in an interesting matchup with potential playoff implications if Washington were to lose. If the Football Team loses, the division will fall to the winner of the Giants and Cowboys matchup leaving the NFC East title to a 6 win team. 

Home field advantage in the NFC is currently held by the Green Bay Packers who have a one-game lead on the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. If the Packers win against the Bears this Sunday they gain a first-round bye in this year’s playoffs. While, if they were to lose and the Seahawks and Saints were to win they would lose that spot and either the Seahawks or Saints would gain home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. If the Packers and Saints both lose the Seahawks would gain that first-round bye. While if the Saints and Seahawks both win and the Packers lose, the Saints would gain the number 1 spot in the NFC. 

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The only division in the AFC that is still up for grabs is the AFC South. The Titans and the Colts are fighting for the division in a complicated set of AFC South matchups. If the Colts and Titans were to lose against their respective opponents, the Titans would secure the division, and the Colts would miss the playoffs entirely. If the Colts were to win and the Titans lose, it would be the Colts who would secure the AFC South; while the Titans would gain a wildcard spot as long as Baltimore or Miami were to lose. Miami can gain a wildcard spot with a win or a loss from Indianapolis, Cleveland, or Baltimore. The Ravens will gain a wildcard spot with a win or a loss from Cleveland or Indianapolis. The Browns will gain a wildcard spot with a win or a loss from Indianapolis or Tennessee. Although if the Browns and the Titans were to lose and the Colts win, the Browns would need a win from Miami to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Is this all too much to comprehend? Maybe. But that is why we love football! Check back in tomorrow for more definitive answers as to who we will be watching next week.

Adam is a sports writer for La Tonique.