A Look at Where Every Team Stands Coming Into Week 18

NFL Week 18 is here, but there are still several teams that will be battling for a postseason berth. Let’s take a look at the different playoff permutations still up in the air and the NFL playoff tiebreaker procedures for different scenarios that will be used this week.

What Are NFL Tiebreakers?

NFL tiebreakers can seem confusing at first, but the system follows a clear order, where each rule is checked one at a time. If it doesn’t break the tie, the league moves on to the next one.

The most commonly used NFL tiebreakers are the head-to-head record between the tied teams or their records within their respective divisions or conferences. Here are the different tiebreaker procedures explained:

What is the NFL Divisional Tiebreakers Procedure?

Here are the tiebreaking procedures that are followed if two or more teams in a division are tied based on their final winning percentage:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Best win percentage in games played within the division
3. Best win percentage in common games
4. Best win percentage in games played within the conference
5. Strength of victory
6. Strength of schedule
   Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
8. Best net points in common games
9. Best net points in all games
10. Best net touchdowns in all games
11. Coin toss

What Are the NFL Tiebreakers for Conference Ties?

Here’s the NFL tiebreaker procedure for conference ties:

1. Head-to-head, if applicable
2. Best win percentage in games played within the conference
3. Best win percentage in common games (minimum of four games)
4. Strength of victory
5. Strength of schedule
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
8. Best net points in conference games
9. Best net points in all games
10. Best net touchdowns in all games
11. Coin toss

While breaking conference ties, divisional ties are always dealt with first and separated from conference ties. The following tiebreakers are applied in the event of a tie between three or more NFL teams for a Wild Card spot.

If, after any of the following steps are enacted, two teams remain tied, the tiebreaker procedure reverts to Step 1 of the two-club tiebreaker above.

1. Apply the division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division before proceeding to Step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild Card participants
2. Head-to-head sweep (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others)
3. Best win percentage in games played within the conference
4. Best win percentage in common games (minimum of four games against opponents common to all the teams involved in the tiebreaker)
5. Strength of victory
6. Strength of schedule
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
9. Best net points in conference games
10. Best net points in all games
11. Best net touchdowns in all games
12. Coin toss

In cases where several teams are tied, each team’s position in the standings is assessed individually. For example, if three teams are tied for the fifth spot in the standings, ties are broken until the top team remains, which will be ranked fifth. The procedure then restarts between the remaining teams.

Additional NFL Playoff Tiebreakers

Here are some additional tiebreaker procedures used in the league:

1. Only one team can move ahead at any stage of a tiebreaking procedure. The remaining ones are then assessed from Step 1 of the procedure.
2. When considering the records against common opponents, the win percentage becomes the deciding factor.
3. In order to determine home-field priority among division winners, apply Wild Card tiebreakers.
4. To determine home-field priority for Wild Card seeding and spots, division tiebreakers are applicable if teams are from the same division, and Wild Card tiebreakers are applied if teams are from different divisions.
5. To determine the best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed, add a team’s position in the two categories, and the lowest score wins.
6. If two teams are tied for a spot, both are awarded the ranking as if they held it solely.

Week 18 Playoff Scenarios

So far, 12 teams have clinched a playoff spot, and the remaining two playoff spots will be decided in Week 18. Here are the teams that have booked their postseason berth:

NFC South Clinching Scenarios

The NFC South has yet to have its winner clinch a playoff spot. The Carolina Panthers are set to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, and the winner will take the NFC South crown and the No. 4 seed.

AFC North Clinching Scenarios

Control of the AFC North has been swinging between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, and in their Week 18 clash, fans will get to see who takes the division title and secures a postseason spot.