Six teams have a chance to put their stamp on the NFL playoffs heading into Week 15, though some need a bit more help than others to do it.
Thanks to their wins last week, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers are already both locked in as division champs in the NFC East and AFC North, respectively. That’s only the first step for either team, however, which can clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and/or clinch a first-round bye.
The Minnesota Vikings can clinch the NFC North this weekend, the New England Patriots can clinch the AFC East, and both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams can clinch a playoff berth.
The following are the NFL playoff-clinching scenarios for all six teams, courtesy of Randall Liu, the NFL’s Senior Director of Football Communications.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Eagles win + Minnesota Vikings loss = homefield advantage throughout playoffs
- Eagles win = first-round bye
- Eagles tie + Rams lose/tie + New Orleans Saints loss/tie + Carolina Panthers loss/tie = first-round bye
Minnesota Vikings
- Vikings win or tie = NFC North champs
- Detroit Lions lose/tie + Green Bay Packers lose/tie = NFC North champs
- Seattle Seahawks lose + Atlanta Falcons lose + Saints lose = playoff berth
- Seahawks lose + Falcons lose + Panthers lose = playoff berth
- Seahawks lose + Falcons lose + Detroit Lions lose/tie = playoff berth
- Seahawks lose + Falcons lose/tie +Saints lose + Lions lose/tie = playoff berth
- Seahawks lose + Falcons tie + Saints lose + Panthers lose = playoff berth
Los Angeles Rams
- Rams win + Lions lose/tie + Packers lose/tie + Saints lose + Falcons lose = playoff berth
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Steelers win + Jaguars lose/tie = homefield advantage throughout playoffs
- Steelers win = first-round bye
- Steelers tie + Jaguars lose = first-round bye
New England Patriots
- Patriots win/tie = AFC East champs
- Buffalo Bills lose/tie = AFC East champs
- Baltimore Ravens lose/tie = playoff berth
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jaguars win = playoff berth
- Jaguars tie + Bills lose/tie = playoff berth
- Jaguars tie + Ravens lose/tie = playoff berth
- Bills lose + Ravens lose = playoff berth
- Ravens lose + Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers does not end in tie = playoff berth