We’ll run down everything here for you
We’re rapidly approaching the start of the final weekend of the 2024 National Football League regular season, as things will kick off with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening. Ahead of that, we wanted to review all of the scenarios that are in play for this weekend around the league in both conferences so everyone is on the same page. Let’s lay out all of the different things that can happen out here.
National Football Conference
The following teams have clinched playoff berths in the NFC:
- Minnesota Vikings
- Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Los Angeles Rams
- Washington Commanders
- Green Bay Packers
The winner of Sunday night’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions will be the #1 seed in the NFC and the NFC North champions. The loser will be the #5 seed and travel to face the #4 seed on Super Wild Card Weekend.
Philadelphia is locked into the #2 seed in the NFC. The #3 seed can be either Los Angeles or Tampa Bay. The Rams will lock up the #3 spot with a win over Seattle, while Tampa Bay will leapfrog into that spot if the Rams should lose and Tampa Bay beats New Orleans.
However. . .if Tampa Bay should lose and Atlanta beats Carolina, Atlanta would be back into the playoff picture as the #4 seed and the Rams would be the #3 regardless of how their game goes. If Tampa Bay and Atlanta both lose, Tampa Bay would remain in the playoffs as the NFC South champ and the #4 seed with the Rams at #3.
Washington can secure the #6 spot in the NFC with a win over Dallas. If Washington should lose and Green Bay beats Chicago, then Green Bay would jump into the #6 spot and Washington would drop to #7.
Got all that? Good. On to the other side
American Football Conference
The following teams have clinched playoff berths in the AFC:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Buffalo Bills
- Baltimore Ravens
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Kansas City and Buffalo have clinched the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively, and Houston has clinched the #4 seed. None of those teams can move from those spots.
The #3 seed will go to the AFC North champion. Baltimore will wrap up the AFC North with a win over Cleveland on Saturday. If Baltimore should lose. . .as a 20-point favorite. . .then Pittsburgh can win the AFC North with a win over Cincinnati.
(I don’t think anyone should be counting on Baltimore losing, if we’re being totally honest.)
If Baltimore and Pittsburgh both win, Pittsburgh would wrap up the #5 seed in the AFC as they have a head-to-head win over Los Angeles. However, if Pittsburgh loses to Cincinnati, then Los Angeles can jump over them for the #5 seed with a win over Las Vegas. Otherwise, Los Angeles will be the #6 seed.
Then there’s the battle for the last playoff spot, with three teams still eligible for it. Those teams are the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are the scenarios for that spot.
- Denver win (over Kansas City) = Denver clinches #7 seed
- Denver loss + Miami win (over New York Jets) = Miami clinches #7 seed
- Denver loss + Miami loss + Cincinnati win (over Pittsburgh) = Cincinnati clinches #7 seed
- Denver loss + Miami loss + Cincinnati loss = Denver clinches #7 seed
Cincinnati will play on Saturday night, while Denver and Miami both play in the late window on Sunday afternoon.
Those are all of your potential playoff scenarios in both conferences as we prepare for the final weekend of the 2024 NFL regular season. We’ll have a discussion thread for both the Saturday doubleheader and all the non-Vikings games on Sunday, and we hope that you’ll join us here for all of the action.
