Your inbox approves Men's coaches poll Women's coaches poll NFL draft hub
NFL

NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: What remaining teams need to do to reach postseason

USA TODAY Sports

There's only one last round of games before the NFL's playoff picture fully falls into place.

Entering Week 18, 11 of the 14 postseason berths have already been wrapped, as have six of the eight divisions and home-field advantage in the NFC, which went to the Green Bay Packers. Still, there's plenty to sort out over the weekend. The AFC's top seed is still up for grabs, with several teams having a shot at securing it, and seeding could fluctuate wildly depending on several different matchups.

Saturday further shaped the field, as the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Denver Broncos took home-field advantage off the table for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots, while the Dallas Cowboys kept their hopes for a higher seed alive with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles

Here's a look at all of the possible playoff clinching scenarios throughout the NFL for Week 18 entering Sunday:

MORE:What will be the biggest surprises in Week 18 of NFL's regular season?

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

NFL WEEK 18 PICKS:Los Angeles Chargers or Las Vegas Raiders with wild card at stake?

AFC

Clinched: Cincinnati Bengals – AFC North, Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West, Tennessee Titans – AFC South division title, Buffalo Bills – playoff berth, New England Patriots – playoff berth

Baltimore Ravens (8-8) [vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7-1), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET]

Ravens clinch playoff berth with:

1. Ravens win + Chargers loss + Colts loss + Dolphins loss or tie

Buffalo Bills (10-6) [vs. New York Jets (4-12), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET]

Bills clinch AFC East division title with:

1. Bills win OR

2. Patriots loss OR

3. Bills tie + Patriots tie

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard (53), Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) and Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis (37) celebrate an interception during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Colts (9-7) [at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET]

Colts clinch playoff berth with:

1. Colts win or tie OR

2. Chargers loss + Steelers-Ravens tie OR

3. Chargers loss + Steelers loss + Dolphins win

Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) [at Denver Broncos (7-9), Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET]

Chiefs clinch AFC's No. 1 seed with:

1. Titans loss or tie

Las Vegas Raiders (9-7) [vs. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7), Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET]

Raiders clinch playoff berth with:

1. Raiders win OR

2. Raiders tie + Colts loss OR

3. Colts loss + Steelers loss or tie

Los Angeles Chargers (9-7) [at Las Vegas Raiders (9-7), Sunday, 8:20 PM ET]

Chargers clinch playoff berth with:

1. Chargers win or tie

New England Patriots (10-6) [at Miami Dolphins (8-8), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET]

Patriots clinch AFC East division title with:

1. Patriots win + Bills loss or tie OR

2. Patriots tie + Bills loss

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7-1) [at Baltimore Ravens (8-8), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET]

Steelers clinch playoff berth with:

1. Steelers win + Colts loss + Chargers-Raiders game does not end in a tie

Tennessee Titans (11-5) [at Houston Texans (4-12), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET]

Titans clinches AFC's No. 1 seed with:

1. Titans win

NFC

Clinched: Green Bay Packers – NFC North + No. 1 seed, Dallas Cowboys – NFC East,  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – NFC South, Arizona Cardinals – playoff berth, Los Angeles Rams – playoff berth, Philadelphia Eagles -– playoff berth

Arizona Cardinals (11-5) [vs. Seattle Seahawks (6-10), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET]

Cardinals clinch NFC West division title with:

1. Cardinals win + Rams loss

Los Angeles Rams (12-4) [vs. San Francisco (9-7), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET]

Rams clinch NFC West division title with:

1. Rams win or tie OR

2. Cardinals loss or tie

New Orleans Saints (8-8) [at Atlanta Falcons (7-9), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX]

Saints clinch playoff berth with:

1. Saints win + 49ers loss

San Francisco 49ers (9-7) [at Los Angeles Rams (12-4), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET]

49ers clinch playoff berth with:

1. 49ers win or tie OR

2. Saints loss or tie

Featured Weekly Ad