Two teams clinched playoff spots in Week 13, and three teams can join them in Week 14.
Two NFL teams clinched a playoff berth in Week 13, as the Buffalo Bills won the AFC East and the Kansas City Chiefs clinched a wild card spot. Multiple teams can join them in the postseason in Week 14, this time on the NFC side of the coin.
Before we take a look at the clinching scenarios, here is the complete playoff picture heading into Week 14.
AFC standings following Week 13
1. x-Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
2. xy-Buffalo Bills (10-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5, win over DEN)
7. Denver Broncos (8-5, loss to BAL)
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-9, 3-4 AFC, SOV 19 wins)
12. New York Jets (3-9, 3-5 AFC, win over TEN)*
13. Tennessee Titans (3-9, 3-4 AFC, SOV 16 wins, loss to NYJ)
14. New England Patriots (3-10)* eliminated
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)* eliminated
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)* eliminated
Note: In the three-way tie between Cleveland, New York, and Tennessee, the Jets are eliminated first because of a worse AFC record, then the Titans are eliminated because of their worse strength of victory. But the tiebreaker starts over after that, which is why the Jets’ win over Tennessee factors into the standings.
NFC standings entering Week 14
1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6, 2-0 vs TB)
5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6, 0-2 vs ATL, 6-3 NFC)
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6, win over LAR, 3-5 NFC)
10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6, loss to ARI)
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7, win over DAL)
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7, loss to SF)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-8, 2-3 NFC South, 3-5 NFC)
14. Chicago Bears (4-8, 2-5 NFC)*
15. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
16. New York Giants (2-10)* eliminated
Teams with an asterisk have been eliminated from their divisional races.
Teams with an “x” have clinched a playoff spot
Teams with a “y” have clinched their division
For clarity, we’re only going to include wins and losses and not ties in these scenarios, but ties could potentially factor in, as well. Here are the clinching scenarios for each team.
How can the Detroit Lions clinch a playoff spot in Week 14?
The Lions have the easiest path to the postseason in Week 14. At 11-1, all they need to do is win to secure their spot. Getting to 12-1 means at worst they finish 12-5 and with every team in eighth place and lower with six losses, they wouldn’t be able to catch Detroit.
- Lions win
Detroit can also clinch a spot if several of their competitors lose in Week 14, but it will take multiple outcomes.
Any of these scenarios will also clinch the spot for Detroit even if they lose:
- Falcons loss AND Rams loss AND Eagles win
- Falcons loss AND Seahawks loss AND Eagles win
- Falcons loss AND Cardinals loss AND Rams loss
- Falcons loss AND Cardinals loss AND wins by the Eagles, Cowboys, Bears, Steelers, and Titans (for Strength of Victory)
- Bucs loss AND Rams loss AND Eagles win
- Bucs loss AND Cardinals loss AND Rams loss
- Bucs loss AND Seahawks loss AND Eagles win
How can the Philadelphia Eagles clinch a playoff spot in Week 14?
The Eagles sit at 10-2 in the NFC and can clinch a playoff spot in Week 14, but they are going to need help and they need to win. At 11-2, the worst they could finish is 11-6, so eliminating the potential wild card teams would need seven losses.
Eagles win PLUS any of these scenarios:
- Falcons loss AND Cardinals loss AND Rams loss
- Falcons loss AND Cardinals loss AND Lions win
- Bucs loss AND Cardinals loss AND Rams loss
- Bucs loss AND Cardinals loss AND Lions win
How can the Minnesota Vikings clinch a playoff spot in Week 14?
The Vikings sit at 10-2 in the NFC and can also clinch a playoff spot in Week 14, while keeping pressure on the Lions in the NFC North. Like Philly, they are going to need help and they need to win. At 11-2, the worst they could finish is 11-6, so eliminating the potential wild card teams would need seven losses or some head-to-head tiebreakers.
- Vikings win AND Cardinals loss AND Rams loss
How can the Kansas City Chiefs clinch the AFC West in Week 14?
The Chiefs clinched their playoff spot last week, but this week they can clinch a home game by winning the AFC West. KC sits at 11-1 while the Broncos are at 8-5, so a Chiefs win moves them to 12-1 with their worst record being 12-5. The Chiefs play the Chargers this week and can move their divisional record to 5-1, so that would clinch the division tiebreaker over LA, who has two division losses.
- Chiefs win
