With Week 17 of the 2012 NFL season just six days away, quite a few games will have playoff implications. While all but one of the divisions have been clinched, with the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins battling it out for the NFC East Championship in prime time next Sunday night, many other teams are still jockeying for position and a better seed.
We know all four AFC division winners, with the Houston Texans clinching the South, the Denver Broncos taking the West, the New England Patriots securing the East and the Baltimore Ravens emerging as winners of the North. We also know that the two wild card winners are the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
In the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons have won the South and the No. 1 seed, the Green Bay Packers have won the North, while the San Francisco 49ers lead the Seattle Seahawks in the West, even after being dismantled on the road last night. The Seahawks have clinched at least a wild card berth, leaving the other wild card spot up for grabs among five other teams entering play in Week 17 next Sunday.
Here is a look at all of the clinching playoff scenarios for all of the NFL teams still alive in playoff contention heading into Week 17 of the 2012 NFL season.
AFC Playoff Picture
| W-L | Division/Wild Card Status | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. *Texans | 12-3 | AFC South champion |
| 2. *Broncos | 12-3 | AFC West champion |
| 3. *Patriots | 11-4 | AFC East champion |
| 4. *Ravens | 10-5 | AFC North champion |
| 5. #Colts | 10-5 | Wild Card |
| 6. #Bengals | 9-6 | Wild Card |
| * Clinched division # Clinched playoff berth |
||
NFC Playoff Picture
| W-L | Division/Wild Card Status | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. &Falcons | 13-2 | NFC South champion |
| 2. #49ers | 10-4-1 | NFC West leader |
| 3. *Packers | 11-4 | NFC North champion |
| 4. Redskins | 9-6 | NFC East leader |
| 5. #Seahawks | 10-5 | Wild Card |
| 6. Vikings | 9-6 | Wild Card |
| 7. Bears | 9-6 | |
| 8. Giants | 8-7 | |
| 9. Cowboys | 8-7 | |
| & Clinched home-field advantage * Clinched division # Clinched playoff berth |
||
PLAYOFF CLINCHINGS AFTER WEEK 16
Atlanta — Home-field advantage
Indianapolis — Playoff berth
Cincinnati — Playoff berth
Baltimore — Division title
Seattle — Playoff berth
2012 NFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 17
HOUSTON TEXANS
Clinch home-field advantage with:
1. Houston win OR
2. Denver loss + New England loss
Clinch first-round bye with:
1. Denver loss OR
2. New England loss
DENVER BRONCOS
Clinch home-field advantage with:
1. Denver win + Houston loss
Clinch first-round bye with:
1. Denver win OR
2. New England loss
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Clinch home-field advantage with:
1. New England win + Denver loss + Houston loss
Clinch first-round bye with:
1. New England win + Houston loss OR
2. New England win + Denver loss
CHICAGO BEARS
Clinch a playoff spot with:
1. Chicago win + Minnesota loss
DALLAS COWBOYS
Clinch NFC East with:
1. Dallas win
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Clinch first-round bye with:
1. Green Bay win OR
2. San Francisco loss + Seattle loss
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Clinch a playoff spot with:
1. Minnesota win OR
2. Chicago loss + Dallas loss + New York Giants loss
NEW YORK GIANTS
Clinch a playoff spot with:
1. New York Giants win + Dallas loss + Minnesota loss + Chicago loss
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Clinch NFC West division with:
1. San Francisco win or tie OR
2. Seattle loss or tie
Clinch first-round bye with:
1. San Francisco win + Green Bay loss
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Clinch NFC West with:
1. Seattle win + San Francisco loss
Clinch first-round bye with:
1. Seattle win + San Francisco loss + Green Bay loss
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Clinch NFC East with:
1. Washington win or tie
Clinch a playoff spot with:
1. Minnesota loss + Chicago loss
Filed under: Breaking News, NFL
Tagged with: 2012 NFL Regular Season, NFL playoffs, Week 17
Sorry, comments are closed on this post.