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NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: Steelers, Bills among teams looking to seal berths
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- NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: Steelers, Bills among teams looking to seal berths
Four division titles — AFC East, NFC East, AFC South and NFC South — will be decided in NFL Week 18 .
In all, nine teams enter Sunday Week 18 with a chance to secure a playoff berth: Atlanta Falcons , Buffalo Bills , Green Bay Packers , Jacksonville Jaguars , Minnesota Vikings , New Orleans Saints , Seattle Seahawks , Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers . On Saturday, the Houston Texans wrapped up at least a wild-card berth by eliminating the Indianapolis Colts with a 23-19 victory.
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The Jaguars and Texans still are in contention to win the AFC South; the Buccaneers, Falcons and Saints still can win the NFC South. The Dallas Cowboys can claim the NFC East with a win, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles ' stunning Week 17 loss . The Miami Dolphins — who already have clinched a playoff berth — host the Bills on "Sunday Night Football" in what is essentially an AFC East division championship game.
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs have clinched division titles. For the Lions, it's the first time since 1993 that the team has won its division . The Chiefs, meanwhile, have won the AFC West for the eighth consecutive season, the second-longest streak of division titles in NFL history ( New England Patriots from 2009-2019, 11 seasons, is the longest).
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have clinched the top playoff seed in their respective conferences and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Mason Rudolph #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after throwing a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 06, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
AFC playoff clinching scenarios for Week 18 entering Sunday
Clinched:
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Ravens (13-3): AFC North division title; AFC's No. 1 playoff seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage
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Chiefs (10-6): AFC West division title
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Browns (11-5): Playoff berth
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Dolphins (11-5): Playoff berth
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Texans (10-7): Playoff berth
➤ Bills (10-6) clinch AFC East division title with:
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Win
➤ Bills clinch playoff berth with:
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Tie
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Jaguars loss or tie
➤ Texans (10-7) clinch AFC South division title with:
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Jaguars loss or tie
➤ Jaguars (9-7) clinch AFC South division title with:
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Win
➤ Dolphins (11-5) clinch AFC East division title with:
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Win or tie
➤ Steelers clinch playoff berth with:
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Bills loss
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Jaguars loss or tie
NFC playoff clinching scenarios for Week 18
Clinched:
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49ers (12-4): NFC West division title; NFC's No. 1 playoff seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage
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Lions (11-5): NFC North division title
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Cowboys (11-5): Playoff berth
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Eagles (11-5): Playoff berth
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Rams (9-7): Playoff berth
➤ Falcons (7-9) clinch NFC South division title with:
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Win, Buccaneers loss
➤ Cowboys (11-5) clinch NFC East division title with:
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Win
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Tie, Eagles tie
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Eagles loss
➤ Packers (8-8) clinch playoff berth with:
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Win
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Tie, Seahawks loss or tie, Saints loss or tie
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Tie, Seahawks loss, Buccaneers loss
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Tie, Seahawks tie, Buccaneers loss or tie
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Vikings loss or tie, Seahawks loss, Buccaneers loss
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Vikings loss or tie, Seahawks loss, Saints loss
➤ Vikings (7-9) clinch playoff berth with:
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Win, Packers loss, Seahawks loss, Buccaneers loss
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Win, Packers loss, Seahawks loss, Saints loss
➤ Saints (8-8) clinch NFC South division title with:
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Win, Buccaneers loss or tie
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Tie, Buccaneers loss
➤ Saints clinch playoff berth with:
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Win, Seahawks win or tie, Packers loss or tie
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Tie, Seahawks loss, Packers loss
➤ Eagles (11-5) clinch NFC East division title with:
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Win, Cowboys loss or tie
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Tie, Cowboys loss
➤ Seahawks (8-8) clinch playoff berth with:
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Win, Packers loss or tie
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Tie, Packers loss, Buccaneers loss or tie
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Tie, Packers loss, Saints loss or tie
➤ Buccaneers (8-8) clinch NFC South division title with:
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Win
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Tie, Saints loss or tie
➤ Buccaneers clinch playoff berth with:
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Tie, Seahawks loss, Packers loss or tie
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL playoff scenarios Week 18: Steelers, Bills try to clinch berths
