NFL Playoff Scenarios

The possibilities for the NFL playoffs through Monday`s games:

AFC

AFC EAST

Miami clinches the AFC East and a first-round playoff bye with a win (vs. New England) and a loss by Oakland (vs. Carolina). Miami clinches the AFC East with a win or tie (vs. New England) or losses or ties by both New York Jets (vs. Baltimore) and Indianapolis (vs. Minnesota). Miami can also clinch a playoff berth with a loss or tie by either New York Jets (vs. Baltimore) or Indianapolis (vs. Minnesota).

New York Jets clinch the AFC East with a win (vs. Baltimore) and a loss by Miami (vs. New England). New York Jets can also clinch a playoff berth with a win (vs. Baltimore) or a loss by Indianapolis (vs. Minnesota) and a loss or tie by Pittsburgh (vs. San Diego).

Indianapolis clinches the AFC East with a win (vs. Minnesota) and a loss by Miami (vs. New England) and a loss or tie by New York Jets (vs. Baltimore). Indianapolis can also clinch a playoff berth with a win (vs. Minnesota) and a loss by Miami (vs. New England) or a loss or tie by New York Jets (vs. Baltimore).

AFC CENTRAL

Tennessee has clinched a playoff berth. They clinch the AFC Central, a first-round playoff bye and home field advantage with a win or tie (vs. Dallas) or a Baltimore loss or tie (vs. N.Y. Jets).

Baltimore has clinched a playoff berth. They clinch the AFC Central, a first-round playoff bye and home field advantage with a win (vs. N.Y. Jets) and a Tennessee loss (vs. Dallas).

Pittsburgh clinches a playoff berth with a win (vs. San Diego) and losses by both New York Jets (vs. Baltimore) and Indianapolis (vs. Minnesota).

AFC WEST

Oakland has clinched a playoff berth. They clinch the AFC West and a first-round playoff bye with a win or tie (vs. Carolina) or losses or ties by both Denver (vs. San Francisco) and Miami (vs. New England). They clinch the AFC West with a win or tie (vs. Carolina) or a loss or tie by Denver (vs. San Francisco).

Denver has clinched a playoff berth. They clinch the AFC West and a first-round playoff bye with a win (vs. San Francisco) and a loss by Oakland (vs. Carolina) and a loss or tie by Miami (vs. New England). They clinch the AFC West with a win (vs. San Francisco) and a loss by Oakland (vs. Carolina).

NFC

NFC EAST

New York Giants have clinched the NFC East. They clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win (vs. Jacksonville) or a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) and a loss or tie by New Orleans (vs. St. Louis). They clinch a first-round playoff bye with win (vs. Jacksonville) or a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) or a loss or tie by New Orleans (vs. St. Louis).

Philadelphia has clinched a playoff berth.

NFC CENTRAL

Minnesota has clinched a playoff berth. They clinch the NFC Central with a win or tie (vs. Indianapolis) or with a Tampa Bay loss or tie (vs. Green Bay). They clinch a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win (vs. Indianapolis) and a loss by New York Giants (vs. Jacksonville). They clinch a first-round playoff bye with win or tie (vs. Indianapolis) or losses or ties by both Tampa Bay (vs. Green Bay) and New Orleans (vs. St. Louis).

Tampa Bay has clinched a playoff berth. They clinch the NFC Central with a win and a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis). They clinch a first-round playoff bye with a win and a loss by Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) and a loss or tie by New Orleans (vs. St. Louis).

Detroit clinches a playoff spot with win (vs. Chicago) or a loss by St. Louis (vs. New Orleans) and a loss or tie by Green Bay (vs. Tampa Bay).

Green Bay clinches a playoff berth with a win (vs. Tampa Bay) and losses by both Detroit (vs. Chicago) and St. Louis (vs. New Orleans).

NFC WEST

New Orleans has clinched the NFC West. They clinch a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win and losses by both New York Giants (vs. Jacksonville) and Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis). They clinch a first-round playoff bye with a win (vs. St. Louis) and a loss by either Minnesota (vs. Indianapolis) or New York Giants (vs. Jacksonville).

St. Louis clinches a playoff berth with a win (vs. New Orleans) and a Detroit loss or tie (vs. Chicago).

The following teams have been officially eliminated from playoff contention: Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New England, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington.

(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: AP