NFL Playoffs [R]

[soccernutter]

Since everybody only has two games to go, and several positions have been solidified, gonna start this thread now.

In so far:
NFC
Philadelphia
Carolina
St Louis

AFC
New England
Indianapolis
Kansas City

[Ludahai]

The top three in the AFC are all strong and it seems that any of them can win the Super Bowl. It seems like the Pats will get home field, and with the weather in Foxboro so far this winter, it looks like that may be a huge advantage (especially against a team like the Colts who play indoors).

It seems like that the Pats always find a way to win and Brady is simply a winner. It wouldn't surprise me to see him lead the Pats to their second Super Bowl championship in three years.

Nevertheless, the AFC playoffs should be a lot of fun this year. I pity the one of the big three that can't get the bye and have to play an extra game. No one should go 13-3 and have to play in the first round, but it might happen.

In the NFC, it seems that only Philly can contend with the big guns in the AFC, but then again, they weren't that impressive against the Dolphins, a team on the outside looking in in the AFC.

This is clearly an AFC year and I would be stunned if an NFC team took it this year.

Just a few random thoughts. Personally, I can't wait for it to begin.

GO PATS!!!

[Waingro]

Originally posted by Ludahai
The top three in the AFC are all strong and it seems that any of them can win the Super Bowl. It seems like the Pats will get home field, and with the weather in Foxboro so far this winter, it looks like that may be a huge advantage (especially against a team like the Colts who play indoors).

It seems like that the Pats always find a way to win and Brady is simply a winner. It wouldn't surprise me to see him lead the Pats to their second Super Bowl championship in three years.

Nevertheless, the AFC playoffs should be a lot of fun this year. I pity the one of the big three that can't get the bye and have to play an extra game. No one should go 13-3 and have to play in the first round, but it might happen.

In the NFC, it seems that only Philly can contend with the big guns in the AFC, but then again, they weren't that impressive against the Dolphins, a team on the outside looking in in the AFC.

This is clearly an AFC year and I would be stunned if an NFC team took it this year.

Just a few random thoughts. Personally, I can't wait for it to begin.

GO PATS!!!

Something just doesn't seem right about the Pats (I feel the same way about Philly). I know their record is awesome and they always find a way to win, but they don't have a great running game and that will come back to haunt them. Of all their recent wins, I was most impressed with their win in Indy, but you can't count on that kind of offensive production in the playoffs. I think the Colts and Chiefs are more balanced offensively, even if neither of their defenses are as good as the Pats'. I also think the Jets pose a real problem this weekend. Best for Pats fans to root for a KC win against Minnesota, that way in the event of a New England loss the Pats would still win a 2-way head-to-head tiebreaker with Indy at 13-3 and would at least get a bye. But if both KC and the Pats lose, and Indy wins out to force a three-way tie at 13-3, Indy wins that tiebreaker and gets home field throughout, followed by KC #2 and NE #3. Hard to imagine being 13-3 and not getting a bye, but like you said it's very possible... I'd even call it likely.

[soccernutter]

Originally posted by kwik1980
Week 16 playoff scenarios, courtesy of nfl.com:

AFC East:

New England (12-2)- Has clinched AFC East. Can clinch 1st round bye with:
-Indinapolis loss
-New England win/tie and Indinapolis tie

AFC North:

Cincinnati (8-6)- Can clinch division title with:
-A win and a Baltimore loss

AFC South:
Indinapolis (11-3)- Has clinched playoff bearth. Can clinch division title with:

-A win
-A Tennessee loss
-A tie and a Tennessee tie

Tennessee (10-4)- Can clinch a playoff bearth with:
-A win or tie
-A Miami loss or tie
-A Baltimore loss or tie
-A Cincinnati loss or tie
-There are other scenarios that will end in Tennessee clinching a playoff bearth based on a strength of victory tiebreaker

AFC West:

Kansas City (12-2)- Has clinched division title. Can clinch a 1st round bye with:
-An Indinapolis loss
-A win or tie and an Indinapolis tie

Denver (9-5)- Can clinch playoff bearth with:
-A win and a Baltimore loss or tie
-A win and a Cincinnati loss or tie
-A tie, a Miami loss or tie, and a Baltimore loss
-A tie, a Miami loss or tie, and a Cincinnati loss

-Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, NY Jets, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and San Diego have been eliminated

NFC East:

Philadelphia (11-3)- Has clinched a playoff bearth. Can clinch division title with:
-A win or tie
-A Dallas loss or tie

Can clinch homefield advantage throughout playoffs with:
-A win and a St. Louis loss

Dallas (9-5)- Can clinch playoff bearth with:
-A win
-A tie and a Minnesota loss
-A tie and a Green Bay loss or tie
-A tie and a Seattle loss or tie
-A Minnesota loss, a Seattle loss, a Green Bay loss, a New Orleans loss or tie, and a Tampa Bay loss or tie.
-There are other scenarios that will end with Dallas clinching a playoff bearth on strength of victory tiebreaker


NFC North:

Minnesota (8-6)- Can clinch division title with:
-A win, a Green Bay loss, and results allowing Minnesota to clinch a strength of victory tiebreaker with Green Bay
Can clinch a playoff bearth with:
-A win, a Dallas win or tie, a Seattle loss, a New Orleans loss or tie, and a Tampa Bay loss or tie
-There are other scenarios that will end with Minnesota clinching a playoff spot based on strength of victory tiebreaker

Green Bay (8-6)- Can clinch a playoff bearth with:
-A win, a Dallas win or tie, a Seattle loss, and a New Orleans loss or tie
-There are other scenarios that will end with Green Bay clinching a playoff spot based on strength of victory tiebreaker

NFC South:

Carolina (9-5)- Has clinched division title

NFC West:

St. Louis (11-3)- Has clinched division title. Can clinch 1st round bye with:
-A win or tie
-A Carolina loss or tie

Thanks kwik1980

[TheLimeChicken]

Originally posted by Waingro
But if both KC and the Pats lose, and Indy wins out to force a three-way tie at 13-3, Indy wins that tiebreaker and gets home field throughout, followed by KC #2 and NE #3.

Honestly, I'm not sure how the tie-breakers play out and I'm not going to look it up because it'll just make my head hurt, but maybe you can clarify this?

Boston talk-radio is painting a slightly different tie-break scenario for the Pats:

Pats win a two-way tie with KC due to better conference record.

A three-way tie sees the Pats play in the first round, but only should the Pats lose to Buffalo, should they lose Saturday to the Jets and then defeat Buffalo then the Pats come out ahead with the #1 seed.

Something called "strength-of-victory" is supposed to be the deciding factor here, I have absolutely no idea what that entails.

Not saying your scenario is wrong, but this is what's being reported in Boston. I have no idea how the tie-breakers work, maybe you could post the three-way tiebreakers if you know how they play out?

[Lucid]

It's really tough to favor any team in the AFC right now. New England has glaring problems with the running game. Kansas City has a a great offense, but their defense (mostly run defense) is horrible. Indy is QB'd by Peyton Manning and these will be big games. Tennessee could be without McNair. Then who knows about the other teams like Baltimore, Cincy, Denver, and Miami. There are definately four top-teir teams in the AFC this season, and I think any of them could go to the Superbowl. Should be fun.

[Waingro]

Originally posted by TheLimeChicken
Honestly, I'm not sure how the tie-breakers play out and I'm not going to look it up because it'll just make my head hurt, but maybe you can clarify this?

Boston talk-radio is painting a slightly different tie-break scenario for the Pats:

Pats win a two-way tie with KC due to better conference record.

A three-way tie sees the Pats play in the first round, but only should the Pats lose to Buffalo, should they lose Saturday to the Jets and then defeat Buffalo then the Pats come out ahead with the #1 seed.

Something called "strength-of-victory" is supposed to be the deciding factor here, I have absolutely no idea what that entails.

Not saying your scenario is wrong, but this is what's being reported in Boston. I have no idea how the tie-breakers work, maybe you could post the three-way tiebreakers if you know how they play out?

Here are the NFL tiebreakers for interdivisional teams, taken from NFL.com:

Two Clubs:
1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.

Three or More Clubs:
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)
1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss



If the season ended today (which is probably what the radio guys were talking about), the Pats would win a two-way tie with KC due to better conference record (9-1 vs. 10-2, respectively). If both teams win out and go 14-2, NE wins the tiebreaker due to better conference record (11-1 vs. 10-2). If both teams lose only one more game and finish 13-3, both would have the same conference record at 10-2. The next tiebreaker would then be "best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four." The common opponents for these two teams are: Buffalo, Houston, Denver and Cleveland.

That leaves 5 games to be considered (counting the two games each team played with their respective divisional opponent). As it stands now, KC is 4-1 in those five games, with blowouts in 3 of them (only loss was blowout by Denver).
NE is 3-1 so far, and all three wins have been close games (and the loss was a blowout by Buffalo in week 1), with one more game remaining vs. Buffalo in week 17. If they lose the Buffalo game (after beating the Jets) to go 13-3, then they'd be 3-2 against the common opponents and KC at 4-1 would win the tiebreaker. Further, if they win the Buffalo game (and lose the Jets game) to go 13-3, they'd have the same 4-1 record against the common opponents, but the strength of those victories (the 5th tiebreaker above) wouldn't be as great as the strength of KC's victories vs. the same teams.

At least that's the way I understand the rules as they're written.

As for Indy, if they win out and both KC and NE lose one more game each, they'd all be 13-3 and they'd all have 10-2 conference records. Head to head wouldn't come into play due to Kansas City having not played NE or Indy this season. In that case the Pats' win over Indy wouldn't factor in a 3-way tie. The next tiebreaker available would again be best record in common games. Indy shares the same common games with the other two: Buffalo, Houston, Cleveland and Denver. And if Indy were to win out, they'd be 5-0 in those common games and thus would win the 3-way tie. After that the tiebreakers would be reapplied to KC and NE, and we've already determined that KC would win that.

I could be misinterpreting the "strengh of victory" tiebreaker, however. My interpretation is that the strength of victory in the common games is all that's used. If they were to use anything beyond those common games for the strength of victory tiebreaker, I have no idea how it would turn out...

After this weekend the league will come out with every possible week 17 scenario and the playoff picture will be much clearer. Or will it? :)

[TheLimeChicken]

Originally posted by Waingro

I could be misinterpreting the "strengh of victory" tiebreaker, however. My interpretation is that the strength of victory in the common games is all that's used. If they were to use anything beyond those common games for the strength of victory tiebreaker, I have no idea how it would turn out...



Thanks for doing that...Now I remember why I never worry about this stuff and just wait until the final games are played to see where my team is at.

As far as "strength of victory" goes, the impression here is that it is considered for all games, not just common games between the tied teams. Then again, IIRC, "strength of victory" is a rather new addition to the tie-breaker system and may not have been used as of yet, in that case I'm not sure anyone knows how it works.

[Levante]

Originally posted by Lucid
Indy is QB'd by Peyton Manning and these will be big games.

This is the year Peyton Manning puts an end to this.

[billyireland]

Packers wi nthe NFC North & get into the playoffs... Fravre then throws 27 TDs and no picks in the 4 matches while Green picks up 1500 yards and the Packers beat the Chiefs 78-0 in the Superbowl (weeks later renamed the Packerbowl) and Lombardi comes home.

[obie]

The mood in Philly nowadays seems to be muted optimism, but what happened today has to make them feel very good about their chances:

- Tampa is finally dead.
- Minnesota's win gives them the inside track on the NFC North title and the #4 seed. Hence, if the Eagles stay on course and get #1, they would most likely get to play two dome teams at the Linc in January.

The big question I've had for Eagles fans this week is: is making the Super Bowl enough to take out te bad taste of the past two years, or do they have to win it? My brother, a 10-year season ticket holder, says that a SB trip is enough for this year.

[Ludahai]

Originally posted by obie

The big question I've had for Eagles fans this week is: is making the Super Bowl enough to take out te bad taste of the past two years, or do they have to win it? My brother, a 10-year season ticket holder, says that a SB trip is enough for this year.

A trip to the Super Bowl had better be enough unless they can do what no one else seems to be able to do, crack that Patriots defense!

[afgrijselijkheid]

Originally posted by Ludahai
In the NFC, it seems that only Philly can contend with the big guns in the AFC


man i wish i knew you so we could bet because i would take all your sh!t - RAMS BABY

[Ludahai]

Originally posted by bluedaddy19
man i wish i knew you so we could bet because i would take all your sh!t - RAMS BABY

Bring the Rams on. We beat you once, we can do it again!

GO PATS!!!

[afgrijselijkheid]

Originally posted by Ludahai
Bring the Rams on. We beat you once, we can do it again!

GO PATS!!!

i thought you might bring that garbage up - look not only did the refs facilitate your super bowl "win", the fact is you never should have even been in the damn game... fumble much?

[kwik1980]

Up to the minute playoff information, up through the Sunday night game.

AFC-

New England has clinched the East, and a first round bye. They clinch home field with a win, a KC loss, or other scenarios that the NFL hasn't posted yet.

Kansas City has clinched the West, a first round bye, and can still get home field, but they need at least a win and a Pats loss.

Indinapolis is in the playoffs, and they clinch the South with a win, or a Tennessee loss.

Tennessee is in the playoffs, and can win the South with a win and an Indinapolis loss.

Baltimore wins the North with a win, or a Cincinnati loss. Cincinnati needs a win and a Baltimore loss to win the division.

The NFC will be clearer after the Monday night game, but the only spots left up for grabs are one wild card out of Green Bay/Seattle/Minnesota, and the NFC North between Green Bay and Minnesota.

And for everyone who was talking the other day about Philadelphia having a great shot at home field: If they lose to Washington, and Dallas wins against New Orleans, the Cowboys would win the East, and the Eagles would be a wild card looking forward to a trip to Green Bay, Minnesota, or Carolina.

[Y&B POWER]

it's a damn complicated thing this NFL playoffs procedure

for example if the Bengals will win their last game and Baltimore will lose theirs at SNF then the Bengals will be above the Ravens on the "strength of victory" stuff rather than the "strengh of schedule" thing

here are the current standings from NFL.com:



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2003 Standings · 2003 Conference Standings · 2003 Preseason Standings · Final 2002 Standings · Final 2001 Standings · NFL Tiebreaking Procedures
2003 Conference Standings

The division winners are seeded one through four in each conference for the playoffs based on record.
The two Wild Card teams are automatically seeded fifth and sixth in each conference.
Teams with identical overall records are ranked based on NFL tiebreaking procedures.

2003 AFC Seeding
Team Div Overall Record Head to Head Div Record (intra-div tie brkr) Conf Record Common Games Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
1 yz-New England E 13-2-0 4-1-0 10-1-0 0-0-0 .518 .498 8 16 0 77 35
2 yz-Kansas City W 12-3-0 5-1-0 10-2-0 0-0-0 .372 .418 13 23 0 124 59
3 x-Indianapolis S 11-4-0 2 4-1-0 8-3-0 0-0-0 .455 .502 13 22 0 108 46
4 Baltimore N 9-6-0 3-2-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .393 .462 9 15 0 107 40
5 x-Tennessee S 11-4-0 -2 4-2-0 8-4-0 0-0-0 .400 .476 12 21 0 91 45
6 x-Denver W 10-5-0 5-1-0 9-3-0 0-0-0 .393 .484 8 14 0 108 42
7 Miami E 9-6-0 3-2-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .400 .524 11 19 0 50 33
8 Cincinnati N 8-7-0 3-2-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .458 .467 21 41 0 -30 38
9 N.Y. Jets E 6-9-0 1 1-4-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .411 .529 17 32 0 -14 27
10 Pittsburgh N 6-9-0 3-2-0 5-6-0 0-0-0 .344 .489 19 34 0 -24 32
11 Buffalo E 6-9-0 1 2-3-0 4-7-0 0-0-0 .456 .556 17 32 0 -5 27
12 Houston S 5-10-0 1 1-4-0 3-8-0 0-0-0 .453 .556 29 57 0 -122 27
13 Jacksonville S 5-10-0 1 2-4-0 3-9-0 0-0-0 .440 .551 19 38 0 -48 29
14 Cleveland N 4-11-0 1-4-0 2-9-0 0-0-0 .333 .542 23 43 0 -76 25
15 Oakland W 4-11-0 1-4-0 3-8-0 0-0-0 .483 .533 26 52 0 -102 27
16 San Diego W 3-12-0 0-5-0 1-10-0 0-0-0 .378 .524 24 46 0 -135 35

2003 NFC Seeding
Team Div Overall Record Head to Head Div Record (intra-div tie brkr) Conf Record Common Games Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
1 yz-St. Louis W 12-3-0 4-2-0 8-3-0 0-0-0 .433 .436 6 13 0 129 45
2 x-Philadelphia E 11-4-0 4-1-0 8-3-0 0-0-0 .448 .493 9 20 0 63 39
3 y-Carolina S 10-5-0 5-1-0 8-3-0 0-0-0 .400 .449 11 26 0 8 29
4 Green Bay N 9-6-0 1 4-2-0 7-5-0 7-3-0 .422 .480 8 16 112 107 49
5 x-Dallas E 10-5-0 5-1-0 8-3-0 0-0-0 .387 .453 12 24 0 35 30
6 Minnesota N 9-6-0 1 4-2-0 7-4-0 6-4-0 .489 .467 14 29 53 64 49
7 Seattle W 9-6-0 4-1-0 7-4-0 0-0-0 .393 .467 11 21 0 70 45
8 San Francisco W 7-8-0 2-3-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .476 .502 13 27 0 54 42
9 New Orleans S 7-8-0 1 3-3-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .343 .489 17 33 0 8 38
10 Tampa Bay S 7-8-0 1 2-4-0 6-6-0 0-0-0 .438 .484 9 18 0 57 35
11 Chicago N 7-8-0 2-4-0 4-8-0 0-0-0 .362 .462 20 40 0 -35 29
12 Washington E 5-10-0 1-4-0 3-8-0 0-0-0 .480 .520 23 45 0 -61 29
13 Atlanta S 4-11-0 2-4-0 4-8-0 0-0-0 .517 .560 28 53 0 -130 32
14 N.Y. Giants E 4-11-0 1-5-0 3-8-0 0-0-0 .533 .556 28 56 0 -131 23
15 Detroit N 4-11-0 2-4-0 3-8-0 0-0-0 .383 .524 28 55 0 -119 26
16 Arizona W 3-12-0 1-5-0 2-9-0 0-0-0 .533 .547 32 64 0 -228 23


2003 Divisional Standings

2003 AFC East Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
yz-New England 13-2-0 4-1-0 0-0-0 10-1-0 .518 .498 8 16 0 77 35
Miami 9-6-0 3-2-0 0-0-0 6-5-0 .400 .524 11 19 0 50 33
Buffalo 6-9-0 1 2-3-0 0-0-0 4-7-0 .456 .556 17 32 0 -5 27
N.Y. Jets 6-9-0 1 1-4-0 0-0-0 6-5-0 .411 .529 17 32 0 -14 27
2003 AFC North Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
Baltimore 9-6-0 3-2-0 0-0-0 6-5-0 .393 .462 9 15 0 107 40
Cincinnati 8-7-0 3-2-0 0-0-0 6-5-0 .458 .467 21 41 0 -30 38
Pittsburgh 6-9-0 3-2-0 0-0-0 5-6-0 .344 .489 19 34 0 -24 32
Cleveland 4-11-0 1-4-0 0-0-0 2-9-0 .333 .542 23 43 0 -76 25
2003 AFC South Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
x-Indianapolis 11-4-0 2 4-1-0 0-0-0 8-3-0 .455 .502 13 22 0 108 46
x-Tennessee 11-4-0 -2 4-2-0 0-0-0 8-4-0 .400 .476 12 21 0 91 45
Jacksonville 5-10-0 1 2-4-0 0-0-0 3-9-0 .440 .551 19 38 0 -48 29
Houston 5-10-0 1 1-4-0 0-0-0 3-8-0 .453 .556 29 57 0 -122 27
2003 AFC West Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
yz-Kansas City 12-3-0 5-1-0 0-0-0 10-2-0 .372 .418 13 23 0 124 59
x-Denver 10-5-0 5-1-0 0-0-0 9-3-0 .393 .484 8 14 0 108 42
Oakland 4-11-0 1-4-0 0-0-0 3-8-0 .483 .533 26 52 0 -102 27
San Diego 3-12-0 0-5-0 0-0-0 1-10-0 .378 .524 24 46 0 -135 35

2003 NFC East Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
x-Philadelphia 11-4-0 4-1-0 0-0-0 8-3-0 .448 .493 9 20 0 63 39
x-Dallas 10-5-0 5-1-0 0-0-0 8-3-0 .387 .453 12 24 0 35 30
Washington 5-10-0 1-4-0 0-0-0 3-8-0 .480 .520 23 45 0 -61 29
N.Y. Giants 4-11-0 1-5-0 0-0-0 3-8-0 .533 .556 28 56 0 -131 23
2003 NFC North Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
Green Bay 9-6-0 1 4-2-0 7-3-0 7-5-0 .422 .480 8 16 112 107 49
Minnesota 9-6-0 1 4-2-0 6-4-0 7-4-0 .489 .467 14 29 53 64 49
Chicago 7-8-0 2-4-0 0-0-0 4-8-0 .362 .462 20 40 0 -35 29
Detroit 4-11-0 2-4-0 0-0-0 3-8-0 .383 .524 28 55 0 -119 26
2003 NFC South Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
y-Carolina 10-5-0 5-1-0 0-0-0 8-3-0 .400 .449 11 26 0 8 29
New Orleans 7-8-0 1 3-3-0 0-0-0 6-5-0 .343 .489 17 33 0 8 38
Tampa Bay 7-8-0 1 2-4-0 0-0-0 6-6-0 .438 .484 9 18 0 57 35
Atlanta 4-11-0 2-4-0 0-0-0 4-8-0 .517 .560 28 53 0 -130 32
2003 NFC West Standings
Team Overall Record Head to Head Division Record Common Games Record Conf Record Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Conf PF + PA Rank Overall PF + PA Rank Common Games Net Pts Overall Net Pts TD
yz-St. Louis 12-3-0 4-2-0 0-0-0 8-3-0 .433 .436 6 13 0 129 45
Seattle 9-6-0 4-1-0 0-0-0 7-4-0 .393 .467 11 21 0 70 45
San Francisco 7-8-0 2-3-0 0-0-0 6-5-0 .476 .502 13 27 0 54 42
Arizona 3-12-0 1-5-0 0-0-0 2-9-0 .533 .547 32 64 0 -228 23


x-clinched playoff berth
y-clinched division title
z-clinched first-round bye

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[Waingro]

I'm sure you meant well, but DUDE!

[kwik1980]

Here's the full rundown:

New England clinches #1 seed in the AFC with a win, a tie, or a Kansas City loss or tie

Baltimore clinches the AFC North with a win, a tie, or a Cincinnati loss or tie. And, a Cincinnati win along with a Baltimore loss gives the AFC North to the Bengals.

Indinapolis clinches the AFC South with a win, a Tennessee loss, or both teams tying. Tennessee wins the division with a win and an Indinapolis loss

Kansas City clinches the #1 seed in the AFC with a win and a New England loss

In the NFC:

Philadelphia clinches the #1 seed in the NFC with a win and a St. Louis loss. They clinch the NFC East with a win, a tie, or a Dallas loss or tie

Dallas clinches the NFC East with a win and a Philadelphia loss

St. Louis can clinch the #1 seed in the NFC with a win, a tie or a Philadelphia loss or tie.

Those are all straightforward scenarios. Now the confusion!

Minnesota (9-6)

Minnesota clinches the NFC North with:
-A win
-A Green Bay loss
-A tie and a Green Bay tie

Minnesota clinches a playoff bearth with:
-A Seattle loss
-A tie and a Seattle tie

Green Bay (9-6)

Green Bay clinches the NFC North with:
-A win and a Minnesota loss or tie
-A tie and a Minnesota loss

Green Bay clinches a playoff bearth with:
-A Seattle loss
-A win, and a Dallas win or tie
-A Green Bay win, along with Dallas finishing with a better strength of victory than Seattle (???)
-A Green Bay win or tie and a Seattle tie

Seattle (9-6)

Seattle clinches a playoff spot with:
-A win and a Minnesota loss or tie
-A win and a Green Bay loss or tie
-A win, a Dallas loss, and Seattle finishing with a better strength of victory than Dallas (oy...)
-A Seattle tie and a Minnesota loss
-A Seattle tie and a Green Bay loss

St. Louis has one of the NFC 1st round byes, the NFC East winner will have the other. New England and Kansas City are locked into the AFC byes.

[ThreeApples]

Here's how the "strength of victory" could affect playoff qualification between Seattle and Green Bay:

If Minnesota, Green Bay, and Seattle all win their final games, and Dallas loses, all four teams will have 10-6 records. First the divisional tiebreakers will be applied to determine the North champion between Minnesota and Green Bay. Minnesota wins this by the 4th tiebreaker, conference record.

Then we're left with Green Bay, Seattle, and Dallas all tied at 10-6 with 2 wild-card slots available. First the 3-way tiebreaker procedure is applied to determine the first wild-card team (#5 seed). The first tiebreaker is head-to-head which is useless because Dallas did not play either of the other teams. Next is conference record. Seattle and Dallas would both be 8-4, while Green Bay is 7-5. According to the tiebreaker rules, this eliminates Green Bay from contention for the #5 seed, and they go back to the start of the 2-team tiebreaker rules to pick a winner between Seattle and Dallas.

In the two-team tiebreaker, head-to-head and conference record do not break the Seahawks/Cowboys tie. Next is record vs. common opponents, which are Detroit, Arizona, Washington and New Orleans. Both teams are 4-1 vs. these opponents (we are assuming a Saints win over Dallas). Next is strength of victory, which is the combined winning percentage of all of the teams that each team beat during the season. Currently Seattle's SOV is .393, and Dallas' is .387, but the final SOV numbers will be affected by results all over the league involving teams that one team or the other beat. So this tiebreaker might still be in question until the end of the Pittsburgh/Baltimore Sunday night game.

So whoever wins that SOV tiebreaker gets the #5 seed. Then, to determine the #6 seed, a two-team tiebreaker would be applied between Green Bay and the loser of the Seahawks/Cowboys tiebreaker. If the Cowboys win the #5 seed tiebreaker, then Green Bay wins the #6 seed tiebreaker over Seattle due to their week 5 win over the Seahawks. If the Seahawks win the #5 seed tiebreaker, Dallas wins the #6 seed tiebreaker over the Packers based on a better conference record.

So in any case Dallas is in the playoffs, but the fate of Seattle and Green Bay could rest on the strength of victory comparison between Dallas and Seattle.