Three Cards to Play, Only One in Hand
Well, the Kansas City Chiefs have prolonged suffering for their fans for one more week after this past weekend’s trouncing of the San Diego Chargers; however, this does not mean that the Chiefs are now squarely in the playoffs … only that any hope of reaching the playoffs are on life support.
Here is how the Chiefs and Pittsburg Steelers see their playoff hopes:
For the Chiefs to make the playoffs,
- Chiefs must win
- Steelers must lose
- Chargers must lose or tie with Denver Broncos
all three MUST happen for the Chiefs to make the playoffs … not a bright hope.
For the Steelers to make the playoffs,
- Steelers win or tie, OR
- Chiefs lose or tie, OR
- Chargers win
Here is the rest of the Playoff breakdown provided by NFL.com:
AFC EAST DIVISION
- New England has clinched division title.
AFC NORTH DIVISION
- Cincinnati has clinched division title.
- Pittsburgh can clinch playoff berth with:
- PIT win or tie, OR
- KC loss or tie, OR
- SD win
AFC SOUTH DIVISION
- Indianapolis has clinched the division title and home-field advantage in the playoffs.
- Jacksonville has clinched playoff spot.
AFC WEST DIVISION
- Denver has clinched division title and a first-round bye.
- Kansas City can clinch playoff berth with:
- KC win + PIT loss + SD loss or tie
NFC EAST DIVISION
- N.Y. Giants have clinched playoff spot
- N.Y. Giants can clinch division title with:
- NYG win or tie, OR
- WAS loss or tie
- Dallas can clinch playoff berth with:
- DAL win + WAS loss or tie, OR
- DAL win + CAR loss, OR
- DAL win + TB loss + NYG loss + NYG and DAL clinch strength of victory tiebreaker over TB, OR
DAL tie + WAS loss
- Washington can clinch division title with:
- WAS win + NYG loss
- Washington can clinch playoff berth with:
- WAS win, OR
- DAL loss, OR
- WAS tie + DAL tie
NFC NORTH DIVISION
- Chicago has clinched division title and a first-round bye
NFC SOUTH DIVISION
- Carolina can clinch division with:
- CAR win + TB loss or tie, OR
- CAR tie + TB loss
- Carolina can clinch playoff berth with:
- CAR win or tie, OR
- DAL loss or tie, OR
- WAS loss or tie.
- Tampa Bay can clinch division title with:
- TB win, OR
- CAR loss, OR
- TB tie + CAR tie
- Tampa Bay can clinch playoff berth with:
- TB tie, OR
- DAL loss or tie, OR
- WAS loss or tie, OR
- NYG win or tie, OR
- TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over DAL or NYG.
NFC WEST DIVISION
- Seattle has clinched division title and home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Following Week 16: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Miami, Minnesota, New Orleans, N.Y. Jets, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco and Tennessee have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Playoff breakdowns provided by NFL.com
