Once again the NFL has done it. Or should I say, the Dallas Cowboys have done it. With the New York Giants loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Sunday Night Football game for week 17 will be the Dallas Cowboys at the Washington Redskins for the NFC East crown. This will be the second year in a row in which the Dallas Cowboys will be playing for their playoff lives in prime time. Last year’s week 17 finale against the New York Giants was one of the most watched regular season games in NFL history.
In the AFC the teams are all locked in, just seeding needs to play out. As of now, here are the seeds:
1. Houston
2. Denver
3. New England
4. Baltimore
5. Indianapolis
6. Cincinnati
To make your life easier, here are the AFC playoff seeding scenarios:
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
The only certainty in the NFC is that the Atlanta Falcons are the #1 seed. The rest of the seeding and the final two teams in need to be played out in week 17. Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle and Green Bay are all in.
1. Atlanta – clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs
2. Green Bay
3. San Francisco
4. Washington
5. Seattle
6. Minnesota
Here are the NFC’s scenarios:
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
