The following charts seek to answer the following question: If these two (or more) teams finish with the same record, who wins the tiebreaker?
Notes and assumptions:
- No possibility of future tie games (tie scenarios may be added next week).
- Tiebreaker winners are as they would be if the teams were tied at the end of the season, NOT as if the season ended right now. (Example: the only way CIN and BAL wind up with the same record at the end of the season is if BAL wins their Week 18 matchup.)
- Tiebreakers that don’t affect playoff berths or seeding are ignored. (Example: any non-South tie at fewer than 8 wins.)
- Division ties are broken first. If MIA, NE, and LAC all finish 9-8, break the East tie between MIA and NE first, then break the tie between the MIA-NE winner and LAC.
- Any tie for the final wild card at 8-9 must include NE from the East.
- If three or more teams are tied, apply that tiebreaker, not the two-team tiebreaker.
- Strength of victory is the combined winning percentage (essentially, the number of wins) of the teams a team has beaten. It has nothing to do with point totals.
- BUF has clinched the East. KC has clinched the West.
- LAC has clinched a wild card spot.
- CIN and BAL have clinched a playoff spot.
- CLE, HOU, IND, and DEN have been eliminated.
The complete tiebreaker rules are here.
Jump to East | North | South | Interdivisional ties 2-way • 3-way • 4-way
AFC East
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIA-NYJ | 9-8 | NYJ | head-to-head |
| NYJ-NE | 9-8 | NE | head-to-head |
| MIA-NYJ-NE | 8-9 | NE | head-to-head |
AFC North
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAL-CIN | BAL | head-to-head | |
| PIT-CLE | 8-9 | CLE | head-to-head |
AFC South
| If these teams tie | at | with these things happening | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEN-JAX | 8-9 | TEN beats JAX | TEN | division record |
| TEN-JAX | 8-9 | JAX beats TEN | JAX | head-to-head |
Interdivisional ties
2-way ties
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUF-BAL | 12-5 | BUF | head-to-head |
| BUF-CIN | CIN | head-to-head | |
| BUF-KC | BUF | head-to-head | |
| MIA-BAL | 10-7 | MIA | head-to-head |
| MIA-PIT | 9-8 | MIA | head-to-head |
| MIA-LAC | LAC | head-to-head | |
| NYJ-PIT | 9-8 | NYJ | head-to-head |
| NYJ-LAC | 9-8 | LAC | conference record |
| NE-CLE | 8-9 | NE | head-to-head |
| NE-PIT | NE | head-to-head | |
| NE-TEN | 8-9 | NE | conference record |
| NE-JAX | 8-9 | JAX | conference record |
| NE-LAC | 9-8 | LAC | common opponents |
| NE-LV | 8-9 | LV | head-to-head |
| BAL-KC | 12-5 | BAL | conference record |
| BAL-LAC | 10-7 | LAC | conference record |
| CIN-KC | CIN | head-to-head | |
| CIN-LAC | 11-6 | LAC | conference record |
| PIT-LAC | 9-8 | LAC | conference record |
3-way ties
| If these teams tie | at | with these things happening | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF-BAL-KC | 12-5 | BUF | head-to-head | |
| BUF-CIN-KC | CIN | head-to-head | ||
| MIA-BAL-LAC | 10-7 | LAC beats LAR | MIA | conference record |
| MIA-BAL-LAC | 10-7 | LAC loses to LAR | LAC |
|
| MIA-PIT-LAC | 9-8 | LAC |
|
|
| NYJ-PIT-LAC | 9-8 | LAC | conference record | |
| NE-CLE-TEN | 8-9 | NE | conference record | |
| NE-CLE-JAX | 8-9 | JAX | conference record | |
| NE-CLE-LV | 8-9 | LV |
|
|
| NE-PIT-TEN | 8-9 | NE | conference record | |
| NE-PIT-JAX | 8-9 | JAX | conference record | |
| NE-PIT-LAC | 9-8 | LAC |
|
|
| NE-PIT-LV | 8-9 | LV |
|
|
| NE-TEN-LV | 8-9 | LV |
|
|
| NE-JAX-LV | 8-9 | JAX | conference record |
4-way ties
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| NE-CLE-TEN-LV | 8-9 | LV |
|
| NE-CLE-JAX-LV | 8-9 | JAX | conference record |
| NE-PIT-TEN-LV | 8-9 | LV |
|
| NE-PIT-JAX-LV | 8-9 | JAX | conference record |
