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.
- 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 PIT and BAL wind up with the same record at the end of the season is if BAL beats PIT Week 18.)
- Tiebreakers that don’t affect playoff berths or seeding are not shown.
- 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.
- NYJ, MIA, CLE, CIN, TEN, IND, LV, and KC have been eliminated.
- NE has clinched the AFC East. DEN has clinched the AFC West.
- BUF, HOU, JAX, and LAC have clinched playoff berths.
The complete tiebreaker rules are here.
Jump to North | South | Interdivisional ties 2-way • 3-way
AFC North
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIT-BAL | 9-8 | BAL | division record |
AFC South
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAX-HOU | 12-5 | HOU | division record |
Interdivisional ties
2-way ties
| If these teams tie | at | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| NE-JAX | 13-4 | JAX | conference record |
| NE-DEN | DEN | common opponents | |
| BUF-JAX | 12-5 | BUF | common opponents |
| BUF-HOU | HOU | head-to-head | |
| BUF-LAC | LAC | common opponents | |
| JAX-DEN | 13-4 | JAX | head-to-head |
| JAX-LAC | 12-5 | JAX | head-to-head |
| HOU-LAC | HOU | head-to-head |
3-way ties
| If these teams tie | at | with these things happening | tie goes to | based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE-JAX-DEN | 13-4 | JAX | conference record | |
| BUF-JAX-LAC | 12-5 | DAL + MIA + MIN + PHI + PIT win at least 2 more games than ARI + CAR + SF |
LAC | strength of victory |
| BUF-JAX-LAC | 12-5 | DAL + MIA + MIN + PHI + PIT win fewer than 2 more games than ARI + CAR + SF |
JAX | strength of victory |
| BUF-HOU-LAC | HOU | head-to-head |
