Week 17 scenarios!

NFC

CAROLINA (14-1, vs TB 4:25)

The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Panthers can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win/tie OR
2) ARZ loss/tie

ARIZONA (13-2, vs SEA 4:25)

The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC West division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Cardinals can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) ARZ win + CAR loss

GREEN BAY (10-5, vs MIN 8:30)

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Packers can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) GB win OR
2) GB tie

MINNESOTA (10-5, at GB 8:30)

The Vikings have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Vikings can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) MIN win

WASHINGTON (8-7, at DAL 1:00)

The Redskins have already clinched a playoff spot with the NFC East division title, and they are locked into the NFC's #4 seed. They will host Green Bay, Minnesota, or Seattle in the Wild Card Round.

SEATTLE (9-6, at ARZ 4:25)

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Seahawks can clinch the NFC's #5 seed, and be guaranteed to be at Washington, with:
1) SEA win + MIN loss

Note about seeding for Green Bay, Minnesota, and Seattle:
The winner of the NFC North is guaranteed to be the #3 seed. If the loser of MIN-GB is the Packers, they will be the 5 seed (at #4 WAS) and the Seahawks will be the 6 seed (at #3 MIN). If the loser is the Vikings, then the Seattle result against Arizona comes into play to decide which is 5 (at WAS) and which is 6 (at GB) between the Vikings and Seahawks.


AFC

NEW ENGLAND (12-3, at MIA 1:00)

The Patriots have already clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Patriots can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win/tie OR
2) DEN loss/tie

DENVER (11-4, vs SD 4:25)

The Broncos have already clinched a playoff spot, and they can still clinch:
a) the AFC West division title
b) a first round bye in the playoffs
c) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Broncos can clinch the AFC West division title with:
1) DEN win/tie OR
2) KC loss/tie

The Broncos can clinch a first round bye with:
1) DEN win OR
2) CIN loss + KC loss/tie OR
3) DEN tie + CIN tie

The Broncos can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) DEN win + NE loss

CINCINNATI (11-4, vs BAL 1:00)

The Bengals have already clinched a playoff spot and the AFC North division title.
The Bengals can clinch a first round bye with:
1) CIN win + DEN loss/tie OR
2) CIN win/tie + DEN loss OR
3) KC win + DEN loss

KANSAS CITY (10-5, vs OAK 4:25)

The Chiefs have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West division title and the AFC's #3 seed with:
1) KC win + DEN loss

NEW YORK (10-5, at BUF 1:00)

The Jets haven't clinched anything.
The Jets can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) NYJ win/tie OR
2) PIT loss/tie

PITTSBURGH (9-6, at CLE 1:00)

The Steelers haven't clinched anything.
The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss

HOUSTON (8-7, vs JAX 1:00)

The Texans haven't clinched anything.
The Texans can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) HOU win/tie OR
2) IND loss/tie OR
3) MIA loss OR
4) DEN loss OR
5) NO beats ATL OR
6) NYJ win OR
7) CIN win OR
8) PIT loss + KC win OR
9) PIT loss + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
10) KC win + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker

INDIANAPOLIS (7-8, vs TEN 1:00)

The Colts haven't clinched anything.
The Colts can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) IND win + HOU loss + DEN win + CIN loss + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + KC loss OR
2) IND win + HOU loss + DEN win + CIN loss + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
3) IND win + HOU loss + DEN win + CIN loss + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + KC loss + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker


Week 17:

CBS 1:00
NYJ@BUF
PIT@CLE
NE@MIA
JAX@HOU
TEN@IND

Fox 1:00
BAL@CIN
WAS@DAL
PHI@NYG
NO@ATL
DET@CHI

CBS 4:25
SD@DEN
STL@SF

Fox 4:25
SEA@ARZ
OAK@KC
TB@CAR

NBC 8:30
MIN@GB

Updated playoff scenarios prior to Week 16 MNF

NFC

CAROLINA (14-1, vs TB 4:25)

The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Panthers can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win/tie OR
2) ARZ loss/tie

ARIZONA (13-2, vs SEA 4:25)

The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC West division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Cardinals can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) ARZ win + CAR loss

GREEN BAY (10-5, vs MIN 8:30)

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Packers can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) GB win OR
2) GB tie

MINNESOTA (10-5, at GB 8:30)

The Vikings have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Vikings can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) MIN win

WASHINGTON (8-7, at DAL 1:00)

The Redskins have already clinched a playoff spot with the NFC East division title, and they are locked into the NFC's #4 seed. They will host Green Bay, Minnesota, or Seattle in the Wild Card Round.

SEATTLE (9-6, at ARZ 4:25)

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Seahawks can clinch the NFC's #5 seed, and be guaranteed to be at Washington, with:
1) SEA win + MIN loss

Note about seeding for Green Bay, Minnesota, and Seattle:
The winner of the NFC North is guaranteed to be the #3 seed. If the loser of MIN-GB is the Packers, they will be the 5 seed (at #4 WAS) and the Seahawks will be the 6 seed (at #3 MIN). If the loser is the Vikings, then the Seattle result against Arizona comes into play to decide which is 5 (at WAS) and which is 6 (at GB) between the Vikings and Seahawks.


AFC

NEW ENGLAND (12-3, at MIA 1:00)

The Patriots have already clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Patriots can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win OR
2) NE tie + CIN/DEN tie OR
3) CIN beats DEN, loses to BAL OR
4) CIN/DEN tie + CIN loss/tie to BAL OR
5) DEN beats CIN + DEN loss/tie to SD

CINCINNATI (11-3, at DEN 8:30 tonight, vs BAL 1:00 Sunday)

The Bengals have already clinched a playoff spot and the AFC North division title.
The Bengals can clinch:
a) a first round bye in the playoffs
b) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Bengals can clinch a first round bye with:
1) CIN win/tie at DEN OR
in Week 17:
2) CIN win + DEN loss/tie OR
3) CIN win/tie + DEN loss OR
4) KC win + DEN loss

The Bengals can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) 2 CIN wins + NE loss/tie OR
2) CIN win + CIN tie + NE loss

DENVER (10-4, vs CIN 8:30 tonight, vs SD 4:25 Sunday)

The Broncos haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch everything!

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) 1 DEN win OR
2) 1 DEN tie OR
3) PIT loss/tie

The Broncos can clinch the AFC West division title with:
1) 2 DEN wins OR
2) DEN win + DEN tie OR
3) 1 DEN win + KC loss/tie OR
4) 1 DEN tie + KC loss

The Broncos can clinch a first round bye with:
1) 2 DEN wins OR
2) 2 CIN losses + KC loss OR
3) DEN beats CIN + DEN tie + CIN tie

The Broncos can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) 2 DEN wins + NE loss

KANSAS CITY (10-5, vs OAK 4:25)

The Chiefs have clinched a playoff spot.
The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West division title and the AFC's #3 seed with:
1) 2 DEN losses OR
2) KC win + 1 DEN loss OR
3) KC win/tie + DEN loss + DEN tie

NEW YORK (10-5, at BUF 1:00)

The Jets haven't clinched anything.
The Jets can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) NYJ win/tie OR
2) PIT loss/tie OR
3) 2 DEN losses

PITTSBURGH (9-6, at CLE 1:00)

The Steelers haven't clinched anything.
The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss OR
2) PIT win + 2 DEN losses

HOUSTON (8-7, vs JAX 1:00)

The Texans haven't clinched anything.
The Texans can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) CIN beats DEN OR
2) HOU win/tie OR
3) IND loss/tie OR
4) MIA loss OR
5) DEN loss to SD OR
6) NO beats ATL OR
7) NYJ win OR
8) CIN beats BAL OR
9) PIT loss + KC win OR
10) PIT loss + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
11) KC win + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker

INDIANAPOLIS (7-8, vs TEN 1:00)

The Colts haven't clinched anything.
The Colts can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) IND win + HOU loss + 2 DEN wins + 2 CIN losses + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + KC loss OR
2) IND win + HOU loss + 2 DEN wins + 2 CIN losses + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
3) IND win + HOU loss + 2 DEN wins + 2 CIN losses + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + KC loss + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker


Full schedule of the remaining 17 regular season games, ET:
Week 16 MNF:
tonight 8:30 ESPN: CIN@DEN

Week 17 Sunday:

CBS 1:00
NYJ@BUF
PIT@CLE
NE@MIA
JAX@HOU
TEN@IND

Fox 1:00
BAL@CIN
WAS@DAL
PHI@NYG
NO@ATL
DET@CHI

CBS 4:25
SD@DEN
STL@SF

Fox 4:25
SEA@ARZ
OAK@KC
TB@CAR

NBC 8:30
MIN@GB

Week 16 playoff scenarios

NFC

CAROLINA (14-0, at ATL 1:00, vs TB)

The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title, and a first round bye.
The Panthers can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win/tie OR
2) ARZ loss/tie

ARIZONA (12-2, vs GB 4:25, vs SEA)

The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot and the NFC West division title.
The Cardinals can clinch:
a) a first round bye in the playoffs
b) homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs

The Cardinals can clinch a first round bye with:
1) ARZ win/tie

To stay alive to clinch homefield in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
ARZ win + CAR loss

GREEN BAY (10-4, at ARZ 4:25, vs MIN)

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Packers can clinch:
a) the NFC North division title
b) a first round bye in the playoffs

The Packers can clinch the NFC North division title with:
1) GB win + MIN loss/tie OR
2) GB tie + MIN loss

To stay alive to clinch a first round bye in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
GB win

MINNESOTA (9-5, vs NYG 8:30, at GB)

The Vikings haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the NFC North division title

The Vikings can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) MIN win/tie OR
2) ATL loss/tie OR
3) SEA win/tie

To stay alive to clinch the division in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
1) MIN win OR
2) GB loss OR
3) MIN tie + GB tie

WASHINGTON (7-7, at PHI Saturday, at DAL)

The Redskins haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch the NFC East division title with:
1) WAS win OR
2) WAS tie + NYG loss

SEATTLE (9-5, vs STL 4:25, at ARZ)

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot, and besides seeding, they can clinch nothing more.

The Seahawks can clinch the NFC's #5 seed with:
1) SEA win + GB win + MIN loss/tie OR
2) SEA win + GB tie + MIN loss

PHILADELPHIA (6-8, vs WAS Saturday, at NYG)

The Eagles haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the NFC East division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
PHI win

NEW YORK (6-8, at MIN 8:30, vs PHI)

The Giants haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the NFC East division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
NYG win/tie + WAS loss/tie

ATLANTA (7-7, vs CAR 1:00, vs NO)

The Falcons haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch a playoff spot in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
ATL win + MIN loss + SEA loss


AFC

NEW ENGLAND (12-2, at NYJ 1:00, at MIA)

The Patriots have already clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East division title, and a first round bye.
The Patriots can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win OR
2) NE tie + CIN loss/tie

NEW YORK (9-5, vs NE 1:00, at BUF)

The Jets haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch a playoff spot in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
1) NYJ win/tie OR
2) DEN loss/tie OR
3) KC loss/tie OR
4) PIT loss/tie

CINCINNATI (11-3, at DEN Monday, vs BAL)

The Bengals have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Bengals can clinch:
a) the AFC North division title
b) a first round bye in the playoffs
c) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Bengals can clinch the AFC North division title with:
1) PIT loss/tie

The Bengals can clinch the division and a first round bye with:
1) CIN win/tie

To stay alive to clinch homefield in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
1) CIN win + NE loss/tie OR
2) CIN tie + NE loss

PITTSBURGH (9-5, at BAL 1:00, at CLE)

The Steelers haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the AFC North division title

The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss

To stay alive to clinch the division in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
PIT win + CIN loss

DENVER (10-4, vs CIN Monday, vs SD)

The Broncos haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the AFC West division title
c) a first round bye in the playoffs
d) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) DEN win + NYJ loss/tie OR
2) DEN win + PIT loss/tie OR
3) DEN tie + NYJ loss OR
4) DEN tie + PIT loss

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot and the division with:
1) DEN win + KC loss/tie OR
2) DEN tie + KC loss

To stay alive to clinch a first round bye in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
DEN win

To stay alive to clinch homefield in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
DEN win + NE loss

KANSAS CITY (9-5, vs CLE 1:00, vs OAK)

The Chiefs haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the AFC West division title

The Chiefs can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) KC win + NYJ loss OR
2) KC win + PIT loss

To stay alive to clinch the division in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
1) KC win OR
2) DEN loss

HOUSTON (7-7, at TEN 1:00, vs JAX)

The Texans haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch the AFC South division title with:
1) HOU win + IND loss/tie OR
2) HOU tie + IND loss OR
3) HOU win + CIN win + NO win OR
4) HOU win + CIN win + NYJ win OR
5) HOU win + CIN win + CAR win OR
6) HOU win + NO win + NYJ win + CAR win OR
7) HOU win + CIN win + KC win + BAL win OR
8) numerous possibilities involving HOU win + one or more ties in games of CIN, NO, NYJ, CAR

INDIANAPOLIS (6-8, at MIA 1:00, vs TEN)

The Colts haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the AFC South division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
HOU doesn't clinch the division. It's just the opposite of HOU clinching scenarios above. I'm not going to break it down.

JACKSONVILLE (5-9, at NO 4:05, at HOU)

The Jaguars haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the AFC South division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
JAX win + HOU loss

Ranking Week 15, Week 16 NFL games

Week 15 by level of excitement

 16. Dolphins at Chargers
 15. Bills at Redskins
 14. Bengals at 49ers
 13. Cardinals at Eagles
 12. Titans at Patriots
 11. Bears at Vikings
 10. Browns at Seahawks
 9. Chiefs at Ravens
 8. Packers at Raiders
 7. Buccaneers at Rams
 6. Lions at Saints
 5. Falcons at Jaguars
 4. Texans at Colts
 3. Jets at Cowboys
 2. Broncos at Steelers
 1. Panthers at Giants

Week 16 by level of interest
 16. 49ers at Lions (1:00)
 15. Cowboys at Bills (1:00)
 14. Bears at Buccaneers (1:00)
 13. Chargers at Raiders (Thursday)
 12. Jaguars at Saints (4:05)
 11. Browns at Chiefs (1:00)
 10. Colts at Dolphins (1:00)
 9. Texans at Titans (1:00)
 8. Steelers at Ravens (1:00)
 7. Rams at Seahawks (4:25)
 6. Giants at Vikings (8:30)
 5. Patriots at Jets (1:00)
 4. Redskins at Eagles (Saturday)
America's Game of the Week: Packers at Cardinals (4:25)
Game of the Week: Bengals at Broncos (Monday)
 1. Panthers at Falcons (1:00)

Games that could be the Week 17 Sunday night game

Week 17 scheduling rules: a team that has a chance to clinch something before Week 17 starts:
a) cannot clinch it before playing
b) cannot be eliminated from it before playing

We can extrapolate that the Sunday night game, the last game of the entire regular season, must be chosen as a game whose playoff implications cannot change based on the results of other games.

The last 5 seasons in a row, this has been a divisional championship game. This is likely again this year, as any of these games might be for their respective division titles:
JAX-HOU
MIN-GB
PHI-NYG
WAS-DAL
SEA-ARZ

There is one scenario under which MIN-GB is the NFC North Championship Game, but it cannot be the Sunday night game. This would occur if Minnesota is also competing with the New York Giants for a wild card spot, and they have not yet even clinched a playoff berth!

How this can happen: In Weeks 15 and 16, Redskins and Giants win out, Packers win 1 of 2, and Vikings beat Bears. Then, the scenario in Week 17 would be that if the Redskins and Giants both win, and the Vikings lose, the Vikings would miss the playoffs entirely! So, despite this being an NFC North Championship Game, it would need to happen at the same time as the NFC East games, instead of at night, so that the Vikings can't clinch a playoff berth before the kickoff of their game.

There is a scenario under which WAS-DAL could be the Sunday night game even if it's not an NFC East Championship Game. This requires a specific combination of five games over the next two weeks:
Redskins lose to Bills
Eagles beat Cardinals
Redskins win at Eagles
Giants win 1 of 2 in Weeks 15 and 16

If this happens, the Week 17 clinching scenarios for the NFC East will be:
WAS clinches div with: win
PHI or NYG clinches div with: win + WAS loss

This is a unique case where it would be okay for WAS-DAL to happen after PHI-NYG despite teams in both games competing for the same playoff spot. Despite the Redskins' playing after the PHI-NYG result is already known, it doesn't affect their scenarios. They still need to win to get in. It's impossible for them to clinch before playing because the PHI-NYG winner (or both if they tie) is guaranteed to be ahead of WAS after the PHI-NYG game. It's impossible for them to be eliminated before playing since they control their own destiny.

That said, I doubt WAS-DAL would be chosen in this case unless there are no other playoff implication games that are independent of other game results.

While it cannot be a divisional championship game, since obviously the Pats have already clinched it, NYJ-BUF could be the Sunday night game if it is a play-in game for the 6 seed. If the Bills win the next two, Steelers lose the next two, and Jets lose 1 of 2, the Jets and Bills will be the only 2 teams competing for that 6 seed, and so it would be an effective playoff game: winner gets the 6 seed, loser is eliminated. It could then be the Sunday night game.

One last note: if somehow NONE of the above games fit the criteria of a Week 17 Sunday night game, with no game having playoff implications that aren't affected by other games, if the Panthers are 15-0 I expect their game to be at night so that the NFL can showcase their attempt at only the second-ever 16-0 regular season.

How did the Dolphins' loss Monday night clinch the division for the Patriots?

The simple answer: The Pats had already clinched the sixth tiebreaker with the Jets, and the Dolphins' loss allowed them to clinch at least a tie in the fifth tiebreaker, to force the process to the sixth tiebreaker.

Now the breakdown: It may have made no sense to many that the Dolphins' loss clinched the division for the Patriots, because the only team still in contention with the Patriots was the Jets, not the Dolphins. Let's break it down.

To determine when the Patriots have clinched the division, one must look at the worst case scenario for the Patriots and the best case scenario for the Jets. Only if the Jets would still finish behind the Patriots in this scenario, have the Patriots clinched the division. Let's look at it from the perspective of BEFORE Monday night. All of Sunday's games had happened, so the Jets were (and actually still are) three games behind the Patriots with three games remaining.

If the Jets win out and Pats lose out, they'd finish tied at 11-5. Now for the tiebreakers.

1) head-to-head. If the Jets win out, they'll have beaten the Patriots in the second meeting, meaning the teams split the two head-to-head meetings.

2) division record. If the Jets win out and Pats lose out, both teams' division records would be 4-2.

3) record against common opponents. The Bills and Dolphins don't matter since we already know the Pats and Jets are tied in both head-to-head and division record. The other eight common opponents are the AFC South and NFC East. If the Jets win at the Cowboys and Pats lose to the Titans (which is part of the assumption when they both finish 11-5), both teams would have a 6-2 record against the AFC South and NFC East.

4) conference record. (Note: the reason common opponents come before conference in the tiebreaking order is because common opponents record is based on 8 games, to only 6 games for the conference.) Because the two teams are tied in the division, the only 6 conference games that matter for the tiebreak are the 6 AFC games outside the division. The Pats and Jets will both have gone 3-1 against the AFC South (Jets loss to Texans, Pats loss to Titans). The other two games are the games against the AFC North and West. The Pats beat the Steelers but lost at the Broncos. The Jets beat the Browns but lost at the Raiders. Clearly then, under this scenario of the Jets' winning out and the Pats' losing out, both would finish with a conference record of 8-4. Time for the fifth tiebreaker.

5) strength of victory. This is defined as the combined records of all the teams you beat. Many of the Pats' and Jets' victories have been and would have been against the same teams, so the only teams required for comparison of strength of victory are the ones the Pats beat whom the Jets didn't, and vice versa. The teams are:

for NE: PIT, HOU, BUF
for NYJ: CLE, TEN, MIA

The reason MIA is listed for NYJ is because the Jets swept the Dolphins, and under our scenario of both Jets and Pats finishing 11-5, Pats will have split with the Dolphins, so the Dolphins' record would be added twice to the Jets' strength of victory, but only once to the Pats'.

To calculate the worst case scenario for the Pats, to determine whether or not they have clinched, we must assume PIT, HOU, and BUF all lose out, and CLE, TEN, and MIA all win out. This would give the Jets the division title, on the strength of victory tiebreaker by just 1! However, this analysis was all from the perspective of BEFORE Monday night. Now that the Dolphins have lost a game, the best case scenario for the Jets is a tie in the fifth tiebreaker.

6) strength of schedule. Two teams in the same division only play two different games, the games against the two other divisions in their own conference (not their own division or the division where they're playing everyone). This season, the AFC East is playing the AFC South, so the two different games for the Jets and Pats would be the ones they played against the AFC North and AFC West. Last year, the Pats won the division, meaning they played 1st place Pittsburgh and 1st place Denver this year. Meanwhile, the Jets finished last in the division and played 4th place Cleveland and 4th place Oakland this season. In the current standings, the Browns cannot catch the Steelers and the Raiders cannot catch the Broncos, so the Pats' strength of schedule was already guaranteed to be better than the Jets', prior to Monday's game.

Back to the simple answer from the top: The Pats had already clinched the sixth tiebreaker with the Jets, and the Dolphins' loss allowed them to clinch at least a tie in the fifth tiebreaker, to force the process to the sixth tiebreaker.

Ranking Week 14, Week 15 NFL games

Week 14 by level of excitement
16. Titans at Jets
15. Falcons at Panthers
14. Colts at Jaguars
13. Seahawks at Ravens
12. Patriots at Texans
11. Steelers at Bengals
10. Lions at Rams
9. 49ers at Browns
8. Cowboys at Packers
7. Saints at Buccaneers
6. Giants at Dolphins
5. Redskins at Bears
4. Bills at Eagles
3. Raiders at Broncos
2. Vikings at Cardinals
1. Chargers at Chiefs

Week 15 by level of interest
 16. Lions at Saints (Monday)
 15. Dolphins at Chargers (4:25)
 14. Buccaneers at Rams (Thursday)
 13. Chiefs at Ravens (1:00)
 12. Bears at Vikings (1:00)
 11. Jets at Cowboys (Saturday)
 10. Falcons at Jaguars (1:00)
 9. Titans at Patriots (1:00)
 8. Bengals at 49ers (4:25)
 7. Browns at Seahawks (4:05)
 6. Bills at Redskins (1:00)
 5. Texans at Colts (1:00)
 4. Packers at Raiders (4:05)
 3. Cardinals at Eagles (8:30)
Game of the Week: Broncos at Steelers (4:25)
 1. Panthers at Giants (1:00)

Ranking Week 13 NFL games

Week 13 by level of excitement
 16. Bengals at Browns
 15. Cardinals at Rams
 14. Seahawks at Vikings
 13. Colts at Steelers
 12. Broncos at Chargers
 11. Chiefs at Raiders
 10. Texans at Bills
 9. Ravens at Dolphins
 8. Jaguars at Titans
 7. 49ers at Bears
 6. Falcons at Buccaneers
 5. Panthers at Saints
 4. Cowboys at Redskins
 3. Jets at Giants
 2. Packers at Lions
 1. Eagles at Patriots

Ranking Week 14 NFL games

Week 14 by level of interest
 16. Lions at Rams (1:00)
 15. 49ers at Browns (1:00)
 14. Seahawks at Ravens (1:00)
 13. Chargers at Chiefs (1:00)
 12. Titans at Jets (1:00)
 11. Saints at Buccaneers (1:00)
 10. Colts at Jaguars (1:00)
 9. Redskins at Bears (1:00)
 8. Raiders at Broncos (4:05)
 7. Giants at Dolphins (Monday)
 6. Cowboys at Packers (4:25)
 5. Bills at Eagles (1:00)
 4. Patriots at Texans (8:30)
 3. Vikings at Cardinals (Thursday)
Game of the Week: Steelers at Bengals (1:00)
 1. Falcons at Panthers (1:00)

Ranking Week 12, Week 13 NFL games

Week 12 by level of excitement
16. Eagles at Lions
15. Panthers at Cowboys
14. Dolphins at Jets
13. Rams at Bengals
12. Saints at Texans
11. Buccaneers at Colts
10. Vikings at Falcons
9. Chargers at Jaguars
8. Bills at Chiefs
7. Raiders at Titans
6. Cardinals at 49ers
5. Giants at Redskins
4. Steelers at Seahawks
3. Bears at Packers
2. Patriots at Broncos
1. Ravens at Browns

Week 13 by level of interest
16. Ravens at Dolphins (1:00)
15. Jaguars at Titans (1:00)
14. 49ers at Bears (1:00)
13. Bengals at Browns (1:00)
12. Broncos at Chargers (4:05)
11. Eagles at Patriots (4:25)
10. Cardinals at Rams (1:00)
9. Packers at Lions (Thursday)
8. Texans at Bills (1:00)
7. Falcons at Buccaneers (1:00)
6. Chiefs at Raiders (4:05)
5. Cowboys at Redskins (Monday)
4. Colts at Steelers (8:30)
3. Jets at Giants (1:00)
Game of the Week: Seahawks at Vikings (1:00)
America's Game of the Week: Panthers at Saints (4:25)