In the interest of making clinching scenarios more interesting (and to make more money!), the NFL decided to add a seventh playoff team to each conference for the 2020 season. It certainly has made the musical chairs more musical, as there are 18 teams in contention for a trip to Super Bowl LV. There hasn’t been more teams still alive for postseason berths entering the league’s final week since 2006, when there were 20 teams.
In the AFC, the Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West and the first-seed, which gives them the only first-round bye in the conference. The Bills are currently the second-seed and have clinched the AFC East. The Steelers are the third-seed and have clinched the AFC North.
- The Bills clinch the second-seed with a win over the Dolphins, or a Steelers loss, or a tie plus a Steelers tie.
- The Steelers clinch the second-seed with a win over the Browns, plus a Bills tie, or a win or tie, plus a Bills loss.
In the NFC, the Packers have clinched the NFC North, the Saints have clinched the NFC South, the Seahawks have clinched the NFC West, and the Buccaneers have clinched a playoff berth, but the first-seed is still very much up for grabs.
Here are all the playoff scenarios for Week 17.