Tag: clinch

Three ways the Steelers can secure the 2024 AFC North title

The Pittsburgh Steelers need any of these three scenarios to fall in their favor in order to be crowned the 2024 AFC North champions.

There is a plethora of reasons for concern with the Steelers seemingly on the verge of losing out on the opportunity to become 2024 AFC North champions.  However, there are three scenarios in which the Pittsburgh Steelers can secure the divisional title over the Baltimore Ravens.

Steelers win out vs Chiefs and Bengals

The Steelers can still control their own destiny by coming out victorious in Weeks 17 and 18. While difficult, if the Steelers defeat the Chiefs and Bengals, the Ravens will lose any opportunity to win the divisional title.

Ravens lose out vs Texans and Browns

Although incredibly unlikely, the Steelers could technically secure the AFC North crown—regardless of their performance in Weeks 17 and 18—if the Baltimore Ravens lose to both the Texans and Browns to conclude their season.

Steelers beat Bengals and Ravens lose to Browns

If the number one seeded Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Steelers, and the Ravens beat the Texans in Week 17, all hope is not lost!  The Cleveland Browns can provide the assist in defeating Baltimore, as long as the Black and Gold can defeat the Bengals in Week 18.

There are a variety of scenarios in which the Steelers can earn the right to call themselves ‘Kings of the North’, but only if the team can pull itself together after dropping two straight losses.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Saints go into Week 17 with their playoff hopes on the line

The Saints go into Week 17 with their playoff hopes on the line. A loss to the same Bucs team that beat them in September would end their season:

A year has passed since Dennis Allen’s team got defeated at Raymond James Stadium, but the New Orleans Saints (7-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) are primed for a rematch that feels strikingly familiar.

Once again, the Saints’ playoff hopes are on the line when they kick off. A loss or tie to the same Buccaneers team that beat them 26-9 in October would eliminate New Orleans from the NFC South title race and clinch the division for Tampa Bay. Allen and his squad cannot afford to lose this game and keep selling fans a vision for a home playoff game.

What about the seventh NFC playoff seed? The Saints won’t be eliminated from that just by losing to the Bucs, but they’re already long shots, and a couple of other games’ results could take it off the board if they do come up short. If the Saints lose or tie this week, a Los Angeles Rams win or tie (who are visiting the New York Giants) as well as a Seattle Seahawks win or tie (they’re hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers) would knock out New Orleans.

So if you want to see the Saints advance to the postseason, like the players and coaches and team executives in the front office, here’s what you need to root for:

  • Saints win over Buccaneers (loss clinches NFC South for Tampa Bay)
  • Rams loss vs. Giants (Los Angeles win plus Seattle win plus Saints loss or tie eliminates New Orleans from playoffs)
  • Seahawks loss at Steelers (Seattle win plus Los Angeles win eliminates New Orleans from playoffs)

To put it more simply, a Saints loss plus a Rams win/tie and a Seahawks win/tie would eliminate New Orleans altogether.

It’s the most important game of the year after we said the same thing last week, when Allen’s crew fell flat on their face against Los Angeles (a well-coached wild-card team that’s gunning for the postseason themselves). There’s nothing to play for but pride if the Saints lose on Sunday. Let’s hope they at least express the sense of urgency that should come with that.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints defeat the Vikings, clinch record-breaking 4th consecutive NFC South title

The New Orleans Saints withstood a Minnesota Vikings rally to win their Week 16 game, clinching the NFC South for an unprecedented 4th time.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”X16xouKxEh-1084647-7498″]

The New Orleans Saints may be peaking at the right time. They manhandled the Minnesota Vikings on a national stage on Christmas Day, hitting their stride on offense while making enough stops on defense to win 52-33.

It was powered by a terrific game from Alvin Kamara. The running back racked up 172 yards of offense, largely through a bruising effort on the ground, where he tied the NFL record for most touchdowns scored in a single game (6).

And this victory secures the NFC South for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. The Saints and Carolina Panthers each had streaks of three-year dominance before, but now New Orleans stands alone at the top. They’ve won the division more consecutive times than any other team since it was created.

But their ambitions are higher than that. While New Orleans is now guaranteed a top-three playoff seed, they’ll need some help to take the No. 1 seed and the valuable first-round bye week that comes with it. That would do a lot to shorten their road to a possible Super Bowl berth.

Still, this was as encouraging a game as you might hope for. Especially so late in the season. It bodes well for what these Saints can accomplish in the postseason. Here’s to some time spent healing and resting up before the stakes raise even higher.

[listicle id=41801]

NFL Playoff Picture: Saints control their own destiny, again, in Week 16

The New Orleans Saints have several playoff scenarios to clinch the NFC South in Week 16, but the easiest path means beating the Vikings.

This is starting to sound like a broken record. The New Orleans Saints need just one more win to clinch the NFC South and secure a top-three playoff seed, keeping them in contention for the all-too-valuable top seed. That’s been the story for two weeks, and the Saints have dropped a loss in each of those two games.

But there’s still a path or two for New Orleans to clinch the division after a loss or tie. The NFL announced Week 16’s playoff clinch scenarios on Tuesday, which I’ve broken down below. All odds via BetMGM.

First, though, let’s consider the current NFL playoff picture. Here’s your projected seedings and matchups via ESPN:

Packers have 2 different ways of clinching No. 1 seed in NFC in Week 16

The Packers can clinch the top seed in the NFC with two different sets of results in Week 16.

The Green Bay Packers have two different paths to clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC during Week 16.

The Packers, now 11-3, play the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on “Sunday Night Football.” In terms of clinching scenarios for Matt LaFleur’s team, the other two games to keep track of are the Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints, and the Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers can lock in the No. 1 seed with the following two results this week:

1. GB win and SEA loss or tie 
2. GB tie and NO loss or tie and SEA loss or tie (NO and SEA can’t both tie)

Ties are always unlikely. The easiest and most plausible path here is a Packers win over the Titans and a Seahawks loss to the Rams.

The Packers need another Seahawks loss to prevent a potential three-way tie scenario. Green Bay holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over New Orleans.

The Packers cannot clinch the top seed if they lose to the Titans. However, the Packers can clinch in Week 17 by simply beating the Chicago Bears, even if they lose to the Titans on Sunday night.

The Packers can also clinch if they beat the Titans and get a win by the San Francisco 49ers over the Seahawks in Week 17.

Games to watch in Week 16

Friday, Dec. 25: Minnesota Vikings (6-8) at New Orleans Saints (10-4)
Sunday, Dec. 27: Los Angeles Rams (9-5) at Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
Sunday, Dec. 27: Tennessee Titans (10-4) at Green Bay Packers (11-3)

[lawrence-related id=54181]

LOOK: 10 of the best photos from Seahawks win over Washington

Ten of the best photos from the Seattle Seahawks Week 15 win over the Washington Football Team at FedExField.

The Seattle Seahawks came away with a 20-15 win in Week 15 over the Washington Football Team at FedExField.

Here’s a look at the 10 best photos from the contest.

How Seattle Seahawks could clinch playoff spot in Week 15

How the Seattle Seattle Seahawks could clinch a playoff spot in Week 15 of the 2020 NFL regular season.

The Seattle Seahawks travel to face off against the Washington Football Team for their Week 15 matchup and a chance to clinch a playoff spot while they are at it.

In the NFC, two teams have already gotten it done – the Packers have clinched the NFC North title and the Saints have secured at least a playoff berth.

For the Seahawks to clinch this week, they will need either a win or tie in Washington OR a tie between Minnesota and Chicago, regardless of Seattle’s outcome on Sunday.

Here are all the NFC playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 15:

LOS ANGELES RAMS vs. New York Jets
Los Angeles clinches a playoff berth with:
1) LAR win or tie OR
2) MIN-CHI tie

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS vs. Kansas City
New Orleans clinches the NFC South division title with:
1) NO win OR
2) TB loss OR
3) NO tie + TB tie

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at Washington
Seattle clinches a playoff berth with:
1) SEA win or tie OR
2) MIN-CHI tie

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at Atlanta
Tampa Bay clinches a playoff berth with:
1) TB win + MIN-CHI tie

[lawrence-related id=70013]

How the Saints can clinch a record-breaking 4th NFC South title

The New Orleans Saints can lose their Week 14 game with the Eagles and still win the NFC South, but they’ll need some help from the Vikings.

For once, the New Orleans Saints control their own destiny. They aren’t relying on the results of three or four other games to decide which playoff seed is theirs — or if they’ll reach the postseason at all. They won’t have to watch other scoreboards or hurry into the locker room to stream another game’s final minutes.

They’ve already clinched a playoff berth. But another win on Sunday secures the NFC South, and the promise of hosting a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in January. It gets the Saints that much closer to locking up the first seed, and everything that comes with it: homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and an all-too-valuable first-round bye week.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If the Saints slip up and lose this week’s matchup, they can still win the division, with a little help from a frequent rival. And wouldn’t that be something?

Here’s how the Saints can win the NFC South division title for the fourth year in a row, breaking a record they hold with the Carolina Panthers (division champs from 2013 to 2015) for the most consecutive wins since the division’s founding:

Saints have 3 paths to clinching a playoff berth in Week 13

The New Orleans Saints could clinch a playoff berth in Week 13 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons and getting help from the Detroit Lions.

The New Orleans Saints have the playoffs in their sights, and the schedule shakes out to where they can clinch a postseason berth in Week 13. But they’ll need some help; beating the Atlanta Falcons won’t be enough. All odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

How Saints can clinch first-round bye week or No. 1 seed in Week 17

The New Orleans Saints have already punched their playoff ticket, but several clinch scenarios depend on the Packers, 49ers, and Seahawks.

[jwplayer nTYNtV7B-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints have already punched their ticket for the NFC playoff tournament, but they didn’t get any help from the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. The Vikings, sunk by an awful performance from franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins, put in a pathetic effort against the Green bay Packers and made New Orleans’ path to a top-two playoff seed (and the bye week it carries) much more difficult.

Winning that first-round bye or securing homefield advantage throughout the playoffs are well within reach for New Orleans, but they’ll need plenty of help. Fortunately, the NFL is here to clear things up. Here are each of the playoff clinch scenarios relevant to the Saints in Week 17.

Saints clinch first-round bye

  1. Saints beat Panthers, and Packers lose/tie Lions OR
  2. Saints beat Panthers, and 49ers lose/tie Seahawks OR
  3. Saints tie Panthers, and Packers lose to Lions OR
  4. Saints tie Panthers, and 49ers lose to Seahawks OR
  5. 49ers lose to Seahawks, and Packers beat or tie Lions

Saints clinch No. 1 seed in NFC

  1. Saints beat Panthers, Packers lose/tie Lions, and 49ers lose/tie Seahawks OR
  2. Saints tie Panthers, Packers lose to Lions, and 49ers lose to Seahawks

Complicated as that all may be, it’s kind of what we expected: the Saints have to beat the Panthers on Sunday to reach their easiest path to the playoffs. After that, things move out of their hands. The Saints don’t need both the Packers and 49ers to trip up and lose in Week 17, either of them doing that is enough to clinch a playoff bye. And that’s really what’s most important, even if homefield advantage would be nice. The Saints have gone 6-1 on the road in 2019, and their road record speaks for itself — they’ve won 17 of their last 24 away games, going back to the 2017 season, including 13 of their last 15. New Orleans has built a team that can travel well and beat any team in any venue in the league. But they could sure use an extra week to rest up and prepare before making their playoffs debut.

[vertical-gallery id=25491]