[guest post by JVW]

We never really talk about professional football here. Not that I mind: the older I get the more I am beginning to object to the pomp and circumstance surrounding that league of self-satisfied billionaire owners demanding major concessions from the taxpayer all for the privilege of bringing in mercenary players to represent that town. I could die happily if the NFL never makes it back to Los Angeles, though it appears that the die has been cast and we will once again have a team or six.

But one really interesting thing about the league is when you get into the final weeks and have several teams playing for the six playoff seeds in each conference. This year, the NFC is pretty well settled with the only remaining question being whether Carolina or Arizona secures the top seed and home field advantage, and whether Green Bay or Minnesota captures the third seed and relegates the other to the fifth seed wildcard slot. So, has a helpful one-stop guide, here is what each team needs to do in order to maximize their chances of playoff success:

AFC Playoff Picture

New England – win and they secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs; loss coupled with a Denver win drops them to the second seed and would move a potential Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship game to Denver.

Denver – win and they secure the second seed in the playoffs, with the possibility of a number one seed if the Patriots lose; loss coupled with Chiefs win drops the Broncos into the fifth seed as a wild card.

Cincinnati – win clinches third seed in playoffs; win with Broncos loss moves them to second seed and first round bye.

Kansas City – win coupled with Denver loss clinches fourth seed in playoffs; loss or Denver win pushes them to fifth seed; loss coupled with Jets win drops them to sixth seed.

New York Jets – win or Pittsburgh loss clinches playoff spot; win and Chiefs loss moves them to fifth seed.

Pittsburgh – win and Jets loss clinches playoff spot.

Houston – win clinches division title and fourth seed; Indianapolis loss clinches division title and fourth seed; loss and Indianapolis win could still lead to division title if one of the following teams also wins: Cincinnati, New England, NY Jets, San Diego, New Orleans, Kansas City, or Baltimore.

Indianapolis – win and Houston loss could clinch division title and fourth seed if ALL of the following teams win: Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Oakland, and Pittsburgh.

Yes, there are scenarios where ties come in to play, but I don’t have the energy to sort those out. You can go here for a list of how those play into the various scenarios.

NFC Playoff Picture

Carolina – clinches first seed and home field advantage with a win or a Arizona loss.

Arizona – clinches first seed and home field advantage with a win and a Carolina loss

Washington – has clinched division title and fourth seed; outcomes this week will not affect that.

Seattle – has clinched wildcard spot and sixth seed; outcomes this week will not affect that.

Minnesota vs. Green Bay, tonight 5:30 pm Pacific: winner captures the division title and the third seed; loser is a wildcard with the fifth seed.

– JVW