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The end of the season is an interesting time. As teams clich playoff spotsor get eliminated entirelystarters' playing time can be affected. We'll take a look at which teams are playing meaningful games. These teams should player their starters as they normally would. Teams not playing for playoff seeding, however, might rest their starters for the playoffs. For teams already eliminated, they might put some young guys on the field as they look to the 2017 season.
Teams in the Playoffs or in the Playoff Hunt
Atlanta
- Has clinched division title
- Can clinch first-round bye with:
- A win OR
- A tie and a Seattle loss or tie OR
- A Seattle loss AND a Detroit loss or tie OR
- A Seattle tie AND a Detroit loss
Dallas
- Has clinched division title, first-round bye, and home-field through NFC playoffs
- Nothing to play for
Detroit
- Can clinch first-round bye with:
- A win AND a Seattle loss or tie AND an Atlanta loss
- Can clinch division with:
- A Detroit win
- Can clinch playoff spot with:
- A Detroit tie OR a Washington loss or tie
Green Bay
- Can clinch division with:
- A win or tie
- Can clinch playoff spot with:
- A Washington loss OR
- A Washington tie AND Tampa Bay AND Green Bay having at least a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker over Tampa Bay, which happens if one of the following teams win or tie: Seattle, Houston, Jacksonville, or Philadelphia
Houston
- Has clinched division and 4-seed
- Nothing to play for
Kansas City
- Has clinched playoff spot
- Can clinch 5-seed with:
- A loss and a Miami loss
- Can clinch division and first-round bye with:
- A win and an Oakland loss
Miami
- Has clinched playoff spot
- Can clinch 5-seed with:
- A win and a Kansas City loss
New England
- Has clinched division title and first-round bye
- Can clinch home-field through AFC playoffs with:
- A win or tie OR
- An Oakland loss or tie
NY Giants
- Has clinched playoff spot and 5-seed
- Nothing to play for
Oakland
- Has clinched playoff spot
- Can clinch division and first-round bye with:
- A win or tie OR a Kansas City loss or tie
- Can clinch home-field through AFC playoffs with:
- A win AND a a New England loss
Pittburgh
- Has clinched division and 3-seed
- Nothing to play for
Seattle
- Has clinched division
- Can clinch a first-round bye with:
- A win AND an Atlanta loss or tie OR
- A tie AND an Atlanta loss AND a Detroit tie
Tampa Bay
- Can clinch a playoff spot with:
- A win AND an Indianapolis win AND a Dallas win AND a Tennessee AND a San Francisco win AND a Detroit win AND a Washington tie
Washington
- Can clinch a playoff spot with:
- A win AND a Detroit win or Green Bay win
- A tie AND a Green Bay loss AND a Tampa Bay loss or tie
Teams Out of the Playoffs
Arizona
Baltimore
Buffalo
Carolina
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Denver
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Los Angeles
Minnesota
New Orleans
NY Jets
Philadelphia
San Diego
San Francisco
Tennessee