Four NFL Teams Can Officially Clinch Playoff Berths This Week

12/10/2024 01:39 PM

This past weekend saw a number of NFL teams - most notably Aaron Rodgers' New York Jets - get eliminated from the playoffs, while a few other teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles stamped their ticket to the postseason. A few more teams could be joining the Eagles in the playoffs by the end of this weekend.

The NFL recently released its playoff clinch scenarios for Week 15 of the 2024 season and showed that four teams can clinch the playoffs this week. Those four teams are the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

The Steelers and Vikings have a very straightforward path: Win and they're in. Pittsburgh play the Eagles, while the Vikings play the Chicago Bears. 

Of course, both teams can also get in if a few other teams lose. The Steelers will be rooting against the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts for these final few weeks, while the Vikings could even get in if the Los Angeles Rams or Seattle Seahawks lose even a single game.

Houston's path is only slightly trickier. They need to beat the Miami Dolphins and also cross their fingers that the Indianapolis Colts lose to the Denver Broncos. But if both of those results occur, the Texans will clinch the AFC South for the second year in a row.

The Packers' playoff clinch scenario is significantly harder though. They need to win, see the Atlanta Falcons lose or tie, and see a tie in the Rams-49ers game. Atlanta face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, but there have been so few ties that it's not an entirely viable scenario to consider.

But the four teams all have one thing in common for their playoff ambitions: They all control their own destinies. 

There's nothing better in football than having your destiny in your own hands.

Related: College Football Fans React To The 2024-25 Playoff Games Schedule