It obviously looks like the winner of PT-CIN in week 16 is golden as is the winner of DAL-WASH in week 17. MN vs CHI likely comes down to final week. INDY would simplify everything with a clinching win vs KC in week 16.
Huh?
here is a look at the NFC 9-7 ties, if it ends:
WASH 9-7
DAL 9-7
NYG 9-7
MN 9-7
CHI 9-7
then the winner of WASH-DAL game gets the Division. Let’s say it is WASH. Then DAL gets 2nd place over NYG (div record and/or common games)
MN gets 2nd place over CHI (div record and/or common games)
therefore MN vs DAL for 2nd wildcard. DAL 6-6 conf and MN either 7-5 or 6-6. next tie would go to common games. Common games would be tied (1-4 each, CHI, WA, TB, SEA). So it would go to SOV, if DAL lost to WASH.
Dal loses to NO, then loses to Wash; Wash beats Phil, then beats Dal...how does that tie break?
If New Orleans win out, while Minnesota, Chicago, Dallas, and New York (Giants) all lose, I was amazed to find that the Saints win the tie breakers. By all rights, they should have been out of it.
Shocked by the good news for the Texans last night. They get the No. 1 seed by simply winning one of their last two games or NE or Denver losing one their last two games.
here are the playoff tiebreaker procedures:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?page=tiebreakers
note: in the PT-BA-CIN 3-way tie ... even tho BA and PT would be 4-2 division, PT would have 3-1 record in head-to-head among the 3 teams and gets the division. BA has tiebreaker vs PT and CIN in a 2-way tie with either.
these look like good scenarios for the coming week:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000113069/article/week-16-nfl-playoff-scenarios
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2971759/posts
an updated tiebreaker thread for week 17 is just posted