How is a division winner determined in the NFL?

All games in the final record count towards winning the division. A team could go 10–6, losing all division games, and still win the division if no other team in the division is better than 9–7. If two teams in a division end with the same record, it comes down to tiebreakers to determine who wins the division.

What does winning the division mean?

The term division winner in football is used to describe teams that win their respective divisions by having a better regular season win-loss record than the other three teams in the division.

How does a team clinch the division?

When a team gets to the point where its magic number is 1, it is said to have “clinched a tie” for the division or the wild card. If Team B wins all seven of its remaining games, it will also finish 62–20. However, since Team B loses the tiebreaker on head-to-head results, Team A is the division winner.

How are NFL wildcards determined?

To be a wildcard in the NFL, you need to be one of the two best teams in your conference (NFC or AFC) and not have won your division. This is done to extend playoff time an extra week, maximizing both potential for upsets and storylines, but profits for the NFL as well.

Do division winners make playoffs NFL?

The four division champions would advance to the NFL playoffs, and to remain on schedule, a tie-breaker system was introduced. The first round of playoffs determined the conference’s champion and its representative in the NFL Championship Game, played the following week.

How do football divisions work?

The 16 teams in each conference are split into the East, North, South and West divisions; every division has four teams. Six games against divisional opponents — two games per team, one at home and one on the road. Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road.

How many games do the Rays need to win to clinch the division?

five games
The Rays magic number to clinch the division is five games, meaning any combination of Rays wins and Boston Red Sox losses adding up to five in the remaining 11 regular-season games would give Tampa Bay the American League East title.

What does clinched division mean?

If a team has clinched their division in baseball, (or any other sport), it means that mathematically, they have won the division or league or conference in which they compete.

How many divisions are in the NFL?

eight
The 32 teams are organized into eight geographic divisions of four teams each. These divisions are further organized into two conferences, the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.