The Arizona Cardinals will not be playing in the postseason and their Week 17 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday has no playoff consequence.
That doesn’t mean, though, Cardinals fans shouldn’t know what is at stake in the other games and what scenarios could play out.
Here are the playoffs secnarios at stake:
NFC West title
The NFC West title will be determined Sunday night on national television. The Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers. Whoever wins, wins the division. It is that simple.
NFC East title
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles do not play each other but are the two teams vying for the division title. Philly has the edge. They will win the division if they win Sunday against the New York Giants or the Cowboys lose or tie against the Washington Redskins.
For the Cowboys to win the East, they must win and the Eagles must lose.
No. 1 seed in NFC
The 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers all have a shot at the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
The 49ers have the advantage. If they beat the Seahawks, they will be the No. 1 seed.
The Saints can be the top seed by beating the Carolina Panthers and having both the 49ers and Packers lose or tie. They can also get the top seed by tying the Panthers and having the 49ers and Packers lose.
The Packers can be the top seed if they win and the Niners lose or tie, or if the Packers tie the Detroit Lions and the Niners lose and the Saints lose or tie their game.
No. 2 seed in NFC and first-round bye
The Packers, Saints and 49ers both have a chance at the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
Green Bay just needs to win to earn a bye or the Saints can lose. They can also get the bye if they tie with the Lions and the 49ers lose, or if both they and the Saints tie their games.
New Orleans will get a first-round bye if they win and the Packers or Niners lose or tie. The Saints can also get it with a tie against the Panthers if the Niners or Packers lose. They can also lock in a bye without winning. If the 49ers lose and the Packers win or tie, the Saints still get the bye week.
The 49ers are the most unlikely No. 2 seed. If they win, they will be the No. 1 seed. If they tie the Seahawks, they will be the No. 2 seed if Packers or Saints lose or tie their games.
Whoever is the wild card team of these three will be the No. 5 seed and will play the Eagles or Cowboys next week. The Minnesota Vikings are locked in as the No. 6 seed.
No. 2 seed for AFC and first-round bye
The Baltimore Ravens are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs could be the No. 2 seed and get a first-round bye.
The Pats are in control. If they win or tie against the Miami Dolphins, they get the bye. If the Chiefs lose or tie, the Pats get in, regardless of the outcome of their game against Miami.
The Chiefs only get in if they beat the Los Angeles Chargers and the Pats lose.
Final AFC wild card berth
With the Buffalo Bills locked in with the No. 5 seed as a wild card team, the final spot is up for grabs and the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers or Oakland Raiders could get that spot.
The Titans control their destiny. They will be the final wild card team if they beat the AFC South champion Houston Texans on the road. If they win, they are in. They also get in if they tie the Texans and the Steelers lose or tie their game against the Ravens. If the Titans lose, they get in if the Steeler lose and the Indianapolis Colts lose or tie their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Steelers get in if they beat the Ravens and the Titans lose or tie against the Texans. If they tie the Ravens and the Titans lose, they get in. They also get in if they lose and then the following happens — the Titans lose, the Colts win and the Packers beat the Lions, the Vikings beat the Bears, the Chiefs beat the Chargers and the Dolphins beat the Patriots. That final combination is highly unlikely.
The Raiders have the most difficult scenario. They make the playoffs if they beat the Broncos and the Steelers and Titans both lose, the Colts win and either the Bears, Lions, Chargers or Patriots win.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
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