Before the first results every team is 0-0 and alive for everything: no club has clinched or been eliminated, and every magic number sits at its maximum. Chips, magic numbers, and this week's exact scenarios fill in each Tuesday as finals load.
Clinch log 2026
No clinch or elimination yet in 2026. Entries appear here the week they happen, computed from the finals.
NFL clinching scenarios Week 1 2026
Tap a team for this week’s scenarios. Magic numbers are shown as at most: a tiebreaker the team already holds can lower one by a game. Exact scenarios update after the Tuesday load.
Two layers. The bounds need no tiebreakers: a team has clinched its division when its wins exceed every rival’s maximum possible wins, has clinched a playoff spot when at most six conference clubs can still finish with more wins, and is eliminated when its maximum falls short. They never call a clinch or an elimination early. The exact scenarios enumerate every win-or-loss combination of this week’s remaining games and, after each, test every club near a line with the league’s tiebreaker procedure, judging a tie in wins in the club’s worst case for a clinch and best case for an elimination. A tiebreaker that reaches net touchdowns or the coin toss is reported as “depends on coin flip.” Ties are not enumerated. The exact layer may never contradict the bounds; if it ever does, the page shows the bounds for that club and logs the case. The enumeration runs once after each Tuesday results load, not on every visit.
Clinching FAQ
What do the Cardinals need to clinch this week?
No game is final yet, so nothing can be clinched this week. The Cardinals start 0-0 with a magic number of 18 for the division.
What do the Falcons need to clinch this week?
No game is final yet, so nothing can be clinched this week. The Falcons start 0-0 with a magic number of 18 for the division.
Have the Cardinals been eliminated?
No. No game is final yet; the Cardinals are 0-0 like everyone else.
Have the Falcons been eliminated?
No. No game is final yet; the Falcons are 0-0 like everyone else.
What is a magic number?
The number of wins, or opponent losses, that guarantees a spot regardless of tiebreakers. For the division it is the closest rival's maximum possible wins minus the team's current wins plus one. For a playoff spot it is the same count against the seventh-best other club in the conference. A tiebreaker the team already holds can lower it by one, so the page shows each number as "at most".