The following
procedures will be used to break standings ties for postseason
playoffs and to determine regular-season schedules.
NOTE: Tie games count as one-half win and one-half loss for both
clubs.
TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A CONFERENCE FOR 1st PLACE & SEEDING
If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the
same conference finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages,
the following steps will be taken until a champion is
determined.
Two Clubs
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games
between the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
conference.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined ranking among conference teams in points
scored and points allowed.
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and
points allowed.
- Best net points in common games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are
eliminated during any step, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the
two-club format).
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among
the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
division.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
conference.
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined ranking among conference teams in points
scored and points allowed.
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and
points allowed.
- Best net points in common games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM
If it is necessary to break ties to determine the two Wild-Card
clubs from each conference, the following steps will be taken.
Two Clubs
- Head-to-head, if applicable.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
conference.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of
four.
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined ranking among conference teams in points
scored and points allowed.
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and
points allowed.
- Best net points in conference games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
- Coin toss.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are
eliminated, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club
format.)
- Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the
highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to
step 2. The original seeding within a division upon
application of the division tie breaker remains the same for
all subsequent applications of the procedure that are
necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
- Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has
defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of
the others.)
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
conference.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of
four.
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined ranking among conference teams in points
scored and points allowed.
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and
points allowed.
- Best net points in conference games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
- Coin toss
When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the
procedure is repeated to name the second Wild-Card, i.e.,
eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division prior
to proceeding to step 2. In situations where three or more teams
from the same division are involved in the procedure, the
original seeding of the teams remains the same for subsequent
applications of the tie breaker if the top-ranked team in that
division qualifies for a Wild-Card berth.
OTHER TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES
- Only one club advances to the playoffs in any tie-breaking
step. Remaining tied clubs revert to the first step of the
applicable division or Wild-Card tie breakers. As an example,
if two clubs remain tied in any tie-breaker step after all
other clubs have been eliminated, the procedure reverts to
step one of the two-club format to determine the winner. When
one club wins the tie breaker, all other clubs revert to step
1 of the applicable two-club or three-club format.
- In comparing division and conference records or records
against common opponents among tied teams, the best
won-lost-tied percentage is the deciding factor since teams
may have played an unequal number of games.
- To determine home-field priority among division titlists,
apply Wild-Card tie breakers.
- To determine home-field priority for Wild-Card qualifiers,
apply division tie breakers (if teams are from the same
division) or Wild-Card tie breakers (if teams are from
different ivisions).
TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION MEETING
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection order, the
strength-of-schedule tie breaker is applied, subject to the
following exceptions for playoff clubs:
- The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl loser
next-to-last.
- Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie shall be
assigned priority within its segment below that of non-playoff
clubs and in the order that the playoff clubs exited from the
playoffs. Thus, within a tied segment a playoff club that
loses in the Wild-Card game will have priority over a playoff
club that loses in the Divisional playoff game, which in turn
will have priority over a club that loses in the Conference
Championship game. If two tied clubs exited the playoffs in
the same round, the tie is broken by strength of schedule.
If any ties cannot be broken by strength of schedule, the
divisional or conference tie breakers, whichever are applicable,
are applied. Any ties that still exist are broken by a coin
flip.