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2023-2024 NFL playoffs clinching scenarios: Bills head to Miami with hopes of securing AFC No 2 seed

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

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2023-2024 NFL playoffs clinching scenarios: Bills head to Miami with hopes of securing AFC No 2 seed

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The race to the playoffs comes down to this.

The NFL is entering the final week of the regular season and nine teams have already clinched their spot in the postseason. With just one game left on the schedule and five spots remaining, fans can expect to see some of the most exciting football of the year.

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce (31) celebrates a kickoff return for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium in Houston on Dec. 24, 2023. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Among the scenarios heading into the weekend, the Buffalo Bills have one of the more interesting breakdowns.

A win against the Miami Dolphins would guarantee the Bills the division title and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Without a win, Buffalo could also advance with a loss or tie by the Pittsburgh Steelers, a loss or tie by the Jacksonville Jaguars, or a tie between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

Interestingly, there is a scenario (a complicated one) that could see Buffalo go in the opposite direction.

If Pittsburgh were to pull off a victory over the top-seed Baltimore Ravens, and the Jaguars defeated the Titans, and the Texans-Colts game ended in anything but a tie, and the Bills fell short on Sunday, Buffalo’s season would come to an end.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

All four things would need to happen for this outcome, but nothing is guaranteed.

LIONS’ DAN CAMPBELL ADMITS TRYING TO CONFUSE COWBOYS DEFENSE BEFORE CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY

The Bills have had an up-and-down season. Entering the bye week, the Bills held a 6-6 record and their hopes of reaching the playoffs were in question. But after returning to the field, Buffalo pulled ahead, winning four straight.

“I really think it’s just about our players continuing to grow every week,” head coach Sean McDermott told reporters Monday after a win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.

“Our coaches have done a phenomenal job of working on things with them, developing players at the individual level and then at the unit level as well. I really believe that the players have taken on that challenge head-on, and they’ve come together and formed an identity as a football team. I’ve just been very impressed by that over the last few weeks in particular.”

Several other teams face similar situations with just one game left. Read below to see which teams are sitting comfortably, which will be waiting on the final whistle, and which teams will have to watch the playoffs from home, per the NFL.

MOVING ON

AFC

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens high-fives a fan at halftime of the game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, California, on Dec. 25, 2023. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

1. Baltimore Ravens

Record: 13-3, AFC North division title

2. Miami Dolphins

Record: 11-5, 1st in AFC East

3. Kansas City Chiefs

Record: 10-6, AFC West division title

4. Cleveland Browns

Record: 11-5, 2nd in AFC North

NFC

Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a rushing touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

1. San Francisco 49ers

Record: 12-4, NFC West division title

2. Dallas Cowboys

Record: 11-5, 1st in NFC East

3. Detroit Lions

Record: 11-5, NFC North division title

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Record: 11-5, 2nd in NFC East

5. Los Angeles Rams

Record: 9-7, 2nd in NFC West

IN THE HUNT

AFC

Case Keenum (18) of the Houston Texans hands the ball off to Devin Singletary during the second half, Dec. 17, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Houston Texans clinch AFC South division title with:

1. HOU win + JAX loss or tie

Houston clinches playoff berth with:

1. HOU win OR

2. HOU tie + JAX loss + PIT loss or tie

–

Indianapolis Colts clinch AFC South division title with:

1. IND win + JAX loss or tie OR

2. IND tie + JAX loss

Indianapolis clinches playoff berth with:

1. IND win OR

2. IND tie + PIT loss or tie

–

Jacksonville Jaguars clinch AFC South division title with:

1. JAX win OR

2. JAX tie + HOU-IND tie

Jacksonville clinches playoff berth with:

1. JAX tie + PIT loss or tie OR

2. PIT loss + DEN loss or tie + HOU-IND doesn’t end in tie

–

Pittsburgh Steelers clinch playoff berth with:

1. PIT win + BUF loss OR

2. PIT win + JAX loss or tie OR

3. PIT win + HOU-IND tie OR

4. PIT tie + JAX loss + HOU-IND doesn’t end in tie OR

5. JAX loss + DEN win + HOU-IND doesn’t end in tie

NFC

Taylor Heinicke (4) of the Atlanta Falcons hands the ball off to Tyler Allgeier during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts, Dec. 24, 2023, in Atlanta. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Atlanta Falcons clinch NFC South division title with:

1. ATL win + TB loss

–

Green Bay Packers clinch playoff berth with:

1. GB win OR

2. GB tie + SEA loss or tie + NO loss or tie OR

3. GB tie + SEA loss + TB loss OR

4. GB tie + SEA tie + TB loss or tie OR

5. MIN loss or tie + SEA loss + TB loss OR

6. MIN loss or tie + SEA loss + NO loss

–

Minnesota Vikings clinch playoff berth with:

1. MIN win + GB loss + SEA loss + TB loss OR

2. MIN win + GB loss + SEA loss + NO loss

–

New Orleans Saints clinch NFC South division title with:

1. NO win + TB loss or tie OR

2. NO tie + TB loss

New Orleans clinches playoff berth with:

1. NO win + SEA loss or tie + GB loss or tie OR

2. NO tie + SEA loss + GB loss

–

Seattle Seahawks clinch playoff berth with:

1. SEA win + GB loss or tie OR

2. SEA tie + GB loss + TB loss or tie OR

3. SEA tie + GB loss + NO loss or tie

–

Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinch NFC South division title with:

1. TB win OR

2. TB tie + NO loss or tie

Tampa Bay clinches playoff berth with:

1. TB tie + SEA loss + GB loss or tie

Week 18 kicks off with the Ravens hosting the Steelers on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET and closes out with the Bills in Miami on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET.

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Sports

Damien basketball team opens 24-0 lead, then holds off Etiwanda

Published

11 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Damien basketball team opens 24-0 lead, then holds off Etiwanda

Junior guard Zaire Rasshan of Damien knows football. His father, Osaar, was a backup quarterback at UCLA from 2005-09. Rasshan played quarterback his freshman season at Damien until deciding basketball was his No. 1 sport.

So when Rasshan looked up at the scoreboard Thursday night at Etiwanda in the first quarter and saw the Spartans had scored the first 24 points, he had to think football.

“That was crazy,” he said. “That’s three touchdowns and a field goal.”

Damien (17-4, 2-0) was able to hold off Etiwanda 56-43 to pick up a key Baseline League road victory. Winning at Etiwanda has been a rarity for many teams through the years. But Damien’s fast start couldn’t have been any better. The Spartans didn’t miss any shots while playing good defense for their 24-0 surge. Etiwanda’s first basket didn’t come until the 1:38 mark of the first quarter.

“When we play together, we can beat anyone,” Rasshan said.

Rasshan was a big part of the victory, contributing 23 points. Eli Garner had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Etiwanda came in 18-1 and 1-0 in league. The Eagles missed 13 free throws, which prevented any comeback. The closest they got in the second half was within 11 points.

Damien’s victory puts it squarely in contention for a Southern Section Open Division playoff spot. The Spartans lost in the final seconds to Redondo Union in the Classic at Damien, showing they can compete with the big boys in coach Mike LeDuc’s 52nd season of coaching.

Rasshan is averaging nearly 20 points a game. He made three threes. And he hasn’t forgotten how to make a long pass, whether it’s with a football or basketball.

Sports

Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU

Published

12 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU

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The chaos between LSU coaches who left Ole Miss alongside Lane Kiffin but are still coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff is certainly a whirlwind.

Joe Judge, Ole Miss’ quarterbacks coach, has found himself in the thick of the drama — while he is not headed for Baton Rouge, he’s had to wonder who he will be working with on a weekly basis.

When asked this week about what it’s like to go through all the trials and tribulations, Judge turned heads with his answer that evoked his New England Patriots days.

Aaron Hernandez sits in the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court during his hearing. Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2013. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

“My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez,” Judge said, according to CBS Sports. “I know this is still more chaotic.”

Hernandez was found guilty of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, which occurred just three years into his NFL career.

“If you watch those documentaries, my house is on the TV next door,” Judge added. “The detectives knocked on my door to find out where he was. I didn’t know. We just kind of talked to the organization. But it was obviously chaotic.”

Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the 2013 murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

FROM MR IRRELEVANT TO GENERATIONAL WEALTH, BROCK PURDY WANTS TO USE HIS LIFESTYLE FOR GOOD

Judge, though, was able to compare the two situations to see how players can combat wild distractions.

“Those players that year handled that extremely well. Came out of that chaos, and we had some really good direction inside with some veterans and some different guys. You have something like that happen — how do you handle something like that? How do you deal with something like that? So you keep the focus on what you can handle, what you can control, which at that time was football for us, and we went through the stretch, and we were able to have success that year,” Judge said.

Judge also compared this scenario to the 2020 NFL season when he was head coach of the New York Giants, saying he would have “no idea” who would be available due to surprise positive COVID-19 tests.

Head coach Joe Judge of the New York Giants looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The Rebels face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, the College Football Playoff Semifinal, on Thursday night.

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Sports

Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games

Published

12 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games

Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.

The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.

One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.

He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.

As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.