When a team has clinched a playoff berth, it has officially earned a spot in the playoffs.
A team that has clinched a playoff berth is guaranteed a spot in the postseason, regardless of what happens during the rest of the regular season.
By the end of the regular season, more and more teams will have secured playoff berths.
While the top teams will secure their playoff berth with games to spare, the middle teams may not qualify until the last game.
In the standings, teams with playoff berths are often denoted by a small x.
The Most Effective way to Make the Playoffs in Football
It is possible to clinch a playoff berth in football in three different ways. You can claim your conference, which gives you the first seed in your division.
In addition to winning their division, a team can also qualify for the playoffs via the wild card position, regardless of their record.
The Conference is Clinched
A conference title not only secures a playoff birth for the team, but it also provides several other benefits.
The NFL is divided into two conferences, so each year only two teams will qualify for their conference.
In addition to playing on their home field, conference winners get a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
They are able to travel less and have the ability to avoid travel and have their own fans.
In the playoffs, conference winners receive a first-round bye, meaning they only have to win a couple of games to reach the Super Bowl.
This is why winning the conference gives you a huge advantage in the playoffs.
Winning your Division
There are four divisions in the NFL, and whoever wins their division will be guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.
If you win your division, regardless of your record, you are guaranteed a playoff birth. This has caused some controversy among football fans as teams with poor records have gotten into the playoffs simply because they won their division.
Even if a wild card team has a better record, they will be seeded behind all division winners.
In each round, seeding determines your home-field advantage as well as your matchups.
Clinching a Wild Card
In addition to securing a playoff berth, a team can also qualify for the playoffs by securing a wild card position. Each conference allows three teams to qualify for the playoffs without winning their divisions.
A non-division winner with the most impressive regular-season record gets these spots.
A wild card team will never play at home in the playoffs unless they end up playing a lower-seeded wild card team later on.
It is common for wild card spots to be mentioned when referring to playoff berths clinched. These spots are given to teams seeking to make the playoffs despite being in the bottom half of the standings.
Winning a conference or division is typically referred to as clinching a playoff spot rather than clinching a division.