NFL Tiebreaker Rules Explained
How the NFL breaks ties for division titles, wild-card spots and playoff seeding, in the order the league applies them, with the tiebreakers deciding the 2026 playoff picture right now.
Updated
Tiebreakers in play right now
- Pittsburgh Steelers over Cincinnati Bengals: head-to-head
- Detroit Lions over Minnesota Vikings: head-to-head
- Carolina Panthers over New Orleans Saints: division record
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Atlanta Falcons: head-to-head
- Seattle Seahawks over Los Angeles Rams: division record
- Jacksonville Jaguars over Pittsburgh Steelers: conference record
- Kansas City Chiefs over Cincinnati Bengals: conference record
- New England Patriots over Cleveland Browns: conference record
Breaking a tie within a division
Two teams
- Head-to-head (best winning percentage in games between the teams)
- Best winning percentage in division games
- Best winning percentage in common games
- Best winning percentage in conference games
- Strength of victory (all games)
- Strength of schedule (all games)
- Best combined ranking in points scored and points allowed among conference teams
- Best combined ranking in points scored and points allowed among all teams
- Best net points in common games
- Best net points in all games
- Best net touchdowns in all games
- Coin toss
Three or more teams
The same steps apply, with head-to-head counting games among all the tied teams. If one team is eliminated and two remain tied, the procedure restarts at step 1 of the two-team method. Once the top team is identified, the remaining teams restart from step 1.
Breaking a tie for a wild-card spot
First, keep only the highest-ranked team from each division (using the division tiebreakers). Then:
Two teams
- Head-to-head, if they played
- Best winning percentage in conference games
- Best winning percentage in common games (minimum of four)
- Strength of victory
- Strength of schedule
- Best combined ranking in points scored and allowed among conference teams
- Best combined ranking in points scored and allowed among all teams
- Best net points in conference games
- Best net points in all games
- Best net touchdowns in all games
- Coin toss
Three or more teams
- Head-to-head sweep (only if one team beat each of the others, or lost to each of the others)
- Best winning percentage in conference games
- Best winning percentage in common games (minimum of four)
- Strength of victory
- Strength of schedule
- Then the points-based steps and a coin toss
When the first wild-card team is identified, the process repeats for the next spot, again starting by eliminating all but the top team in each division.
Seeding the division winners
The four division winners in each conference are seeded 1 to 4 by record. Ties between division winners are broken with the wild-card tiebreakers.
Our playoff predictor and playoff picture apply these steps automatically, through strength of schedule and net points; the rarely used ranking and touchdown steps are replaced by a coin toss.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first NFL tiebreaker?
Head-to-head record. For two teams in the same division, it is their record against each other. For wild-card ties of three or more teams, head-to-head only applies if one team beat (or lost to) all the others.
What is strength of victory?
The combined winning percentage of all the teams a club has beaten. It comes after head-to-head, division/conference record and common games.
What is strength of schedule in NFL tiebreakers?
The combined winning percentage of all of a team's opponents. It is the step after strength of victory, and the first tiebreaker for draft order.