B/R AM: NFL Playoff Scenarios, Explained

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The final weekend of the NFL regular season is here.

A record 20 teams are in or still alive for the playoffs.

• These 12 are eliminated

• These nine are in

• And the Jags, Bills, Colts, Bucs, Packers, Texans, Steelers, Seahawks, Saints, Vikings and Falcons are playing for a playoff spot

Most interesting scenario: The Bills, who get the two-seed with a win vs. Miami and miss the playoffs with an L plus wins by the Texans, Jaguars and Steelers.

What else to watch:

• NFC South: The Bucs win the division with a win. If they lose, the Saints and Falcons game is a play-in. 

• The Bears can play spoiler by beating the Packers. Otherwise, a Packers W = playoffs. 

Most complicated: The Steelers, who have to beat the Ravens, then root for many combinations of losses and/or ties.

*Every* clinching scenario here.

FRIDAY'S HEADLINES

• ABSURD Jokic buzzer-beater
  

• The Warriors blew this lead
  

• Wemby's epic block on Giannis
  

• Cy Young winner interested in NYY

GUESS THE NBA PLAYER

CLUE 1: Most PPG by a rookie post-2000

CLUE 2: 4 teams

• Kevin Durant 
• Tyreke Evans
• LeBron
• Blake Griffin

WHAT TO WATCH

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

🏀 NBA Friday

• UT at BOS (7 PM ET)
• NYK at PHI (ESPN, 7:30 PM ET)
• MIN at HOU (8 PM ET)
• LAC at NO (8 PM ET)
• ORL at DEN (9 PM ET)
• MIA at PHX (9 PM ET)
• MEM at LAL (ESPN, 10 PM ET)

ONE LAST THING

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Vibe check in LA: The Clippers have won 18 of 23 and James Harden is on a revenge tour, while the Lakers are 3-9 since the IST with anti-Darvin Ham reports starting to surface.

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