Playoff Criteria
The NFL maintains a complex set of rules that determine which teams make the
playoffs each year. The more interesting criteria on which these rules are based
and which play a significant factor in determining playoff teams each year are
listed on this page along with explanations of each.
- Overall Record: This one is easy, its the overall win/loss percentage of the team. If a team has played 10 games and won 5 and lost 5 then their win/loss percentage is 0.5, or 50%.
- Divisional Record: This one is also fairly simple, its the win/loss percentage of each team considering only games against divisional opponents.
If a team has played 10 games, 6 divisional, and 4 non divisional and has won 4 of the 6 divisional games then the
teams divisional win/loss percentage is 0.67 or 67%.
- Conference Record: This is the win/loss percentage of each team considering only games against teams in the same conference.
If a team has played 10 games, 8 against teams in their conference, and 2 against teams from the other conference and the team has won
2 of the 8 conference games then the team's conference win/loss percentage is 0.25 or 25%.
- Points For(PF): This is the total number of points the team has scored against all opponents.
- Points Allowed (PA): This is the total number of points that the team has allowed to be scored against them by all opponents
- Points For within Conference (PFC): this is the total number of points the team has scored against opponents in the same conference.
- Points Allowed within Conference (PAC): this is the total number of points the team has allowed to be scored on against them by opponents in the same conference.
- Points Net (PN): This is the difference between the Points For and the Points Allowed considering all games the team has played.
- Points Net within Conference (PNC): This is the difference between the Points For and the Points Allowed considering only games against teams in the same conference.
- Strength of Schedule (SoS): This is a weighted number that gives more credit to teams that play tougher opponents
- Strength of Victory (SoV): This is a weighted number that gives more credit to teams that have victories over tougher opponents.