The 2025 NFL regular season is in its final stretch, and every game now matters for the playoffs. Teams are competing for division titles and wild-card spots, and records alone don’t always decide who advances.

When teams finish with the same record, the NFL uses tiebreakers to determine rankings. These rules decide division winners first, then wild-card qualifiers. Understanding them shows why some teams move ahead. This piece breaks down all the steps the league uses, from head-to-head records to points scored, so you can follow the playoff picture clearly.

How Division Tiebreakers Work

The NFL starts by comparing teams within the same division. If two teams have identical records, the tiebreakers are applied in this order:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Best win-loss-tie percentage in division games
3. Best win-loss-tie percentage in common games
4. Best win-loss-tie percentage in conference games
5. Strength of victory
6. Strength of schedule
7. Combined ranking in points scored and allowed in the conference.
8. Combined ranking in points scored and allowed overall.
9. Net points in common games
10. Net points in all games
11. Net touchdowns in all games
12. Coin toss

If three or more teams are tied, the same steps are followed. Once one team is eliminated, the process restarts for the remaining teams until a division winner is determined.

How NFL Wild-Card Tiebreakers Work

Wild-card tiebreakers differ because teams may come from different divisions. If tied teams are from the same division, the division tiebreakers apply. If they are from different divisions, a separate order is used.

Two-Team Tie:

1. Head-to-head record, if applicable
2. Win-loss-tie percentage in conference games
3. Win-loss-tie percentage in common games (minimum four)
4. Strength of victory
5. Strength of schedule
6. Combined ranking in points scored and allowed (conference)
7. Combined ranking in points scored and allowed (overall)
8. Net points in conference games
9. Net points in all games
10. Net touchdowns in all games
11. Coin toss

Three or More Teams Tie:

1. Apply division tiebreakers to eliminate all but the top team in each division
2. Head-to-head sweep if one team beats all others or loses to all others
3. Win-loss-tie percentage in conference games
4. Win-loss-tie percentage in common games (minimum four)
5. Strength of victory
6. Strength of schedule
7. Combined ranking in points scored and allowed (conference)
8. Combined ranking in points scored and allowed (overall)
9. Net points in conference games
10. Net points in all games
11. Net touchdowns in all games
12. Coin toss

Other Important Notes

Only one team advances at each step. Remaining tied teams always restart at Step 1. When comparing records against common opponents, the best win-loss-tie percentage decides because teams may play different numbers of games.

Home-field priority for division winners uses wild-card tiebreakers. Home-field advantage for wild-card teams uses division tiebreakers if from the same division, or wild-card tiebreakers if from different divisions.

When ranking by points scored and allowed, the league adds the team’s positions in each category. The lowest total wins. Ties in ranking are shared, and the next position is counted normally.

In short, NFL tiebreakers determine who advances to the playoffs when records are the same. Every game, every point, and every win count in deciding which teams make it to the postseason.

Every point and every game can decide a team’s playoff fate. Understanding these tiebreakers shows exactly why some teams advance over others.

Written by

Mohd Mudabbir Ansari

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi