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It all depends on the other opponents in the conference. In the weaker NFC a team can get away with making it in the playoffs with 8 wins. In the AFC, since the teams are stronger, it will probably take 10 wins. normally the special # is 10. but it all depends on the standings in the division. there's really no set # to get into the playoffs, you could possibly only win 7 8 or 9 games and still get in. It depends on how the other teams in the division are doing. A team clinches the playoffs when it is completely impossible for them to lose their division. i think its 12 isn't it?not quite sure on my answer The 32-team league is divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). As of 2002, each conference is further divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. The tournament brackets are made up of six teams from each of the league's two conferences, following the end of the 16-game regular season. Qualification into the playoffs are as follows:
The NFL Playoffs. Each of the 4 division winners is seeded 1鈥? based on their divisional records. The two wildcard teams (labeled Wild Card 1 and 2) are seeded 5th and 6th (with the better of the two having seed 5) regardless of their records compared to the 4 division winners.The four division champions from each conference (the team in each division with the best divisional record), which are seeded 1 through 4 based on their divisional won-lost-tied record.
Two wild card qualifiers (those non-division champions with the conference's best winning percentages), which are seeded 5 and 6.
The first round of the playoffs is dubbed the Wild Card Playoffs (the league in recent years has also used the term Wild Card Weekend). The 3rd-seeded division winner hosts the 6th seed wild card, and the 4th seed hosts the 5th. The 1 and the 2 seeds from each conference receive a bye in the first round, which entitles these teams to automatically advance to the second round, the Divisional Playoff games, to face the Wild Card survivors. Unlike most tournaments, with a predetermined bracket, each round of the playoffs is 're-seeded'; the highest surviving seed always hosts the lowest surviving seed, the second-highest hosts the second-lowest, etc. This guarantees each division winner at least one home playoff game The two surviving teams from the Divisional Playoff games meet in Conference Championship games, with the winners of those contests going on to face one another in the Super Bowl.
If teams are tied (having the same regular season won-lost-tied record), the playoff seeding is determined by a set of tiebreaking rules.
A disadvantage that critics cite in the current system is that a divisional winner could host a playoff game against a wild card team that earned a better regular season record. For example, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished the 2005 regular season with a 12-4 record, but only qualified as a wild card team (the AFC South title was claimed by the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts) and thus had to face the New England Patriots, the AFC East division champions with a record of 10-6, at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Since the 2002 expansion to 8 divisions, there have been calls to expand the playoffs to 14 or even 16 teams. Proponents of expansion note the increased revenue that could be gained from 2 or even 4 more playoff games. They also note that the 12-team playoff system was implemented when the league only had 28 teams. With expansion to 32 teams, there has been an effective loss of access to the playoff structure. The opposition to such a move notes that an expansion of the playoffs would "water down" the field by giving access to lower-caliber teams. One can point to the NBA Playoffs and the NHL Playoffs where 16 teams qualify for the post season, and there is often decreased emphasis on regular season performance. There have only been a few instances where a 10-6 team did not make the playoffs. Never has an 11-5 team missed the playoffs.
So I guess to absolutely clinch a spot you have to win eleven. However, 10 gets you in 95% of the time. 9 wins probably gets you in 60% of the time. Basically it all depends on your Division competition. Saying it will take a higher # from AFC is inaccurate. AFC has the top 2 strongest teams. But the Patriots have almost clinched already due to weak division. I would not be surprised if 2nd wild card in AFC is 9-7 or 8-8 More than the other teams in its conference. Usually 8 wins can get you in, but sometimes, if your conference is especially good, you'd need a few more.
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