^ abCincinnati finished ahead of Pittsburh based on division record.
^ abMiami finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory.
^ abBaltimore finished ahead of Cleveland based on division record.
^ abcNY Jets finished ahead of Tennessee based on common record. (2–4 vs. 1–5 against: Miami, Jacksonville, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Oakland). Conference tie break was initially used to eliminate Oakland (see below).
^ abOakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
^ abWhile conference record initially eliminated Oakland in the three-way tie with NY Jets, Tennessee, and Oakland, once the NY Jets were ranked above both Tennessee and Oakland, the tiebreaking procedure restarts with the remaining teams, resulting in Oakland ranking above Tennessee.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
References
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^ abcdChicago finished ahead of Tampa Bay and NY Giants based on conference record. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Carolina (see below).
^ abTampa Bay finished ahead of Carolina based on division record.
^ abTampa Bay finished ahead of NY Giants based on conference record.
^ abMinnesota finished ahead of Dallas based on conference record.
^ abPhiladelphia finished ahead of St. Louis based on head-to-head victory.
^ abDetroit finished ahead of Arizona based on head-to-head victory.
^ abGreen Bay finished ahead of San Francisco based on conference record.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.
References
These references will appear in the article, but this list appears only on this page.