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NFL Common Games Comparator
The Common Games tiebreaker compares teams' win percentages against shared opponents to determine which team performed better against the same competition. When teams have played at least 4 common opponents, this tiebreaker becomes crucial in breaking ties for division standings and wild card positioning. Unlike head-to-head results which only considers direct matchups, common games evaluate performance against mutual opponents, making it especially important when three-team or four-team ties occur within the same division.
Calculate Common Games Tiebreaker
How Common Games Tiebreaker Works
• What it measures: Compares the win-loss-tie percentage of two teams against opponents they both played, revealing who performed better against identical competition.
• Minimum requirement: Teams must have played at least 4 common opponents for this tiebreaker to apply. With fewer shared games, the NFL skips to the next tiebreaker criterion.
• When it's used: Applied after head-to-head and conference record tiebreakers in division races, or when evaluating wild card candidates from the same division.
• How it's calculated: Identify all opponents both teams faced. Calculate each team's win percentage against those specific opponents. The team with the higher win percentage wins the tiebreaker.
• Why it matters: Common games provide a direct performance comparison against identical competition. If Team A went 3-1 (.750) and Team B went 2-2 (.500) against the same 4 opponents, Team A clearly handled shared competition better.
Pro Tip: Division rivals typically have more common opponents since they play similar schedules. This makes common games especially powerful for breaking division ties. In three-team scenarios, if all teams share at least 4 common opponents, this becomes a decisive factor before moving to strength of victory or strength of schedule calculations.
Common Games Status
Tiebreaker Result
Common Games Record
Common Games Record
Common Opponents Breakdown
Common Games Tiebreaker FAQ
Do common games matter in my tiebreaker scenario?
Common games only matter if teams have played at least 4 common opponents. The NFL requires this minimum threshold to ensure there's enough data for a meaningful comparison. Use our calculator above to instantly check if your teams meet this requirement and see how they compare.
What happens if teams have fewer than 4 common games?
If teams share fewer than 4 common opponents, the NFL skips this tiebreaker entirely and moves to the next criterion in the sequence. For division tiebreakers, this typically means advancing to strength of victory, which measures performance against teams you defeated.
How is common games different from head-to-head?
Head-to-head only considers games between the tied teams themselves. Common games evaluates performance against all shared opponents, providing a broader comparison. For example, if Baltimore and Cincinnati are tied, head-to-head looks at their games against each other, while common games compares their records against teams like Pittsburgh and Cleveland that they both faced.
When does common games apply in three-team ties?
In three-team tiebreaker scenarios, common games is evaluated after head-to-head sweep and conference record. All three teams must share at least 4 common opponents for this tiebreaker to apply. Division rivals often meet this threshold since they play similar schedules.
Can common games break a wild card tie between teams from different divisions?
Yes, but it's less common. Wild card tiebreakers use common games when applicable, but teams from different divisions typically have fewer shared opponents. The 4-game minimum requirement makes this tiebreaker more decisive for division races than wild card scenarios.
Does the location of common games matter?
No, the common games tiebreaker doesn't account for home/away splits. It simply compares raw win percentages against shared opponents. Whether you beat a common opponent at home or on the road counts the same in this calculation.