1988 NFL Season — Final Standings
Final regular-season standings, the Cardinals' first season in Phoenix after relocating from St. Louis (still in the NFC East). Cleveland (10-6) edged fellow AFC Central club Houston (also 10-6) for the final AFC wild-card spot on division-record tiebreaker — both AFC wild cards came from the same division. New Orleans finished 10-6 but missed the playoffs entirely as part of a three-way NFC West tie with San Francisco and the Rams, who took the two NFC wild cards.
AFC East
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | BBBuffalo Bills | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | - |
| — | ICIndianapolis Colts | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 3 |
| — | NEPNew England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 3 |
| — | NYJNew York Jets | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 3.5 |
| — | MDMiami Dolphins | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 6 |
AFC Central
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CBCincinnati Bengals | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | - |
| 4 | CBCleveland Browns | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2 |
| 5 | HOHouston Oilers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2 |
| — | PSPittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 7 |
AFC West
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | SSSeattle Seahawks | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | - |
| — | DBDenver Broncos | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 1 |
| — | LARLos Angeles Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2 |
| — | SDCSan Diego Chargers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3 |
| — | KCCKansas City Chiefs | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 4.5 |
NFC East
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | PEPhiladelphia Eagles | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| — | NYGNew York Giants | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| — | WRWashington Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3 |
| — | PCPhoenix Cardinals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3 |
| — | DCDallas Cowboys | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 7 |
NFC Central
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CBChicago Bears | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | - |
| 4 | MVMinnesota Vikings | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1 |
| — | TBBTampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 7 |
| — | DLDetroit Lions | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 8 |
| — | GBPGreen Bay Packers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 8 |
NFC West
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | SF4San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| 5 | LARLos Angeles Rams | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| — | NOSNew Orleans Saints | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| — | AFAtlanta Falcons | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 5 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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