What does it mean when a NFL team clinches the wild card?

They are guaranteed to get into the playoffs with a the 'wild card' spot. The wild card spot is for teams who did not come in first place in their division but had a record good enough to be either 5th or 6th overall in the conference. (4 divisions per conferance --->2 conferances--->1 league)

ok first inspect it like this ruin it down into 2 seperate conferences the AFC and NFC, the two conferences have their very own seperate playoffs with 6 communities and deliver the winner to the Superbowl each convention has 4 divisions the 4 branch winners are immediately given the best 4 playoff seedings in accordance to the checklist so now that leaves us with 2 greater playoff spots for different communities based on the perfect records of the relax communities, those are the wild card spots given to the perfect 2 of ultimate communities in line with checklist the reason prevailing a branch and branch video games are so considerable because of the fact all of the communities on your branch may well be terrible so which you would be able to probable have a checklist of seven and 9 and win your branch and get in the best 4 of the playoffs spots thats how in specific situations a communities that in the time of basic terms gained 7 video games in a season can get into the playoffs over a set that gained 10 video games

It means they won enough to get to the playoffs and they will play in the first round of the playoffs and who ever wins those games move on to play the division champions. Then whoever wins those game move on to play in the conference championship. Then the winner of those two games play each other in the Superbowl.

They are going to the playoffs because they had the best record out of all the teams who did not come in first place in their division

It means they are in the playoffs but they did not win the division and they have to face a division winner in the first round

It means they got a playoff spot.

they are guaranteed the wild card regardless of how any of the other games turn out.

They are guaranteed one last last shot at the play offs.

they play for a place in the playoffs