The NFL playoff bracket is nearly complete as the NFC and AFC champions are finally crowned. Which two teams will face off in the Super Bowl after navigating their way through their respective bracket?
For teams already eliminated, be sure to check out our free Mock Draft Simulator based on the updated NFL Draft order.
NFL Playoff Bracket
Entering the weekend, only four teams remained in this season’s quest for the Lombardi Trophy. Could both home teams emerge victoriously and head to the Super Bowl, or could the road teams cause an upset?
AFC/NFC Matchups
- AFC: (4) Cincinnati Bengals at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
- NFC: (6) San Francisco 49ers at (4) Los Angeles Rams
AFC Conference Championship playoff bracket matchup
Let’s look at what happened in the AFC Conference Championship matchup in the 2021-2022 playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals took on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium at 3:00 PM ET.
(No. 4 seed) Cincinnati Bengals 27, (No. 2 seed) Kansas City Chiefs 24
What a fascinating game this turned out to be. It did not look that way when the Chiefs raced out to a 21-3 lead. However, the Bengals held the Chiefs scoreless through the third quarter. Meanwhile, the offense scored 21 unanswered points to take what seemed an improbable lead. However, they left Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense with six minutes remaining to try and salvage their spot in the Super Bowl.
As they did the week before, the Chiefs kept their cool. They methodically marched down the field to put themselves in a position to win the game. The Bengals stalled them inside the red zone before Harrison Butker kicked the field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime. Following an interception by Mahomes, the Bengals worked the ball into FG range, and their rookie kicker Evan McPherson hit his second consecutive walk-off field goal.
NFC Conference Championship playoff bracket matchup
Here’s a look at what happened during the NFC Conference Championship matchup for the 2021-2022 NFL postseason. The San Francisco 49ers took on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium at 6:30 PM ET.
Los Angeles Rams (No. 4 seed) 20, (No. 6 seed) San Francisco 49ers 17
For the third time this season, we got to witness two NFC West rivals compete when the 49ers traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Rams. In a tight battle that went back and forth, Matthew Stafford and the home team prevailed. For the second season in a row, a team will get to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium when the Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
Even though they came out with the win, it was far from a perfect game from the Rams. Stafford had a brutal interception in the first half and what should have been a second pick that was dropped late in the fourth quarter. However, the Stafford-to-Cooper Kupp connection continued to be magic. Kupp finished the game with 142 receiving yards and 2 TD catches. Behind Kupp, free-agent pickup Odell Beckham Jr. also made an impact with 113 receiving yards.
Conference Championship Round TV Schedule
The NFL playoff bracket transitions from four to two matchups as the field dwindles. Here are the times and TV channels for all the Conference Championship games.
AFC Championship Game
- Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
- Start Time: 3 PM ET
- Channel: CBS, Paramount+
NFC Championship Game
- San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
- Start Time: 6:30 PM ET
- Channel: FOX
Sunday also saw the Las Vegas Raiders hire a new general manager in Dave Ziegler and head coach in Josh McDaniels. With all of the general manager roles around the league now full, keep up to date with the latest head coach news with our 2022 NFL Head Coach Tracker.