The final week of the NFL season is here. And with it comes playoff-clinching scenarios, seeding situations, and more. Did your favorite team make the playoffs? What does the playoff bracket for the Wild Card Round look like next week?
NFC Playoff Seeds and Standings
1. Detroit Lions (15-2)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
4. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
5. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
6. Washington Commanders (12-5)
7. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
AFC Playoff Seeds and Standings
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (10-7)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. Denver Broncos (10-7)
NFL Playoff Dates and Wild Card Weekend Schedule
Here are the dates for the upcoming postseason:
- Wild Card Round: Jan. 11-13
- Divisional Round: Jan. 18-19
- Conference Championships: Jan. 26
- Super Bowl LIX: Feb. 9
Saturday, Jan. 11
4:30 p.m. ET — Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans (CBS, Paramount+)
8 p.m. ET — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens (Amazon Prime)
Sunday, Jan. 12
1 p.m. ET — Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills (CBS, Paramount+)
4:30 p.m. ET — Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (FOX)
8:15 p.m. ET — Washington Commanders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NBC, Peacock)
Monday, Jan. 13
8:15 p.m. ET — Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams
How Many Teams Make the NFL Playoffs?
A total of 14 teams make the NFL playoffs. The 14 teams include seven from the American Football Conference (AFC) and seven from the National Football Conference (NFC).
Each of the four division champions from the two conferences automatically earns a bid, followed by three Wild Card teams from each conference.
The three Wild Card spots in each conference are earned by the top three teams by record who did not win their respective divisions. To break ties between teams with equal records that are vying for a Wild Card spot, the NFL employs a set of tiebreaking procedures.
There are separate 12-step processes for breaking ties between two teams and ties between three or more teams. Only if the first 11 steps are exhausted does the NFL resort to a coin toss to decide which team makes the playoffs. Generally, ties are broken within the first five steps.
NFL Playoff Format and Bracket
Teams are seeded No. 1 through 7 in each conference, with the division winners receiving seeds Nos. 1 through 4, with the three Wild Card teams receiving seeds Nos. 5 through 7.
The division winners are seeded according to record, with the best record receiving the top seed, and the same is true of Wild Card teams.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The league uses the same playoff tiebreaking procedures to break ties for seeds.
The NFL’s playoff bracket is divided between the AFC and NFC. There are four rounds: Wild Card Weekend, the Divisional Round, Conference Championship Weekend, and the Super Bowl.
The No. 1 seed receives a first-round bye. In this format, the No. 7 seed, if they win on Wild Card Weekend, automatically goes to the top seed on the road. The same is said if the No. 6 seed wins and the No. 7 seed is eliminated.
In the Super Bowl, the winning teams from each conference face off to battle for the Lombardi Trophy.