When Do the NFL Playoffs Start?
Contents
The NFL playoffs begin Saturday, January 4th. Find out who’s playing who and when right here!
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Each year, 12 teams qualify for the playoffs. The four division winners in each conference (NFC and AFC) are seeded 1-4 based on their regular season record, and the two wild card teams in each conference are seeded 5-6. The playoffs are played in January, with the NFC and AFC Championship Games being played on the first Sunday in February (known as Super Bowl Sunday).
What are the NFL Playoffs?
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the National Football League (NFL) regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a seventh team is eligible from each conference by virtue of winning their division. These teams compete in three rounds, with each round eliminating half of the teams entering that round, before two teams face off in the Super Bowl to decide the league’s championship.
How Do the Playoffs Work?
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. As of 2019, there are four rounds of playoffs, consisting of six teams from each conference: the winners of each divisional playoff game, and two wild-card teams. The four divisional winners are seeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, with the top seed playing the bottom seed in each round. As per usual in sports single elimination tournaments, if a team loses they are out of the playoffs and cannot compete to be crowned champion.
The two wild-card teams per conference are seeded 5 and 6, and play each other in the first round (wild card round). The survivors then play one of the divisional leaders in the second round (divisional playoffs), with home advantage determined by won-lost records. These four surviving teams then enter the final two rounds (the conference championships and Super Bowl) where home advantage is also determined by won-lost records.
The NFL postseason has evolved since its inception. In 2010, the NFL expanded its playoffs to include a fourth qualifying team from each conference, thus increasing the total number of teams in the playoffs to 12.
Who Qualifies for the Playoffs?
Fourteen teams qualify for the playoffs each year. Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs, with four division winners and three wild-card teams. The first round of the playoffs is known as the Wild Card round. In this round, the two wild-card teams from each conference play each other. The winner of each game moves on to the next round, while the loser is Eliminated from playoff contention.
What is the NFL Playoff Schedule?
NFL playoffs start Saturday, January 5th with the Wild Card round. The Divisional round is Saturday, January 12th. The Conference championships are Sunday, January 20th and the Pro Bowl is Sunday, January 27th. The Super Bowl is Sunday, February 3rd.
Conclusion
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1947 to 1966, the NFL championship game was held in early December, usually on the first Sunday of the month. The last pre-Super Bowl championship game was played on December 29, 1968. The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967. In 1970, the AFL and NFL merged to form one league, and since that time there have been four rounds of playoffs to determine the conference champions and ultimately the Super Bowl winner.
