When Are the NFL Playoffs?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion.

Introduction

The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1933, when NFL play was first structured into divisions and conferences, through 1949, there were no playoffs, and the NFL champion was determined by regular season won-loss record. From 1950 onward, the playoffs have been held every year except for 1982, when a players’ strike led to cancellation of that year’s postseason tournaments.

What are the NFL Playoffs?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the NFL regular season to determine the NFL champion. Qualification into the playoffs works as follows: the four division winners and two wild card teams (the two best teams with the conference who did not win their division) from both the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC) qualify for the playoffs. These teams are seeded according to their regular season records, with the division winners always having home-field advantage.

How do teams qualify for the playoffs?

In order to make the playoffs, teams must have a winning record. The NFL uses a tiered system to determine which teams will participate in the playoffs. The four teams with the best records from each conference—the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC)—will receive a bye in the first week of the playoffs. These teams are seeded one through four based on their record, with the team with the best record receiving the number one seed. The next four teams in each conference will play each other in the first week of the playoffs, seeded five through eight.

What is the playoff format?

The NFL’s playoff system has undergone several modifications since the league’s inception in 1920. The number of teams qualifying for the playoffs has increased over time, currently standing at 12. The tournament field is set at the end of the regular season and seeds are assigned to each team. The four opening-round playoff games, dubbed Wild Card Weekend, are played on Saturday and Sunday in January. The four divisional winners from Wild Card Weekend advance to the following week’s Divisional Playoffs. Following the Divisional Playoffs, the two remaining teams in each conference meet in the conference championships. The winners of each conference’s championship game advance to Super Bowl Sunday, when they compete for the Lombardi Trophy and a place in history.

When are the NFL Playoffs?

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Seven teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs.

When is Wild Card Weekend?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1947 to 1967, the NFL playoff system consisted of a four-team playoff tournament, where each team was seeded based on their won-loss-tie record. The tournament began with two games on Wild Card Weekend, followed by two games on Divisional Playoff weekend, and ended with the NFL Championship Game on the first Sunday in January.

The current NFL playoff system was adopted in 1970. The four-team tournament gave way to a six-team tournament (five division winners and one wild card team). The Divisional Playoff games were replaced by the Conference Championship games, where the winners of each conference (American Football Conference and National Football Conference) would meet for the right to go to the Super Bowl. The six-team playoff format remained intact until 1974, when it was expanded to an eight-team tournament (three division winners and five wild card teams).

The current NFL playoff system was first used in 1990. It consists of fourteen teams (twelve division winners and two wild card teams). The four division winners in each conference are seeded 1–4 based on their won-loss records, and the two wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The first round of playoffs is Wild Card weekend, which consists of four games played on Saturday and Sunday. The 1 seed hosts the 6 seed, the 2 seed hosts the 5 seed, 3 seed hosts the 4 seed, and 4 seed hosts the 3seed.

When is Divisional Playoff Weekend?

The Divisional Playoff Weekend is Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17, 2021.

When is the Conference Championship Weekend?

The NFL Conference Championship Weekend will be held on Sunday, January 24, 2021. The AFC Championship Game will be played at 3:05 PM ET and the NFC Championship Game will be played at 6:40 PM ET.

When is the Super Bowl?

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the 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 if it wins a Wild Card playoff game. From there, the tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, pitting the champions of each conference against one another in a winner-takes-all showdown.

The NFL playoffs are typically held in January, with the exception of the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February. The specific dates and times for each round of the playoffs are determined by the NFL schedule makers well in advance, and are usually published along with the rest of the league’s regular season schedule in April.

Conclusion

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the National Football League’s regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1933 to 1966, the NFL postseason generally only consisted of the NFL Championship Game, pitting the league’s two division winners (barring tiebreakers) against each other.