How Many NFL Teams Will Make the Playoffs in 2021?
How Many NFL Teams Will Make the Playoffs in 2021?
We break down the odds for every team and make our predictions.
Introduction
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Since 2010, the playoffs have consisted of four rounds: the Wild Card round, the Divisional round, the Conference championships, and the Super Bowl. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs.
How Many NFL Teams Will Make the Playoffs in 2021?
It’s hard to say how many NFL teams will make the playoffs in 2021. A lot will depend on how the season plays out. We could see anywhere from six to twelve teams make it to the playoffs. It all depends on who is playing well and who is not.
AFC
Only 14 teams will make the playoffs in 2021. In the AFC, the seeded teams will be the Kansas City Chiefs (A1), Buffalo Bills (A2), Pittsburgh Steelers (A3), and Miami Dolphins (A4). The unseeded teams will be the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans.
NFC
The NFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 17 is still very much up in the air. The Seattle Seahawks have clinched the NFC West, but the rest of the divisional winners have yet to be determined. The NFC South will come down to the final week, with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both vying for the top spot. In the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys currently hold a slim lead over the Philadelphia Eagles, but both teams could still end up missing the playoffs entirely. The NFC North is also still up for grabs, with the Green Bay Packers leading the way but the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears both still in contention.
The Wild Card race in the NFC is just as tight, with several teams still in contention for a spot. The Arizona Cardinals currently occupy the first Wild Card spot, but they could still be overtaken by any of the teams behind them. The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are all within striking distance of a Wild Card berth, and it will likely come down to the final week of play to determine who ends up earning a spot in the playoffs.
Conclusion
Based on the information that we have gathered, we predict that 12 NFL teams will make the playoffs in 2021.
