How the 2021 NFL Playoffs Work

The NFL playoff system is a tournament that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The 2021 NFL Playoffs began on Saturday, January 9 and will end Sunday, February 7 with Super Bowl 55.

How the NFL Playoffs Work

The NFL playoffs determine the league’s annual champion. They consist of six teams from each conference—the four division winners and two wild-card teams. The playoffs follow a single-elimination format. Wild-card weekend is when the first round of the playoffs take place. The divisional round is the next weekend, followed by the conference championships. Finally, the Super Bowl is played between the two conference champions.

The NFL playoff system

In the NFL, the playoff system is a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine which team will represent each conference in the Super Bowl. The four teams that win their respective conference championship games (the “conference champions”) earn a berth in the playoffs. The conference champions are seeded 1–4 based on their regular season records, with the 1 seed receiving a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The first round of the playoffs (the “wild-card playoffs”), consisting of two playoff games, is played during wild-card weekend. Wild-card weekend is typically held either on the last weekend in January or on the first weekend in February and features four wild-card playoff games, two per time slot.

The four winners advance to the divisional playoffs, played during divisional playoff weekend, typically on the second weekend in January or on the first weekend in February. In each time slot, one game is played between an NFC team and an AFC team. The two winners advance to the conference championships, played during championship weekend, typically on the third week of January or on the second week of February. In each time slot, one game is played between each conference’s top remaining seed; as such, regardless of which teams advance to their respective conference championship game, both games will feature one team from each conference. The two conference champions then advance to Super Bowl Sunday, typically on cvalier
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The seeding of the playoffs

The seeding of the playoffs is done by the NFL’s playoff committee. This committee is made up of one representative from each of the NFL’s 32 teams. The committee ranks the teams based on their records, using a number of different criteria.

The criteria used by the committee to seed the playoffs are:

– Win-loss record
– Strength of schedule
– Head-to-head results
– Divisional and conference records
– Record against common opponents

Once the playoffs are seeded, the teams are then placed into brackets. The bracket for the 2021 NFL playoffs is as follows:

AFC Wild Card Round:
– #6 seed vs. #3 seed
– #5 seed vs. #4 seed

NFC Wild Card Round:
– #6 seed vs. #3 seed
– #5 seed vs. #4 seed

The Wild Card Round

In the Wild Card Round, the top four seeds in each conference (the NFL’s version of the tournament bracket) get a bye while the remaining four teams play each other. The higher seed will host each game. This year, for example, the first-seeded Packers will host the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Rams while the second-seeded New Orleans Saints will host the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears. The third-seeded Seattle Seahawks will host the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Rams and the fourth-seeded Washington Football Team will host the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Divisional Round

In the divisional round, the top seed in each conference is matched up against the lowest remaining seed. The second and third seeds also face each other. These games are played on the weekend of January 16-17.

The Divisional Round is when the NFL’s best teams really start to separate themselves from the pack. The eight teams that make it this far have all had successful seasons, but only four will be left standing after this weekend.

The divisional round is also when home-field advantage really starts to matter. In theory, the better team should win every game, but in reality, home teams win about two-thirds of the time in the NFL. This is because they’re more familiar with their own stadium and playing conditions, and they have the support of their home crowd.

So while the better team may still be favored on the road, they’ll have a much tougher task ahead of them than if they were playing at home. This is why it’s so important for teams to try to earn a top seed in their conference, which gives them a huge advantage in the playoffs.

The Conference Championships

The conference championships are the penultimate round of the NFL playoffs. The four remaining teams — two from the NFC and two from the AFC — face off in two separate games. The winners advance to the Super Bowl.

The conference championship games are typically played on the first Sunday in January. This year, they will be played on Sunday, January 24, 2021.

The NFC Championship game will be played at 3:05 pm ET, and will be televised on Fox. The AFC Championship game will be played at 6:40 pm ET, and will be televised on CBS.

As was the case during the divisional round, there is no set formula for how the conference championship games are scheduled. The NFL tries to minimize travel as much as possible, but often times it is not possible to completely avoid it. For example, this year’s NFC Championship game features the Green Bay Packers traveling to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers earned the right to host the game by virtue of their higher seed (the Buccaneers are seeded #5, while the Packers are seeded #6).

The Super Bowl

The NFL Playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The playoffs have expanded since their inception in 1933, when only two teams qualified for the championship game. The tournament now consists of six rounds, with each team playing one game until only two teams remain. The winners of those games then advance to the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

The first round of the playoffs, known as the Wild Card round, features four games. The first and second seeds in each conference are given a bye and advance to the second round, known as the Divisional playoff round. In this round, each conference’s top remaining seed is matched up against its bottom remaining seed, while each conference’s second remaining seed is matched up against its third remaining seed. The winners of these games then advance to their respective conference’s Championship game.

The winners of each conference’s Championship game then advance to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is played between the champions of the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC). The NFC has won 27 Super Bowls while the AFC has won 26; one game ended in a tie.

How the NFL Playoff Picture Looks Heading into Week 17

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. The playoffs began on January 9, 2021, and will conclude with Super Bowl LV on February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. As of now, the playoff picture heading into Week 17 is as follows:

AFC

The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the other being the National Football Conference (NFC). The AFC was created on June 8, 1970, as a result of the AFL–NFL merger.

In football, the winner of each conference automatically qualifies for the playoffs. The AFC playoffs are made up of six teams: the four division winners and two wild card teams. The two division winners with the best record earn a first-round bye, while the other two division winners and the two wild card teams play each other in the opening round of the playoffs.

The top seed in each conference then earns home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The team with the best record in each conference hosts each playoff game up until and including the conference championship game. If two or more teams have the same record, tiebreakers are used to determine which team will earn the higher seed.

The AFC champions advance to face off against their NFC counterparts in Super Bowl Sunday, one of America’s most popular annual sporting events.

NFC

The NFC playoff picture heading into Week 17 is wide open, with eight teams still in the hunt for a spot in the postseason. The top seed in the conference is still up for grabs, as are the two wild card spots.

The NFC East is still anyone’s division to win, as all four teams are still mathematically alive heading into the final week of the season. The Dallas Cowboys currently sit atop the division at 7-8, but they could easily be knocked out of first place with a loss to the New York Giants in Week 17 and some help from other teams.

The Green Bay Packers are currently in control of the top seed in the NFC, but they could potentially slip to a No. 2 seed if they lose to the Chicago Bears in Week 17 and the Seattle Seahawks win their game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers would also need some help from other teams around the conference.

The Seahawks currently occupy one of the two wild card spots in the NFC, but they could move up to a No. 2 seed if they win their Week 17 game and both the Packers and Rams lose their respective games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also currently in a wild card spot, but they could potentially rise all the way up to a No. 3 seed if they win their finale against the Falcons and get some help from other teams around the conference.

How the NFL Playoff Picture Could Change in Week 17

It’s hard to believe but we are already in week 17 of the NFL season and the playoff picture is still very much up in the air. There are a lot of teams that are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs and a lot can change in the final week of the season. Let’s take a look at how the NFL playoffs work and how the playoff picture could change in week 17.

AFC

The AFC playoff picture could see some significant changes in Week 17. The Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns are both still fighting for the top seed in the conference, while the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans are all jockeying for position in the Wild Card race.

The Chiefs currently hold the tiebreaker over the Browns thanks to their head-to-head win, so they would need to lose to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 and have the Browns defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in order to fall to the No. 2 seed.

If that happens, it would set up a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Bills in Buffalo. The Dolphins would remain in position for a Wild Card berth with a win over the Buffalo Bills, but they could still miss out if they lose and either the Ravens or Colts win.

The Ravens currently hold the tiebreaker over the Colts thanks to their head-to-head win, so they would need to lose to Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 and have Indianapolis defeat Jacksonville Jaguars to fall out of playoff contention.

The Titans can clinch a playoff spot with a win or tie against Houston Texans or a loss or tie by either Ravens or Colts. They would also clinch a playoff spot if both Miami and Baltimore lose in Week 17.

NFC

The NFC playoff race is down to the wire, with the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Green Bay Packers fighting for the two wild-card spots.

The Seahawks are in the driver’s seat, as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buccaneers and can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17.

The Packers are also in control of their own destiny, as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucs and can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 17.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers will need some help to make the playoffs, as they will need to beat the Panthers AND have either the Seahawks or Packers lose in order to clinch a spot.