How Do The Playoffs Work In The NFL?

How do the NFL playoffs work? What are the rules and how has the system changed over time?

Introduction

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 tie-breaking procedure exists in the case of equal records. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

The NFL was not designed to hold a playoff tournament; rather, it was designed to have a single champion crowned through a series of head-to-head matchups between the best teams in each conference. However, following several seasons in which one or two strong teams dominated their conferences while several mediocre or poor teams languished with no hope of advancement to the championship game, a need arose for some method of determining which teams were truly the best in each conference. Thus, in 1933, the first NFL playoff game was held between the Chicago Bears and New York Giants to determine who would advance to the championship game.

The NFL playoffs have evolved greatly since that first game, evolving first into a four-team tournament and then eventually into the present dayformat of six teams from each conference. The number of games has also increased, from two in 1933 all the way up to ten today. No matter how much it has changed, though, one thing has remained constant: winning in the playoffs is essential for any team that wants to be crowned NFL champion.

How The Playoffs Work

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Each team plays one game against an opponent in their conference. The leading team from each conference then progresses to the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

The Wild Card Round

In the Wild Card Round, the four divisional winners with the best record in each conference are seeded first through fourth and host the fifth through eighth seeded Wild Card clubs in their respective conferences. The higher seed receives home-field advantage.

The first week of the playoffs is known as the Wild Card Round. In this round, the four divisional winners with the best record in each conference are seeded first through fourth and host the fifth through eighth seeded Wild Card clubs in their respective conferences. The higher seed receives home-field advantage.

Wild Card weekend (the weekend before divisional playoff games) features four NFL playoff games, two in each conference. The matchups are as follows:

In the AFC:

The third seed hosts the sixth seed.
The fourth seed hosts the fifth seed.

In the NFC:

The third seed hosts the sixth seed.
The fourth seed hosts the fifth seed.

The winners of these games advance to next week’s Divisional Round to take on the top two seeds in each conference.

The Divisional Round

The Divisional Round is the second round of the NFL playoffs. In this round, the eight surviving teams from the Wild Card Round are divided into four divisions. The team with the best record in each division plays at home against the team with the worst record in that division. The two other matches are played between the second- and third-best teams in each division.

In the Divisional Round, the home team is determined by a coin toss. The winners of these four games advance to the Conference Championships, where they will compete for a spot in the Super Bowl.

The Conference Championships

The NFL Conference Championships are the penultimate round of the playoffs. They are played on the Sunday following the Divisional Playoffs, with the AFC Championship Game being played at 12:00pm EST and the NFC Championship Game being played at 3:00pm EST. The winners of each game advance to the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the biggest and most important game in the NFL every year. It is the annual championship game where the best team in the AFC (American Football Conference) plays against the best team in the NFC (National Football Conference). The winner of this game is crowned the NFL Champion.

The Super Bowl is always played on a Sunday, and it is usually played in February (although it can be played as late as early March). The game is held at a different location every year, and it is always hosted by a different city. The location of the Super Bowl is determined by a vote of NFL owners.

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events in America every year, and it has become one of the biggest cultural events in America as well.

Conclusion

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held annually after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. As of 2019, it consists of six teams from each of the league’s two conferences, the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC), for a total of 12 teams. The season culminates with Super Bowl LIV, the league’s championship game.