How Many NFL Teams Go to the Playoffs?

With so many NFL teams vying for a spot in the playoffs, it’s important to know how many teams actually make it to the big game. Follow these best practices to ensure your team makes it to the playoffs.

How the NFL Playoff System Works

In the National Football League (NFL), the playoff system is used to determine which teams will compete in the NFL playoffs. The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the NFL’s regular season to determine the league’s champion. A team’s playoff chances are based on its regular season record.

The NFL regular season

During the NFL regular season, each team plays 16 games. The games are spread out over 17 weeks, with each team playing one game per week except for two “bye” weeks when they don’t play at all.

The NFL regular season starts in early September and ends in late December or early January. At the end of the regular season, the team with the best record in each of the NFL’s eight divisions is declared a division winner.

As a division winner, each team earns a spot in the playoffs. In addition to the eight division winners, six more teams qualify for the playoffs based on their overall record (regular season win-loss-tie record). These are known as wild-card teams.

So, in total, 14 of the NFL’s 32 teams make it to the playoffs each year.

The NFL playoff system

In the NFL, the playoff system is a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the champion. The tournament bracket consists of six teams from each of the league’s two conferences, seeded according to their regular-season records. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded team hosts the sixth seed, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The winners from that weekend advance to the second weekend, when they play in either an AFC or NFC semifinal game. The higher seed receives home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In each conference championship game, the remaining team with the better record earns a berth in Super Bowl LIII, scheduled for February 3, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta—the home of this year’s NFC champion Atlanta Falcons.

In 2017, there were four division winners and two wild card teams in each conference. The division winners were seeded Nos. 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied records, and the wild card teams were seeded fifth and sixth. The oddsmakers Las Vegas usually install the division winners as favorites in each conference’s semifinal games because they not only have more wins but also have had tougher schedules than their opponents—having played all 16 of their regular season games against opponents within their divisions who are striving for playoff berths themselves. Accordingly, since 1990 when divisional play began, only four times has a team with a worse record advanced to a conference championship game—and only once has a wild card host (the Green Bay Packers) gone on to win its conference and reach (and win)

The current NFL playoff system was instituted in 2002 after several changes were made to Mutually Preferable Alternatives including: Division I being changed to Conference I and Conference II being changed to Conference III; iv) creation of four new Wild Card spots – two in each Conference; v) seeding Wild Card participants within each Conference; vi) re-seeding Divisional Playoff participants within each Conference based on won/loss records; vii) creation of home field advantage whereby all Playoff games would be played at sites determined by better overall record with exception of Super Bowl which would continue to be rotated among predetermined sites.

How Many Teams Make the Playoffs?

In the National Football League (NFL), the playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the champion. From 1933 to 1966, only two teams qualified for the NFL playoffs. This was increased to four teams in 1967, and then to eight teams in 1978. As of 2020, 14 teams make the playoffs.

The number of teams that make the playoffs

In the National Football League (NFL), the 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. A tie-breaking procedure exists if required. seedings are used to determine which teams play which: The division champion with the best record receives the top seed in its conference, while the other division winners are ranked 2–4 according to theirwon-lost-tied records, with any remaining ties broken by various tiebreakers.

As of 2018, eleven teams have qualified for at least one playoff berth since 1990, when the current playoff format was adopted. Three teams have made the playoffs all but one year (2003) in that time frame: The Dallas Cowboys (22 times), Green Bay Packers (19), and New England Patriots (18).

The number of teams that make the playoffs by division

In the National Football League (NFL), the playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the champion of the league. The number of teams that make the playoffs varies by division.

In the American Football Conference (AFC), there are four divisions: North, South, East, and West. Each division has four teams. The team with the best record in each division is seeded first, while the team with the worst record is seeded fourth. The other two teams in each division are seeded based on their records.

In the National Football Conference (NFC), there are also four divisions: North, South, East, and West. Unlike the AFC, however, only two teams from each division make the playoffs. The team with the best record in each division is seeded first, while the team with the second-best record is seeded second. The other two teams in each division are eliminated from playoff contention.

The AFC and NFC championship games are played between the respective divisional winners to determine who will represent their conference in Super Bowl LIII.

Why Do Some Teams Make the Playoffs More Than Others?

In the NFL, the playoffs are a big deal. Teams that make it to the playoffs are usually the ones that have the best records during the regular season. But why is that? Some might say it’s because they’re the better teams. Others might say it’s because they have an easier schedule.

The strength of the division

Teams that win their division automatically advance to the playoffs. The four remaining “wild card” spots are reserved for the two second-place teams in each conference with the best won-lost-tied records, and the next two best won-lost-tied records among all the other teams in the NFL.

In general, it is harder for a team to make the playoffs if it is in a stronger division, because it has to compete against tougher opponents. For example, in 2013, Seattle had a 13-3 record and won its division, while San Diego had a 9-7 record and did not make the playoffs.

The strength of the conference

In order to understand why some teams make the playoffs more than others, it is helpful to first understand how the NFL playoff system works.

The NFL is split into two conferences – the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference is then further divided into four divisions – North, South, East, and West.

At the end of the regular season, the team with the best record in each division automatically qualifies for the playoffs. This leaves four “wild card” spots up for grabs. The two teams with the next best records in each conference – regardless of division – earn a spot in the wild card round.

So, what does this have to do with why some teams make the playoffs more than others? Well, it turns out that certain divisions are significantly stronger than others.

For example, over the past ten years, an NFC team has won the Super Bowl six times. In contrast, an AFC team has only won twice. Furthermore, nine of the past ten Super Bowls have featured at least one NFC team.

One major reason for this discrepancy is that NFC teams have had much more success in winning their divisional games. This gives them a significant advantage when it comes to qualifying for the playoffs – especially since only four teams from each conference can make it in.

In other words, if you want to increase your chances of making the playoffs and potentially winning a Super Bowl, it helps to be in a strong conference – and more specifically, a strong division.

What Happens if Two Teams Tie for a Playoff Spot?

There are a total of 12 NFL teams that make the playoffs. The 4 division winners from each conference (NFC and AFC) are seeded 1-4 based on their record. The two wild card teams from each conference are seeded 5-6. seeds 7-10 go to the divisional round and seeds 11-12 go to the wild card round.

The NFL’s tiebreaker rules

To determine which teams will make the playoffs if two or more teams are tied for a spot, the NFL uses a tiebreaker system. The tiebreakers are listed in order of importance:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Best record in common games
3. Record in conference games
4. Record in divisional games
5. Net points scored for the season
6. Net points scored in common games
7. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four
8. Strength of victory
9. Strength of schedule
10. Coin toss

Conclusion

In conclusion, 26 of the 32 NFL teams make the playoffs each year. This consists of six teams from each conference, with the two winners of each conference’s respective divisions earning a first-round bye. Four wild card teams also make the playoffs, which are seeded fifth and sixth in each conference. The NFL playoff format is thus very fair to all teams, giving every team a chance to win the Super Bowl each year.