How Many Playoff Teams Will There Be In the NFL in 2022?

How Many Playoff Teams Will There Be In the NFL in 2022?
The answer to this question is not as simple as it may seem.
In order to accurately predict how many teams will make the playoffs in any given year, we must first understand how the NFL playoff system works.

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), there have been 34 teams that have played in at least one Super Bowl. Of those 34 teams, 32 have come from the playoffs. The other two teams were the 1971 Miami Dolphins and the 1972 Dallas Cowboys, who both won the Super Bowl after going undefeated in the regular season.

In recent years, the NFL has expanded its playoffs to include more teams. In 2017, the league added two more playoff teams, bringing the total to 14. In 2020, they added another team, bringing the total to 16.

The current playoff format is as follows:
-6 teams from each conference make the playoffs (12 total)
-4 division winners and 2 wild card teams from each conference
-The 4 division winners are seeded 1-4 based on their record
-The 2 wild card teams are seeded 5-6 based on their record
-The top overall seed gets a bye in the first round

The NFL has not announced any plans to further expand its playoffs, but it is possible that they could do so in the future.

If you’re wondering how many playoff teams there will be in 2022, we don’t know yet. The league has not announced any plans to expand or contract the playoffs for that season. However, if they do decide to make a change, we will update this article accordingly.

Current Playoff Structure

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. As of 2018, there are four teams from each conference who qualify for the playoffs. This means that a total of eight teams make the playoffs each year.

Number of teams

In 2022, the NFL will have 14 playoff teams. This is an increase from the current 12 teams, and it means that 7 games will be played on Wild Card weekend. The top seed in each conference will still get a first-round bye, while the second and third seeds will host the sixth and seventh seeds, respectively.

The new playoff format was approved by owners in March 2020, and it will go into effect starting with the 2022 season. Some people believe that the expanded playoffs will water down the quality of play, but others are excited for more meaningful football in January.

What do you think? Do you like the new playoff format?

Qualifying criteria

In order to be eligible for the playoffs, a team must either win their division or have one of the best records in their conference. The NFL currently has 32 teams divided into two conferences (the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference), each of which is further divided into four divisions (North, South, East, and West).

A total of 12 teams make the playoffs each year: six from each conference. The four division winners in each conference are seeded first through fourth based on their record, with the top seed receiving a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The two wild-card teams (teams with the next-best records who did not win their divisions) in each conference are seeded fifth and sixth and must play in the first round.

The playoff format is a single-elimination tournament. The four divisional winners that receive a bye will play the winner of the wild-card match-ups in the second round (the divisional playoffs). The two winners from the divisional playoffs then advance to their respective conference’s championship game (the AFC Championship Game for the American Football Conference and NFC Championship Game for National Football Conference).

The two conference champions will meet in the final game of the postseason, known as Super Bowl Sunday – typically held in early February – to decide who is crowned NFL champion for that season.

Proposed Change to Playoff Structure

In 2022, the NFL is proposing a change to the playoff structure. They are proposing that 7 teams from each conference will make the playoffs instead of the current 6. This would make a total of 14 teams in the playoffs.

Number of teams

The NFL announced Thursday that it is proposing a change to the playoff structure that would add two teams to the field, expanding it from 14 to 16. The proposal still needs to be approved by at least 24 of the 32 teams, but it is expected to pass when owners vote on it at the league’s meeting next week.

The change would come into effect for the 2022 season, and would mean that there would be six playoff games on wild-card weekend instead of four. It would also mean that only one team in each conference would get a first-round bye.

The NFL has been considering expanding the playoffs for several years, but has been reluctant to do so because it would water down the product. However, with broadcast ratings down and attendance stagnant, the league appears to have decided that more postseason games is the way to go.

There are a number of other proposed changes to the NFL’s postseason that will be voted on next week, including increasing the number of playoff teams in each conference from four to seven. However, that proposal is not expected to pass.

Qualifying criteria

In order to be eligible for the playoffs, a team must have either won their divisional title, or else have accumulated enough wildcard points (explained below) to finish in the top six of their conference. The four divisional winners in each conference are seeded first through fourth based on their win-loss record and point differential. The two wild card teams in each conference are seeded fifth and sixth.

If two or more teams have the same win-loss record, the following tiebreakers are used to determine seedings:

* Head-to-head record
* Record in games against common opponents
* Point differential in games against common opponents
* Record in conference games
* Point differential in conference games
* Record in divisional games
* Point differential in divisional games

Analysis of Pros and Cons

After much deliberation, the NFL has decided to increase the number of playoff teams from 12 to 14 beginning with the 2022 season. This means that there will be a total of seven teams in each conference vying for a spot in the playoffs instead of the current six.

There are several reasons why the NFL decided to make this change. One is that with more teams making the playoffs, there will be more games on Wild Card Weekend, which is always one of the most popular weekends of the NFL season. Another reason is that it will create more excitement and intrigue during the regular season as teams jockey for position in the standings.

The most significant reason for the change, however, is financial. With two additional playoff games on Wild Card Weekend, the NFL stands to make a lot more money in television rights fees and ticket sales. And with just two additional teams making the playoffs, it’s not as if there will be a dilution of quality in the playoffs.

Of course, not everyone is happy about this change. Some purists believe that it cheapens the achievement of making the playoffs and takes away from the importance of having a great regular season record. And there is also concern that it will lead to more players getting injured in meaningless regular season games as teams rest their starters once they have clinched a playoff spot.

Overall, though, it seems like this change will be good for both fans and the NFL itself. It will add excitement to every week of the regular season and give us two additional thrilling weekends of playoff football to enjoy.

Conclusion

As of right now, it is difficult to predict how many playoff teams will be in the NFL in 2022. The league could potentially expand to 14 teams, but it is also possible that the number of teams will remain at 12. It is also worth noting that the NFL could decide to reduce the number of playoff teams in future seasons.