How the NFL Wildcard Works
Contents
- How the NFL Wildcard Works
- The four teams with the best record in each conference compete in the NFL playoffs.
- The two teams with the best record in each conference are seeded first and second and receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
- The four remaining teams are seeded third through sixth based on their records.
- The three division winners and the team with the best record in the conference not already seeded receive a home game.
- The first round of the playoffs is the Wild Card round.
- The second round of the playoffs is the Divisional round.
- The Conference Championships are the third round of the playoffs.
- The Super Bowl is the fourth and final round of the playoffs.
A look at how the NFL’s Wildcard system works and how it benefits the league and its fans.
How the NFL Wildcard Works
The NFL Wildcard is a playoff system that determines the two teams that will advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. The two teams that win their Wildcard games will play each other in the divisional round. The team that wins that game will advance to the conference championship.
The four teams with the best record in each conference compete in the NFL playoffs.
The four teams with the best record in each conference compete in the NFL playoffs. The Wild Card round features the two teams with the best record in each conference who did not win their respective divisions playing each other. The winner of each game advances to the next round, where they will play one of the divisional winners from the other conference.
The two teams with the best record in each conference are seeded first and second and receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
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 two teams with the best record in each conference are seeded first and second and receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The next four teams (seeded third through sixth) in each conference then play each other in the first round of the playoffs. These four games are referred to as “wild card” games. The winners of these games advance to play one of the top two seeds in each conference in their respective conference semifinals, or divisional playoffs. The winners of those semifinal games compete against each other in their respective conference championship games, with those winners then advancing to face each other in Super Bowl LIII, scheduled for February 3, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The four remaining teams are seeded third through sixth based on their records.
The four remaining teams are seeded third through sixth based on their records. The third seed hosts the sixth seed, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth seed. These two games are played on Saturday, January 5th. The winners of these games advance to the Divisional Playoffs.
The three division winners and the team with the best record in the conference not already seeded receive a home game.
In the National Football League (NFL), the Wild Card Round is the first round of the playoffs. It consists of four games that are played on Wild Card Weekend, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The four winners advance to the Divisional Round.
The divisional portion of the playoffs consists of four games, two on each day. The division winners hosting each game are determined by seedings and taking into account division and conference tiebreakers. These seeds and matchups are:
AFC
1) Kansas City Chiefs (West winner) vs. Lowest seed in AFC
2) Baltimore Ravens (North winner) vs. Highest remaining seed in AFC
3) New England Patriots (East winner) vs. Highest remaining seed in AFC not playing in 1) or 2) game
4) Houston Texans (South winner) vs. lowest remaining seed in AFC not playing in 1), 2), or 3) game
The first round of the playoffs is the Wild Card round.
In this round, the field of 12 playoff teams is narrowed down to eight. The four divisional winners from the previous week get a bye, and the Wild Card teams play each other. The higher-seeded team hosts the game.
The four Wild Card teams are seeded #5, #6, #7, and #8. The #5 seed plays the #4 seed, and the #6 seed plays the #3 seed. The winners of these two games then advance to play the top two seeds in the divisional round.
The NFL Wild Card round is always played on Saturday and Sunday during Wild Card Weekend.
The second round of the playoffs is the Divisional round.
In the Divisional round, the matchups are as follows:
The divisional round features the four remaining teams from each conference. The teams are seeded according to their records, with the top seeds hosting the bottom seeds.
The divisional round is played on the weekend of Jan. 11-12. The games are as follows:
-AFC: No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 5 Buffalo Bills
-AFC: No. 2 Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 6 Tennessee Titans
-NFC: No. 1 San Francisco 49ers vs. No. 5 Minnesota Vikings
-NFC: No. 2 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 6 Seattle Seahawks
The Conference Championships are the third round of the playoffs.
The Conference Championships are the third round of the playoffs. The two surviving teams from each conference’s divisional playoff games meet to determine who will play in the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is the fourth and final round of the playoffs.
The Super Bowl is the fourth and final round of the playoffs. The two teams remaining after the conference championship games face off to determine the NFL champion for that season. The game is played on a Sunday in late January or early February, and is usually preceded by two weeks of practice.
