What Teams In The NFL Are In The Playoffs?

It’s that time of year again! The NFL playoffs are just around the corner, and we’ve got all the information you need to know about which teams are in and out.

AFC Teams

In the AFC, the New England Patriots have clinched the first seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers have clinched the second seed. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the third and fourth seeds respectively and will have a first-round bye. The Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens have clinched the fifth, sixth, and seventh seeds respectively and will be playing in the wild card round.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional football team that belongs to the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. They are based in Houston, Texas, and their home games are played at NRG Stadium. The Texans began playing in 2002 as an expansion team, and they have made the playoffs nine times in their history. In 2017, they won their first division title. The Texans have never won a Super Bowl, but they have been to one Super Bowl, which was in 2017.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by businessman Lamar Hunt and was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City and assumed their current name. The Chiefs joined the NFL as a result of the merger in 1970. The team is valued at over $2 billion.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston region. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is located 28 miles (45 km) southwest of downtown Boston. The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium.

An original member of the American Football League (AFC), the Patriots joined the NFL in 1970 as part of the AFL–NFL merger. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971. The Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of 2002 season. The Patriots’ rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL.

Belichick has led them to a league-record eight Super Bowl appearances including winning five times – all since he took over as head coach in 2000. Since 2001, they have appeared in thirteen AFC Championship Games, and won eleven times including seven consecutive appearances from 2011 to 2017; they are tied with Pittsburgh for having made more conference championship game appearances than any other NFL team during that period.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC.

In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre-merger NFL, where they were the oldest team never to win a league championship, the Steelers of the post-merger era are one of the most successful NFL franchises. Since the AFC’s 1970 realignment into its current configuration, the Steelers have won an NFL record six Super Bowl titles. The Steelers share the record for second most Super Bowl appearances with the Denver Broncos, and Dallas Cowboys (eight), trailing only the New England Patriots (eleven). The Steelers lost their most recent championship appearance, Super Bowl XLV, on February 6, 2011.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933, by Art Rooney and his cousin John Galbreath. The ownership of the team was passed down to Art’s son Dan Rooneyin 1988 who subsequently passed control onto his son Art Rooney II in 2002; making them one of only two present day NFL teams that is still owned by its original founding family (the Green Bay Packers being the other).

Tennessee Titans

The Titans, led by quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back Derrick Henry, won the AFC South division with a 9–7 record. After a wild card round bye, they defeated the defending Super Bowl champions New England Patriots in the divisional round by a score of 20–13. In the AFC Championship, they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 28–12 to advance to their first Super Bowl in 19 years (XXXIV).

NFC Teams

The NFC teams in the playoffs are the Saints, Packers, Seahawks, and 49ers. The Saints have a first-round bye and will host the Packers in the Divisional Round. The Seahawks will host the 49ers in the Wild Card Round.

Dallas Cowboys

As of right now, the Dallas Cowboys are leading their division in the NFC East with a record of 8-6. They have clinched a playoff berth and will most likely be the division winners.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They are also the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League (AFL) before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to Anaheim. The team was known as the Anaheim Rams from 1994 to 2015, and then as the St. Louis Rams from 2015 until their move back to Los Angeles after that season.

During their time in Anaheim, the Rams appeared in Super Bowl XIV, XV, and XVI, winning Super Bowl XIV. They also reached Super Bowl XXXIV, which they lost to the Tennessee Titans by a score of 23–16. The Rams’ return to Los Angeles was announced for 2017 on January 12, 2016 by then-owner Stan Kroenke at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints currently compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division.

Founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966, the Saints began play in Tulane Stadium in 1967. The name “Saints” was chosen by Dixon because of its religious connotations and ties to New Orleans’ history as the host city for the French colony of Louisiana’s 1718 establishment and because of its proximity to St. Louis Cathedral on Canal Street.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football franchise based in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. They joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Wild Card Teams

The four NFL teams that have clinched a playoff berth are the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers. These teams have all earned a first-round bye and will not play in the Wild Card round. The other four teams in the playoffs are the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints. These teams will play each other in the Wild Card round.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its home games in the state of New York until 2009, when the New York Jets began sharing MetLife Stadium with the New York Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Bills began play as an original franchise of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. They joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger for the 1970 season. The 1964 and 1965 Bills were the only teams representing Buffalo that won major league professional sports championships (“back-to-back” American Football League Championships). The Bills have yet to make it to (and win) a Super Bowl despite appearing in four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994, losing each time. These four appearances by Buffalo are a record for most consecutive appearances by any team in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL). The Bills’ fans are among the most loyal in professional sports according to Forbes magazine’s annual survey of fans by NHL Digital Entertainment & Entertainment Ventures division and its fanalytics research group.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl, and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise.

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 season, the Colts have played their home games in Lucas Oil Stadium. Previously, the team had played for over two decades (1984–2007) at the RCA Dome.

Philadelphia Eagles

The NFC wild-card race shapes up as a three-team affair, with the Seattle Seahawks owning a slight advantage over the Dallas Cowboys and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Seahawks (8-5) currently occupy the first wild-card spot, with their 24-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night giving them a one-game lead over both Dallas and Philadelphia. The Cowboys (7-6) are in second place, while the Eagles (7-6) are in third.