When Are the NFL Playoff Games?

The NFL playoffs are upon us! Here’s a quick guide to when each game is taking place.

Introduction

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From through , 12 teams qualified for the playoffs: the winner of each of the four divisional playoffs, and two wild card teams.

What is the NFL Playoff Picture?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the National Football League’s (NFL) regular season to determine the NFL champion. A single-elimination tournament, also known as an elimination tournament or a knockout tournament, is a type of tournament where the loser of each match is immediately eliminated from the tournament.

How do the NFL Playoffs Work?

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1930 to 1966, the NFL playoffs generally included three teams (with exceptions in 1933, 1934, 1938, and 1941); since 1967, four teams have qualified for the tournament. The four winners advance to the second round, or Divisional Playoffs. This round consists of two games involving each division winner, one game held at the site of each division winner and one at the site of the team with the better record from the regular season within that conference. The winners of those game then advance to Championship Weekend, or Conference Championships. This weekend consists of one game from each conference, with those winners then advancing to Super Bowl Sunday.

Who is in the NFL Playoffs?

As the NFL embarks on the final stretch of the regular season, we take a look at who’s in and who’s out of the playoffs.
The AFC playoff race is still wide open, with seven teams vying for six spots. The New England Patriots have clinched the AFC East, but the other three divisional titles are up for grabs. In the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are battling for first place, while the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are fighting for supremacy in the AFC South.
In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints have locked up the NFC South, while the Los Angeles Rams have clinched a playoff berth in the NFC West. The Dallas Cowboys lead the way in the NFC East, but they’ll have to keep an eye on both the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins down the stretch.
The Chicago Bears have a comfortable lead in the NFC North, but all four teams in that division still have a shot at making it to January.
Here’s a look at how things stand heading into Week 15:

AFC
1. New England Patriots (10-3): Clinched AFC East
2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-2): First place in AFC West
3. Houston Texans (9-4): First place in AFC South
4. Los Angeles Chargers (11-3): Second place in AFC West
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5): First place in AFC North
6. Indianapolis Colts (8-6): Second place in AFC South
7. Baltimore Ravens (8-6): Third place in AFC North
In The Hunt: Miami Dolphins (7-6), Denver Broncos (6-7), Cincinnati Bengals (6-7), Cleveland Browns (5-7-1), Buffalo Bills (5-9)

NFC
1. New Orleans Saints (11-2): Clinched NFC South
2. Los Angeles Rams (11-2): Clinched playoff berth
3. Chicago Bears (9-4): First place in NFC North 4 . Dallas Cowboys(8 – 5) :First Place In The NFC East 5 Seattle Seahawks(8 – 5) : Wild Card Spot 6 Minnesota Vikings(7 – 6 – 1) Bubble Team 7 Philadelphia Eagles(7 – 7 ) :Bubble Team 8 Green Bay Packers(5 – 8 – 1 ) Long Shot 9 Carolina Panthers(6 – 7 ) Long Shot 10 Detroit Lions(5 – 8 ) Long Shot 11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers(5 – 9 ) Long Shot 12 Atlanta Falcons(4 – 9 ) Long Shot 13 New York Giants(5 – 8 ) Long Shot 14 San Francisco 49ers(4 – 10 ) Eliminated 15 Washington Redskins(6 – 7 ) :Eliminated 16 Arizona Cardinals(3 – 10) :Eliminated

What are the NFL Playoff Brackets?

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs. The four division winners and two wild card teams from each conference advance to the playoffs. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no limitations regarding how many teams from each division can qualify for the playoffs. In the event two or more teams from the same division team finish with identical records, the following procedures are used to break the tie:

-If two teams tie for first place in a division, they must play each other once more at a neutral site to determine who goes to the playoffs.
-If three or more teams tie for first place in a division, ties will be broken using some combination of best won-lost-tied percentage in games against common opponents, strength of victory, and strength of schedule.

The NFL playoffs are structured so that there is always at least one game being played on Wild Card Weekend, which is always held on either Saturday or Sunday (depending on which day has more games). The four division winners always receive a bye on Wild Card Weekend and automatically advance to their conference’s Divisional Round of Playoffs. Wild Card Weekend is also generally when most upsets occur since lower seeds are given home field advantage while facing higher seeds.

When are the NFL Playoff Games?

The NFL playoff games are the most important games of the year. The top seeded teams from each conference face off in the divisional round, with the winner advancing to the conference championship. The conference champions then compete in the Super Bowl, the biggest game of the year. The NFL playoff schedule is usually released in December, after the regular season has ended.

NFL Playoff Schedule

The NFL playoff schedule is here! The NFL playoffs start Saturday, January 4th with the Wild Card Round.

The games on Saturday are:
AFC: #6 Indianapolis Colts at #3 Houston Texans (4:35pm ET on ESPN/ABC)
NFC: #6 Seattle Seahawks at #3 Dallas Cowboys (8:15pm ET on Fox)

The games on Sunday are:
AFC: #5 Los Angeles Chargers at #4 Baltimore Ravens (1:05pm ET on CBS)
NFC: #5 Chicago Bears at #4 Philadelphia Eagles (4:40pm ET on NBC)

NFL Playoff TV Schedule

Here is the NFL playoff schedule for the 2019 season. The schedule will be updated as times and dates are announced.

Wild Card Weekend: Saturday, January 5 and Sunday, January 6

Divisional Playoffs: Saturday, January 12 and Sunday, January 13

Championship Games: Sunday, January 20

Pro Bowl: Sunday, January 27

Super Bowl LIII: Sunday, February 3

Conclusion

The NFL playoff games are set to begin on Saturday, January 4th. The Wild Card round will be played on that day, with the Divisional round set for Sunday, January 5th. The Conference Championships will be played on Sunday, January 12th, and the Super Bowl will be played on Sunday, February 2nd.