When Do the NFL Playoffs Start?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the National Football League’s regular season to determine the NFL champion.

Introduction

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. 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.

What are the NFL 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. This tournament culminates a regular season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. Playoff rounds were expanded from eight teams in 1978 to ten teams in 1990, and then again to twelve teams since 2002. The Conference Championship Games schedule was set for the first time in 1986, when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the New England Patriots 38–27 at Foxboro Stadium to win the AFC title, while the New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins 17–14 at RFK Stadium to capture the NFC championship. The most recent appearance by a team not currently in either conference occurred following the 1987 regular season, when Detroit captured an NFC Wild Card spot with an 11-4 record.

How Do the NFL Playoffs Work?

In order to make the NFL playoffs, a team must first earn a berth by winning their division or by being one of the two best teams in their conference that did not win their division. There are four teams in each conference, and each conference has two divisions.

Once the field is set, the NFL playoffs start with the Wild Card round. This is a single-elimination round where the four lowest-seeded teams (based on regular season record) in each conference play each other. The winners of these games advance to the Divisional round.

The Divisional round is also a single-elimination round where the four remaining teams in each conference play each other. The winners of these games advance to the Conference Championships, which is the penultimate round of the NFL playoffs.

The Conference Championships are a single-elimination round where the winners of each game advance to the Super Bowl, which is the final and most important game of the NFL season.

When Do the NFL Playoffs Start?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 4 teams in 1933, the playoffs have expanded to 12 teams since 1990, when a second wild-card team was added to each conference. The tournament culminates with the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

Conclusion

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1933 to 1966, the NFL postseason generally only consisted of the NFL Championship Game, pitting the league’s two division winners (since 1967, four teams) against each other. The winner of that game advances to the Super Bowl, the league’s ultimate championship game.