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.

Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs. A tie-breaking system is used to seed the teams within each conference, so that the four division winners and two wildcard teams are spread out over four playoff rounds. The tournament culminates with the Super Bowl, played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

The NFL was not always a playoff system. In fact, it wasn’t until 1967 that a playoff game was even held to determine the NFL champion. Prior to that, the champion was simply the team with the best regular season record. In some years, there were ties for first place, and in those cases, no playoff game was held; instead, a vote was held among league owners (or a panel of sportswriters) to determine which team was deserving of the title.

With only a few teams in each conference and no inter-conference play during the regular season, it wasn’t difficult for these voting panels to come to a consensus on which team was most deserving of the title. But as the league expanded, first to 16 teams in 1970 and then to 32 teams in 2002, it became more difficult to compare teams from different conferences fairly. The solution was to have all teams play each other at least once during the regular season (which is now done through a rotational scheduling system), and then hold a single-elimination tournament at the end of the seasonto determine who would be crowned champion.

The NFL playoffs have been expanded several times since they were first instituted in 1967. The number of teams qualifying from each conference has been increased from two to three (and then four) on multiple occasions; most recently in 2020 when an additional wildcard spot was added due to pandemic-related schedule changes. The number of rounds has also been increased from two to three (and then four) on multiple occasions; most recently in 1990 when a second Wild Card round was added.

The current format consists of six teams per conference: four division winners and two wild card teams. These six teams are seeded according to their win-loss record, with division winners occupying the top four seeds and wild card teams occupying seeds 5 and 6; within each conference, matchups pit higher seeds against lower seeds (i.e., 1 seed vs 6 seed, 2 seed vs 5 seed). The first round (Wild Card weekend) features three games: two games on Saturday and one game on Sunday; all games during Wild Card weekend are played at home stadiums of lower-seeded Teams. The second round (Divisional playoffs) features two games: one game on Saturday and one game on Sunday; all games during Divisional weekend are played at home stadiums of higher-seeded Teams.. The third round (Conference championships) features two games: one game on Sunday afternoon and one game on Sunday evening; both games during Conference championship weekend are played at home stadiums of whichever Teams hold better records.. Lastly,
the fourth round (Super Bowl) is played on Sunday evening at a neutral site stadium selected years in advance..

What are the NFL playoffs?

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after 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. Seeds are assigned according to each team’s record. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

How do the NFL playoffs work?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. As of 2014, there are four rounds of playoffs, consisting of six teams from each conference: four division winners and two wild card teams. The top two teams from each conference receive a bye in the first round. The division winners are seeded 1-4 based on their regular season record, with the top seed hosting the lowest remaining seed in the first round, and so on. In the second round, the division winners that received byes face each other, while the other two match-ups pit division rivals against each other. The conference championship games are held in the third round, with the AFC and NFC champions each hosting one game. The Super Bowl is held in the fourth and final round and is played between the AFC and NFC champions.

When do the NFL playoffs start?

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 four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 in their conference, with the remaining two wild-card teams seeded 5 and 6.

The tournament brackets are made up of six total rounds. The Wild Card round features two games, pitting Seeds 3 and 6 against each other, as well as Seeds 4 and 5. The winner from each game moves on to the Divisional round, where they will face seeds 1 and 2 respectively.

The Divisional round is a home game for the higher seed, meaning that if the Colts (Seed 3) win their Wild Card game against the Texans (Seed 6), they would then travel to Baltimore (Seed 1) for their Divisional game. If they were to win that game, they would advance to the Conference Championship, where they would play either the Patriots (Seed 2) if they beat the Chiefs (Seed 4), or the Broncos (Seed 5) if the Chiefs win.

Finally, the Conference Championship games are held on Sunday, January 19th, withkickoffs at 3:00 PM EST and 6:30 PM EST. The winners of those games will meet in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, February 3rd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta GA.

Who makes the NFL playoffs?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the National Football League’s (NFL) regular season to determine the league’s 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, the league’s championship game.

What are the NFL playoff brackets?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. As of 2020, there are 14 teams in the NFL playoffs: six from each conference (the four division winners and two wild-card teams). The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

How many teams are in the NFL playoffs?

In the NFL, the playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the champion of the league. The tournament is composed of six teams from each of the league’s two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). A total of 12 teams advance to the playoffs each year.

What are the NFL playoff seeds?

In the NFL, the playoff seedings are as follows: The division winner with the best record in each conference is seeded first overall. The division winner with the second-best record in each conference is seeded second overall. The division winner with the third-best record in each conference is seeded third overall. The division winner with the fourth-best record in each conference is seeded fourth overall. The two wild-card teams (the non-division winners with the best records) from each conference are seeded fifth and sixth overall.

What are the NFL playoff standings?

As the regular season comes to a close, the NFL playoff standings will begin to take shape. The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament that features the top six teams from each conference, with the four division winners earning a bye in the opening round.

The opening round of the playoffs, also known as the Wild Card round, is scheduled for Saturday, January 4th and Sunday, January 5th. The divisional round is scheduled for Saturday, January 11th and Sunday, January 12th, with the conference championships set for Sunday, January 19th.

The winner of each conference will advance to the Super Bowl, which is scheduled for Sunday, February 2nd.

How are NFL playoff tiebreakers determined?

When two or more teams are tied in the standings, a series of tiebreakers are used to determine which team(s) advance to the playoffs.

The NFL tiebreakers are as follows:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Record in common games
3. Record in conference games
4. Strength of victory
5. Strength of schedule

What are the NFL playoff odds?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records. Seedings are used to assign each team a position in the bracket; Winners advance in the bracket, while losers face elimination. The tournament culminates with the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

What are the NFL playoff predictions?

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. A tie-breaking procedure exists if required. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

What are the NFL playoff scenarios?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Each team plays one game against an opponent in its own conference, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser eliminated from contention.

The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, which is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC. The Super Bowl is considered the biggest single-day sporting event in the world, and it is one of the most watched television programs in America.

The NFL playoffs are typically held in January, with the exact date depending on when the regular season ends. The playoffs began in 1933, and they have been held every year since then except for 1942, when they were cancelled due to World War II.

Conclusion

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From the divisional round through Super Bowl LIII, there will be a total of 11 games played. The playoffs will kick off on Saturday, January 5, 2019, with the Wild Card Round. The divisional round will take place on Saturday, January 12 and Sunday, January 13. The conference championships are scheduled for Sunday, January 20. And finally, Super Bowl LIII is set for Sunday, February 3, 2019.