When Does the NFL Playoffs Start?

The NFL Playoffs start on Saturday, January 4th.

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Introduction

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. From 1967 to 1969, four teams qualified for the tournament; from 1970 to 1977, eight teams qualified; and from 1978 to present, twelve teams qualify, with four teams receiving a first-round bye.

What is the NFL Playoffs?

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 1933 to 1966, the NFL postseason generally only consisted of the NFL Championship Game, pitting the league’s two divisional winners (since 1967, four teams have qualified for the playoffs in each division). Since 1967, eight teams have qualified for the playoffs in each division. These teams compete in a tournament that culminates in one winning team being crowned as the NFL Champion.

How Does the NFL Playoffs Work?

The NFL playoff system is a mini-tournament that takes place after the end of the NFL regular season.Six teams from each conference (AFC and NFC) qualify for the playoffs. The four division winners in each conference are seeded 1-4 based on their regular season record, and the two wild card teams are seeded 5-6. The top two seeds in each conference get a first-round bye, and the remaining four teams play each other in the wild card round.

The divisional round features the four division winners playing the survivors of the wild card round. The divisional winners are seeded 1-4 according to their regular season record, with the top seed playing the lowest remaining seed, and so on.

The conference championships are then held in which the AFC and NFC champions face each other to decide who goes to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is played between the AFC and NFC champions every year.

Who Qualifies for the NFL Playoffs?

In order to qualify for the NFL playoffs, a team must first win their divisional title. There are four divisions in each conference (North, East, South, and West). The four division winners from each conference are then seeded based on their regular season record. The highest seed will play the lowest seed, and the second highest seed will play the second lowest seed, and so on. The two divisional winners with the best records will receive a first-round bye and automatically advance to the divisional playoff round.

What is the NFL Playoff Schedule?

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 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, with the highest seed hosting the lowest seed in each first-round playoff game. In the current NFL playoff format, 12 teams compete in the postseason. The four division winners in each conference (the North, South, East, and West) are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall record, and the next four teams (the two Wild Card teams from each conference) are seeded 5 through 8.

How to Watch the NFL Playoffs?

To watch the NFL playoffs, you’ll need a cable or satellite subscription — or an over-the-top streaming service that carries NBC, CBS, FOX, and ESPN. Here are your options:

If you have a cable or satellite subscription:
If you have a cable or satellite subscription, you can watch the NFL playoffs on your TV through your provider’s channels. All of the games will be broadcast on either NBC, CBS, FOX, or ESPN.

If you don’t have a cable or satellite subscription:
You can also watch the NFL playoffs without a cable or satellite subscription by signing up for a streaming service that carries NBC, CBS, FOX, and ESPN. Two of the most popular options are Hulu with Live TV and Sling TV.

Hulu with Live TV:
With Hulu with Live TV you can watch live and on-demand TV from 50+ top channels including sports, news, entertainment, and more. Plus, you’ll get access to HBO MaxTM and Hulu’s entire streaming library with limited ads for $64.99/month after 7 days free trial*.
Click here to start your free trial of Hulu with Live TV.
*Note: After your free trial ends, you will be charged $64.99/month unless you cancel before the end of the trial period.

Sling TV:
Sling TV is an affordable way to watch live TV without all the hassle of a traditional cable or satellite subscriber. You can get the Sling Blue package which includes NBC and FOX for $30/month*. Plus, there’s no commitment so you can cancel anytime.
Click here to start your free trial of Sling TV.
*Note: After your free trial ends, you will be charged $30/month unless you cancel before the end of the trial period.

Conclusion

So, when does the NFL playoffs start? The short answer is that the NFL playoffs start the weekend of January 5-6, 2020. However, there are a few things to note. First, there are actually two different playoff formats in the NFL – the traditional 12-team format and a new 14-team format that was implemented for the 2020 season. Second, the 14-team playoff format will result in there being four divisional round games on both Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12.