Which Teams Are Left in the NFL Playoffs?

It’s that time of year again where we all start paying attention to football. The NFL playoffs are underway and there are only a few teams left fighting for the chance to go to the Super Bowl. So, which teams are left in the NFL playoffs?

AFC

The Baltimore Ravens are the current leaders of the AFC with a record of 13-2. They have clinched the number one seed and a first-round bye. The New England Patriots are in second place with a record of 12-3. They have clinched the number two seed and a first-round bye. The Kansas City Chiefs are in third place with a record of 11-4. They have clinched a playoff berth but have not yet clinched their seed. The Houston Texans are in fourth place with a record of 10-5. They have clinched a playoff berth but have not yet clinched their seed.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are members of the AFC North division in the National Football League (NFL). The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to relocate the franchise to Baltimore.

The Ravens have appeared in four AFC Championship Games (2000, 2008, 2012, and 2018), winning two of them (2012 and 2018). They defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVII 34-31 to become the fifth team to win both a Super Bowl and an AFC Championship Game. The Ravens have also won two division titles (2003 and 2006).

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. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.

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 AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team is valued at over $2 billion. Hunt’s son, Clark, serves as chairman and CEO.

While the team mainly struggled in their early years, they became successful once they captured an AFL championship title in 1962 under head coach Hank Stram. In 1967, they won their second AFL championship and reached Super Bowl I. The victory led them to become the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, all of which they lost. They reached the playoffs eight more times in the next 20 seasons but failed to make another championship game or appearance during that period; this drought included Todd Blackledge’s lone playoff appearance as quarterback from 1983 to 1987, during which time he set numerous franchise passing records that still stand. After winning only five games for three consecutive seasons (1988–1990), head coach Marty Schottenheimer led them to seven victories and their first AFC West division title in 1991 with an 11–5 record; this would be their only playoff appearance during his 14-year tenure with Kansas City until he finally led them back again after taking over midseason on December 10, 2006 after Herm Edwards was fired following an 0–3 start (coincidentally also giving him fourteen years with one team). However, they lost that game 27–21 to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots despite Massachusetts native Len Dawson being named Most Valuable Player for his performance; Dawson had already been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame by that point and would eventually also be selected for both Super Bowl I and IV except for those two appearances

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference 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.

NFC

The NFC playoff bracket is down to just four teams. The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers will battle in the NFC Championship game with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line. The winner of that game will take on the winner of the AFC Championship game between the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs.

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. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is 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.

The Packers are the last of the “small town teams” which were common in the NFL during the league’s early days of 1925 and 1926. Founded in 1919 by Earl “Curly” Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the franchise traces its lineage to other semi-professional teams in Green Bay dating back to 1896. Between 1919 and 1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around Wisconsin and Michigan. They joined the American Professional Football Association (APFA), now known as the National Football League (NFL), in 1921. Although Green Bay is by far the smallest major league professional sports market in North America, Forbes ranked the Packers as being worth $1.02 billion as of 2016, making them number 63 on their list of 100 most valuable sports franchises globally and number 36 overall out of all American professional sports franchises Forbes’ valuation includes faster growth than most competitors due to national revenue sharing resulting from NFL television contracts; however, it trails dedicated local revenue for many other teams such as baseball’s New York Yankees and basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers.

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 club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Saints were founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. The franchise began play in Tulane Stadium in 1967.

The name “Saints” is an allusion to November 1 being All Saints Day in the Catholic faith, as well as the team’s intense fan base and unique sold-out home games. The team’s primary colors are old gold and black; their logo resembles a spur or fleur-de-lis. They played their home games in Tulane Stadium through the 1974 NFL season. The following year, they began playing their home games in the new Louisiana Superdome (nowMercedes-Benz Superdome).

The franchise was founded on November 1, 1966.[9] The team’s primary colors are old gold and black;[10][11] their logo resembles a fleur-de-lis.[12][13] They played their home games at Tulane Stadium through the 1974 season.[14]

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. The Seahawks are owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and are currently coached by Pete Carroll. Since 2002, the Seahawks have played their home games at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field), located south of downtown Seattle. The Seahawks previously played home games in the Kingdome (1976–1999) and Husky Stadium (1994, 2000–2001).

Seattle is one of three professional sports teams based in the state of Washington, joining Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Seattle Mariners and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. The team was established on June 4, 1974, when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle awarded an expansion franchise to Peckinpaugh and his group of 12 businessmen. John Thompson, a former University of Washington Husky football star player and coach, was hired as the team’s first general manager.[8] To build a fan base, Seattle played most of its home games in various stadiums around California while construction on CenturyLink Field was underway; playing weekly “home” games in places like San Francisco, Oakland, Anaheim and Portland – even as far away as Spokane – to attract fans from around the Northwest region that wouldn’t have to make a long road trip to see NFL action.[9][10][11]

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team plays its home games at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 38 miles (61 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley.