Who Clinched the NFL Playoffs in 2021?
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The 2021 NFL playoffs are finally here! Who will come out on top and clinch the title?
The NFL Playoffs
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a postseason tournament held every year to determine the champion of the NFL. The playoffs were first instituted in 1933, when the NFL was created. The playoffs consist of six teams from each conference: four divisional winners and two wild card teams.
The Wild Card Round
In the NFL, the playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held every winter to determine the league champion. The NFL playoffs begin with four wild card teams playing in two separate games. The winners of those games advance to the divisional round, where they join the four divisional champions. The divisional round is also a single-elimination tournament, with the winners advancing to the conference championships.
The conference championships are single-elimination games played between the two remaining teams in each conference, with the winners advancing to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is a one-game championship, played between the champions of the NFC and AFC. The winner of the Super Bowl is crowned as the NFL champion for that season.
The 2021 NFL Playoffs will begin on Saturday, January 9th with two wild card games:
Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans – AFC Wild Card game
Tennessee Titans vs. New England Patriots – AFC Wild Card game
On Sunday, January 10th, two more wild card games will be played:
Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints – NFC Wild Card game
Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles – NFC Wild Card game
The Divisional Round
In the Divisional Round, the top seed in each conference will host the lowest remaining seed from the Wild Card round. The other two matchups will pit the second seed against the third seed and fourth seed against first seed. The games are as follows:
-AFC:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (home) vs. 5. Los Angeles Chargers
2. New England Patriots (home) vs. 6. Indianapolis Colts
3. Houston Texans (away) at 4. Baltimore Ravens
4. Los Angeles Rams (away) at 2. Dallas Cowboys
The Conference Championships
The Conference Championships are the penultimate round of the NFL playoffs. The winners of each conference championship game advance to the Super Bowl.
The Conference Championships are typically held on the first Sunday in February and feature the two best teams from each conference. This year, the Conference Championships will be held on Sunday, February 7th.
The NFC Championship will be held at 3:05 PM EST and will feature the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Green Bay Packers. The AFC Championship will be held at 6:40 PM EST and will feature the Buffalo Bills vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the biggest and most important American football game of the year. It is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is played between the winning teams from the NFL’s two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The AFC and NFC championship games are played before the Super Bowl. The winners of those games then advance to the Super Bowl.
The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967. The game was created as a way to determine a champion for the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, which was played between the champions of those two leagues. The AFL-NFL World Championship Game was played until 1970, when it was renamed the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is usually held on the first Sunday in February. It is considered to be a national holiday in America, and its TV ratings are always among the highest for any event televised in America each year.
The Winners
The NFL playoffs are in full swing and there have been some great games so far. The divisional round is complete and the conference championships are set. Who won and who lost?
The Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have clinched the NFL playoffs in 2021. They are the number one seed in the NFC and will have a first-round bye. The Rams will play the winner of the Wild Card game between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints.
The Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers clinched the NFC North for the 2020 NFL season after defeating the Chicago Bears 35-16 in Week 16. The Packers have now won four consecutive NFC North titles and nine division championships in the last 11 seasons.
Aaron Rodgers led the way for the Packers, throwing for four touchdowns and 288 yards on 22-of-28 passing. The Packers’ defense was also stellar, forcing five turnovers and sacking Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky five times.
With the win, the Packers improved to 11-3 on the season and dropped the Bears to 8-6. The Packers will now host the NFC Wild Card round at Lambeau Field next weekend.
The New England Patriots
After winning their first game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots went on to clinch the AFC East division title for the 11th consecutive year. The Patriots have been one of the most successful teams in recent years, winning six Super Bowls since 2001.
The Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, clinching a spot in Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs will face either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Green Bay Packers in the NFL’s biggest game, which will take place on February 7th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
This will be the Chiefs’ second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl, and their third overall. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers in last year’s game, and lost to the Packers in Super Bowl I.
The Chiefs are led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2019 season. Mahomes threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns against the Bills on Sunday.
