Who Is Going To The Playoffs NFL?
Contents
The NFL playoffs are just around the corner and everyone is wondering who is going to make it to the big game. We take a look at the contenders and give our predictions on who will be crowned champions.
The Teams
NFL football is one of the most popular sports in America.
NFC
The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.
The NFC was created on June 4, 1970, following a merger between the National Football League and its rival, the American Football League (AFL). At its creation, the conference had 14 members; from 2002 to 2018, it had 16 members.
Since 1970, when the NFC was formed, it has sent 27 different teams to the Super Bowl: 11 won their league championship while in the NFC (tied with AFC’s 11), while 16 won Super Bowls after having switched to the AFC (tied with that conference’s 16). With Los Angeles Rams winning Super Bowl LIII in 2019 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV in 2021, every team in NFC West has now won a Super Bowl.
AFC
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the world. The AFC was created after the NFL merged with the American Football League (AFL). Its counterpart is the National Football Conference (NFC).
Currently, the AFC has 16 teams organized into four divisions: North, East, South, and West. These are further divided into two sub-conferences, the AFC East and AFC West. The remaining eight teams are referred to as “wild cards”. The four division champions and two wild cards from each conference advance to the playoffs.
The Matchups
The NFL playoffs are finally here and we know who is playing who. In the AFC, we have the Pittsburgh Steelers vs the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos vs the Indianapolis Colts. In the NFC, we have the Seattle Seahawks vs the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers vs the Arizona Cardinals. Let’s take a look at the matchups.
NFC
In the National Football Conference (NFC), the playoff teams will be the Green Bay Packers (13-3), Dallas Cowboys (13-3), Seattle Seahawks (11-5), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5). The Packers and Cowboys each have a first-round bye. The Seahawks will play the Buccaneers in a wildcard playoff game.
AFC
AFC
1. New England Patriots (11-5) – 1st place, AFC East
2. Baltimore Ravens (10-6) – 2nd place, AFC North
3. Houston Texans (10-6) – 1st place, AFC South
4. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) – 1st place, AFC West
5. Los Angeles Chargers (12-4) – 2nd place, AFC West
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6-1) – 2nd place, AFC North
NFC
1. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) – 1st place, NFC East
2. Chicago Bears (12-4) – 1st place, NFC North
3. Los Angeles Rams (13-3) – 1st place, NFC West
4. New Orleans Saints (13-3) – 1st place, NFC South
5. Seattle Seahawks (10-6) – 2nd place, NFC West
The Predictions
It’s that time of year again where the NFL playoffs are just around the corner. Who is going to make it to the big game this year? We take a look at the predictions.
NFC
The NFC playoff field is set, and it’s loaded with Super Bowl contenders. The conference features the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys as division winners, while the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings claimed the two wild card spots.
Here’s a look at how the NFC playoff field is shaping up heading into the final week of the regular season:
1. Los Angeles Rams (13-3)
The Rams wrapped up their second consecutive NFC West title with a 48-32 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. They’ll have a bye in the first round of the playoffs before hosting a divisional round game on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream).
2. New Orleans Saints (13-3)
The Saints clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a Week 16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and will have a first-round bye. They’ll host a divisional round game on Sunday, Jan. 13 at 4:40 p.m. ET on Fox (live stream).
3. Chicago Bears (12-4)
The Bears clinched their first NFC North title since 2010 with a 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 15 and will host a wild card game on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream). Their opponent will be determined in Week 17.
4. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
The Cowboys clinched their third straight NFC East title with a 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 and will host a wild card game on Sunday, Jan 6 at 4:40 p.m ET on Fox (live stream). Their opponent will be determined in Week 17
AFC
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL). The AFC was created after the NFL merged with the American Football League (AFL). As a result, the AFC is made up of 16 teams that come from the former AFL teams, as well as from some NFL teams.
The current AFC champions are the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the 2020 AFC Championship Game. The team that has won the most AFC championships is the New England Patriots, who have won 11 AFC championships.
