Who’s Going to the NFL Playoffs in 2022?

It’s never too early to start talking NFL playoffs, and we’ve got a rundown of who’s going to be in the mix next season.

Introduction

In order to make it to the NFL playoffs, a team must have a winning record and finish in the top six of their conference.
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. As of 2022, there are 12 teams that make it to the playoffs: the top two seeds in each conference earn a first-round bye while the next four seeds host a Wild Card game. The winners of those games then advance to the Divisional Round where they will face either the first or second seed.
In order for a team to be eligible for the NFL playoffs, they must have a winning record and finish in the top six of their conference. Conference seeding is determined by win-loss record, with tiebreakers used as needed.
So, which teams are most likely to make it to the NFL playoffs in 2022?

The NFL’s Current Playoff System

The NFL playoff system is a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Each year, six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs. The four division winners in each conference are seeded 1-4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the two wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, so there are no re-seeds. The first round of the playoffs is referred to as the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend. The second round is called the divisional playoffs. The third round is the conference championships, and the final round is the Super Bowl.

Under the current system, as explained in more detail below, if two teams from the same conference are competing in any round (including Super Bowl), they cannot meet until that round of the playoffs if both teams have advanced that far. In all other rounds, the higher seed receives home field advantage (hosting rights). During Wild Card Weekend and Divisional Playoff Weekend, if a higher seed team wins, it will play at home against a lower seed team next week; but if a lower seed team wins, it will travel to play against a higher seed team next week.

During Conference Championship Weekend, if both higher seeds win (or both lower seeds win), they will face each other in one game; but if one higher seed and one lower seed win (i.e., one from each conference), then those two winning teams will face each other in one game (which is assured of being played at home for one team).

The NFL’s Proposed Playoff System

In an effort to add excitement and competition to the NFL regular season, the league’s owners have proposed a new playoff system. If approved, this system would take effect in the 2022 season.

Under the proposed system, 14 teams would qualify for the playoffs. The top two seeds in each conference would receive a bye in the first round. The remaining 12 teams would be seeded 3 through 14 based on their record.

The first round of the playoffs would be four wild-card games, played on Saturday and Sunday. The winners of those games would advance to the divisional round, where they would play the top seed in their conference. The divisional round would also include four games, played on Saturday and Sunday.

The conference championship games would be played on Saturday, January 22nd. The winner of each game would advance to the Super Bowl, which would be played on Sunday, February 6th.

All playoff games would be played at neutral sites.

Pros and Cons of the Proposed Playoff System

In 2022, the NFL is proposing a new playoff system that would include 14 teams instead of the current 12. This would mean that only the top seed in each conference would get a bye week in the first round, and there would be six games played on Wild Card weekend instead of four. Here are some pros and cons of this proposed system:

Pros:
-More teams would have a chance at making the playoffs, which would make the regular season more exciting.
-The additional games on Wild Card weekend would be a huge ratings boost for the NFL.
-It would allow for more flexibility in scheduling playoff games.

Cons:
-It would water down the quality of playoff teams, as there are bound to be some mediocre teams that make it in under this system.
-The bye week is a big advantage for teams, and taking it away from the top seeds could create some upset losses in the first round.
-It’s simply not necessary — the current 12-team playoff system works fine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is impossible to definitively say who will be going to the NFL playoffs in 2022. However, based on the teams’ current performance and recent trends, it is fair to say that the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks are all likely candidates.