Who’s In The NFL Playoffs 2021?
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Wondering who’s in the NFL playoffs this year? Check out our blog post to find out which teams are in and what their chances are of winning the Super Bowl.
AFC Playoffs
The 2021 NFL Playoffs for the American Football Conference are set. The Kansas City Chiefs are the top seed and will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. The Chiefs are followed by the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore Ravens. Who do you think will make it to the Super Bowl?
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills.
Super Bowl victories: XXXV
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.
Since their 1968 AFL Championship victory and subsequent 1969 Super Bowl appearance, the Chiefs have appeared in seven playoff games and four AFC Championship Games, winning one conference title in 2018 behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes. As of 2020, they have won ten division championships: eight AFL West titles between 1960 and 1969 and two AFC West titles since 1970.
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 (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) 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.
The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium. An original member of the American Football League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971. The Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season. The franchise has made 21 appearances in the Super Bowl (including nine wins), tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos for most by a single team.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Led by rookie sensation Chase Claypool and veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC. With a strong defense and a balanced offense, they will be a tough opponent for anyone in the playoffs.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are an American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play as an expansion team in 1960. The Oilers won the first two AFL Championships, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.
The team relocated from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, and played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season. The club moved to Nashville in 1998 and played in Vanderbilt Stadium. For those two years, the team was known as the “Tennessee Oilers”, but changed its name to “Titans” in 1999. The team plays its home games at Nissan Stadium in downtown Nashville.
NFC Playoffs
The National Football Conference (NFC) playoff picture is starting to take shape as we enter the final week of the 2020 NFL regular season. The Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers have clinched playoff berths, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears are on the outside looking in.
Dallas Cowboys
As the NFC East champions, the Dallas Cowboys are in the playoffs. They will face the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have clinched the NFC North and a first-round bye. They will host a Divisional Round game on Sunday, Jan. 16 at Lambeau Field. Green Bay’s opponent will be determined by this weekend’s wild-card games.
If the Saints win Sunday and the Seahawks lose, Green Bay will play New Orleans in the Divisional Round. If the Seahawks win and the Saints lose, Green Bay will play Seattle. And if both teams win or lose, Green Bay will play whichever team has the better record.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League (AFL) before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when it moved to St. Louis, and was known as the St. Louis Rams from 1995 to 2015. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016.
The name of the team was changed three times between 1936 and 1945, following moves to Pittsburgh in 1937, and then back to Cleveland in 1945. From 1959 to 1961, they were called simply “The Los Angeles Rams”. From 1962 to 1994, they were commonly known as “The Los Angeles/Anaheim/St. Louis Rams”. However, after their move back from St. Louis in 2016, they will once again be known simply as “The Los Angeles Rams”.
They currently play their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which they share with fellow NFC West team, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The team was founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. The Saints began play on September 17, 1967.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team 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.
Super Bowl
The NFL playoffs are underway! The Rams and the Saints will face off in the first game this weekend, followed by the Patriots and the Chiefs. Who do you think will make it to the Super Bowl?
Location
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 National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The winner of the Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the former head coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls.
Date
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs. Bracket seeds are adjusted from year to year, depending on each team’s record, but divisional opponents cannot meet in the first round. In all rounds, if one team scores more points than the other during regulation time, it wins; if they score an equal number of points or neither team scores, then overtime ensues.
The 2021 NFL playoffs will begin on Saturday, January 9th and Sunday, January 10th. The Wild Card round features four games total, two on each day. The first game on Saturday will be between the Colts and the Bills at 1:05 PM ET, followed by the Rams and the Seahawks at 4:40 PM ET. Then on Sunday, the Buccaneers will take on the Washington Football Team at 1:05 PM ET, followed by the Saints and Bears at 4:40 PM ET.
Time
The NFL season is winding down, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape.
There are four weeks left in the regular season, and while some teams have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, others are still fighting for their place in the postseason.
The playoffs will begin on January 9th, 2021, and will conclude with Super Bowl LV on February 7th, 2021.
Here is a look at the current playoff standings, as well as a breakdown of who has already clinched a spot and who is still fighting for their place in the postseason.
(current standings as of 12/6/2020)
AFC:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-3)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2)
4. Tennessee Titans (9-4)
5. Indianapolis Colts (9-4)
6. Cleveland Browns (9-3)
In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-5), Baltimore Ravens (7-5), Las Vegas Raiders (6-6), New England Patriots (6-6), Los Angeles Chargers (4-8)
Clinched division: Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills
Clinched playoff berth: Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans
NFC:
1. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
2. New Orleans Saints (10-2)
