NFL Playoffs: Standings, Format & Beginner's Guide

How do teams qualify for the NFL Playoffs?

Each conference sends seven teams to the playoffs: 

1. Four division winners    

These teams automatically qualify because they finished top of their division. 

2. Three Wild Card teams   

These are the teams with the best records that did not win their divisions. 

How does the NFL Playoff seeding work?

Once the seven teams are chosen, they are ranked from 1 to 7 within each conference: 

• Seed 1 is the team with the best record   

• Seeds 2–4 are the remaining division winners   

• Seeds 5–7 are the Wild Cards   

Seeding decides: 

• Who each team plays 

• Whether they play at home or away 

• Whether they receive a bye week 

NFL Playoff format 

The NFL Playoffs progress through four rounds, leading to the Super Bowl. 

1. Wild Card Weekend (Jan 10–12) 

This is the opening round and one of the most exciting weekends of the season. 

• Seed 2 hosts Seed 7 

• Seed 3 hosts Seed 6 

• Seed 4 hosts Seed 5 

AFC Wild Card round

• New England Patriots 16-3 Los Angeles Chargers

• Jacksonville Jaguars 24-27 Buffalo Bills

• Pittsburgh Steelers 6-30 Houston Texans

NFC Wild Card round

• Chicago Bears 31-27 Green Bay Packers

• Philadelphia Eagles 19-23 San Francisco 49ers

• Carolina Panthers 31-34 Los Angeles Rams

2. Divisional Round (Jan 17–18)   

The No.1 seed enters here, hosting the lowest remaining seed. 

AFC Divisional round

• Denver Broncos 33-30 Buffalo Bills

• New England Patriots 28-16 Houston Texans

NFC Divisional Round

• Seattle Seahawks 41-6 San Francisco 49ers

• Chicago Bears 17-20 Los Angeles Rams

3. Conference Championships (Jan 25)   

Each conference plays one final match: 

• AFC Championship - Denver Broncos vs New England Patriots

• NFC Championship - Seattle Seahawks vs Los Angeles Rams

Winners move to the Super Bowl. 

4. Super Bowl (Feb 8)   

A neutral venue hosts the AFC vs NFC champions. It is one of the largest sporting events in the world. 

Tiebreakers made simple

If teams finish with the same number of wins, the NFL uses: 

• Head-to-head results   

• Conference record   

• Results against common opponents   

• Strength of victory   

Beginner tips for following the NFL Playoffs

• Always check the seeding   

• Follow teams “in the hunt” late in the season   

• Look out for Wild Card upsets   

• Track how teams perform away from home   

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