The NFL playoffs are upon us, with six different matchups scheduled for Wild Card Weekend following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season. The NFL postseason is structured differently than, say, traditional playoff brackets, however, which task teams with advancing through a fixed path to the championship.
How, exactly, do the NFL playoffs work? Here's everything you need to know:
How many teams make it?
Fourteen (14) of the NFL's 32 teams, or about 44% of the league, make the playoffs each year. Each of the NFL's eight division winners are granted playoff berths, along with opening-round home-field advantage, while each of the two conferences -- the AFC and NFC -- also include three wild-card teams, or the non-division-winning clubs with the best records.
Who receives a bye?
Only two (2) total teams can earn a first-round bye week in the NFL playoffs: the No. 1-seeded team in the AFC, and the No. 1-seeded team in the NFC. Those seeds go to the teams with the best overall record. This year, that means the Detroit Lions (15-2, NFC) and Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC).
How are the rest of the teams seeded?
Here's a full breakdown of how NFL playoff teams are seeded:
- No. 1 seed: Best record in AFC or NFC
- No. 2 seed: Second-best record among division winners
- No. 3 seed: Third-best record among division winners
- No. 4 seed: Fourth-best record among division winners
- No. 5 seed: Best record among wild-card teams
- No. 6 seed: Second-best record among wild-card teams
- No. 7 seed: Third-best record among wild-card teams
How are the playoff matchups decided?
Unlike other leagues, the NFL does not reseed surviving playoff teams and/or guarantee a specific path through its postseason, as the host of each game is ultimately determined by original seeding rather than position in the playoff bracket. The wild-card round features the following matchups:
- No. 1 seeds: Bye week
- No. 7 seeds at No. 2 seeds
- No. 6 seeds at No. 3 seeds
- No. 5 seeds at No. 4 seeds
After these games are complete, matchups simply require the lowest remaining seeds to travel to the highest remaining seeds, the second-lowest remaining seeds traveling to the second highest, and so on. So, for example, if a No. 7 seed advances, it will be locked into a trip to face the No. 1 seed in the next round, whereas if a No. 2 seed advances by beating a No. 7 seed, it will avoid the No. 1 seed in the next round. Teams are thus rewarded throughout the playoffs for the seeding with which they enter.
How many rounds are there?
The 2025 NFL postseason is structured and scheduled as follows:
- Wild-card round (6 games): Jan. 11-13
- Divisional round (4 games): Jan. 18-19
- Conference championship round (2 games): Jan. 26
- Super Bowl LIX: Feb. 9