A fourth-quarter lead hasn’t meant much to open the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Seven teams in each conference began the postseason. They’ll be whittled down to four in the AFC and four in the NFC after the first weekend of the postseason.
Here’s what to know about the playoff format for the 2025 season.
How many teams make the NFL playoffs?
Fourteen teams, seven in each conference, make the postseason.
The number of playoff teams has varied from as few as two teams (from 1933 to 1966) to as many as 16 teams (in 1982). The NFL expanded from 12 to 14 playoff teams in 2020.
NFL playoff format
The NFL playoffs are single elimination.
The four division champions from each conference make the playoffs and are seeded No. 1 through No. 4 based on record. The three remaining teams in each conference with the best record qualify for the postseason as wild-card teams and are seeded No. 5 through No. 7.
If a wild-card team has a better record than a division winner, it still receives a lower 5, 6 or 7 seed.
The No. 1 seed in each conference receives a first-round bye and plays all of their conference playoff games at home.
Are teams re-seeded in each round?
The playoff bracket is not reseeded but the postseason isn’t a fixed bracket.
The wild-card round games are: No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5, with the higher seed hosting the lower seed.
In the divisional round, the No. 1 seed hosts the lowest-remaining seed and the other two winners play against each other, with the higher seed hosting. The higher-seeded team hosts the conference championship. The Super Bowl is played at a predetermined site. Super Bowl 60 will be be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
When are the rounds of the NFL playoffs?
- Wild-card round: Jan. 10-12
- Divisional round: Jan. 17-18
- Conference championships: Jan. 25
- Super Bowl 60: Feb. 8, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
NFL playoff bracket
AFC
- Denver Broncos (14–3)
- New England Patriots (14-3)
- e – Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
- Houston Texans (12–5)
- a – Buffalo Bills (12-5)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
NFC
- Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
- a – Chicago Bears (11-6)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
- e – Carolina Panthers (8-9)
- a – Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
- e – Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
a – advanced
e – eliminated
Wild-card round playoff schedule
AFC
Sunday, Jan. 11
No. 6 Buffalo Bills 27, No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars 24
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2 New England Patriots, 8:!5 p.m., NBC
Monday, Jan. 12
No. 5 Houston Texans at No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bye: Denver Broncos
NFC
Saturday, Jan. 10
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams 34, No. 4 Carolina Panthers 31
No. 2 Chicago Bears 31, No. 7 Green Bay Packers 24
Sunday, Jan. 11
No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m., FOX
Bye: Seattle Seahawks
