NFL
How Many Teams Make the NFL Playoffs? Structure and Format Explained
The 2024 NFL playoffs begin in January 13, 2024 and will stretch until January 15, 2024, before the Super Bowl kicks-off in February 9, 2024. During this period, there will be four transitional rounds of competitive games, starting with the wild-card round, the divisional round, the conference championship games, and the Super Bowl.
Detroit Lions VS San Francisco 49ers//Getty Images
At the start of the NFL season, all the 32 teams seek to have a chance at the Super Bowl and grasp the Vince Lombardi Trophy. To achieve this goal, teams have to manoeuver the playoffs, which is the ultimate pathway to the NFL’s most awaited game.
At the end of the regular season, 14 teams are usually in the playoffs, with seven from the AFC and seven from the NFC. The spots are earned as follows, four teams have to emerge winners in their respective divisions in each conference, to get automatic post-season placements. The remaining three places, known as the “wild-card spots”, are awarded to the non-division winning teams with the best records in their respective conferences.
The playoffs consist of four rounds, namely, the wild-card round, the divisional round, and the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.
How are the Teams in the NFL Playoffs Seeded?
The four division champions, which are teams with the best overall record from each conference, are seeded No.1 through to No.4, according to their overall won-lost-tied record. Seeding Nos.5,6, and 7 are accorded to the three wild-card teams from each conference.
Below is the seeding structure.
Seeding Structure
| No. 1 seed | Best record in the NFC or AFC |
| No. 2 seed | Second-best record for a division winner |
| No. 3 seed | Third-best record for a division winner |
| No. 4 seed | Fourth-best record for a division winner |
| No. 5 seed | Best record for Wild-Card teams |
| No. 6 seed | Second-best record for Wild-Card teams |
| No. 7 seed | Third-best record for Wild-Card teams |
What is the NFL playoffs Format?
Pittsburgh Steelers VS Kansas City Chiefs//Getty Images
NFL wild card round
The NFL playoffs kick start with the wild-card round, following a seeded-based match-up. The format is as follows.
- No.2 seed vs. No.7 seed: The AFC or NFC team with the second-best round (No. 2 seed) in the divisions, hosts the third-best record among wild-card teams (No.7 seed).
- No.3 seed vs. No.6 seed: The AFC or NFC team with the third-best record in the divisions (No.3 seed) will host the second-best record wild-card team (No.6 seed)
- No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed: The AFC or NFC team with the fourth-best record (No. 4 seed) in the divisions hosts the team with the best record (No.5 seed) in the wild-card teams.
There is no re-seeding in the NFL playoffs. The host of each game is determined by the seeding number as opposed to the position in the bracket.
NFL divisional round
The teams that emerges the winner in the wild-card round proceeds to the second round, which is the divisional round. On the other hand, the team with the best overall record from the AFC and NFC receives a first round bye and automatically joins the divisional round. The first-round bye team hosts the lowest-remaining seed from the wild-card round.
The two remaining winners of the wild-card round play each other, with the highest seeding team being the host.
The Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl
The remaining teams from the divisional playoff games proceed to the AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, with the host being the higher-seeded team. The winners of the championship games face off in the Super Bowl for the title.
NFL playoff schedule for 2024 season
The NFL playoff schedule for the 2024 season is as follows.
| Playoff Round | Date (2025) |
| Wild card round | Jan. 11-13 (six games) |
| Divisional round | Jan. 18-19 (four games) |
| AFC and NFC championship games | Jan. 26 (two games) |
| Super Bowl LIX | Feb. 9 |
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Ian Wanyeki is a Nairobi-based sports journalist with a strong passion for sport and an impressive grasp of multiple disciplines. A Bachelor of Science graduate from Kenyatta University, he has worked as a sports analyst at Covenant Television Network, a sports reporter at NTV, and a correspondent and contributor for Quartz Africa.