The NFL playoffs are a 14‑team, single‑elimination tournament that decides who goes to the Super Bowl. Each conference (AFC and NFC) sends seven teams.
Who gets in
- The league has two conferences, AFC and NFC, and each has four divisions with four teams.
- In each conference, four division winners plus three “wild card” teams (the next three best records) make the playoffs for a total of seven teams per conference.
- Division winners are seeded 1–4 by record; wild cards are seeded 5–7 by record.
Seeding and byes
- The No. 1 seed in each conference gets a first‑round bye and automatic home field in its first game.
- Seeds 2–7 play in the first round, and higher seeds always host games as long as they stay alive.
Wild Card round
- This first round is called “Super Wild Card Weekend” and has three games per conference: 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5.
- Winners advance; there is no series, just one game each matchup.
Divisional round
- The 1 seed now joins in and always plays the lowest‑remaining seed from its conference.
- The other two remaining teams in that conference play each other, with the higher seed hosting.
Conference championships and Super Bowl
- The last two teams in each conference meet in the AFC and NFC Championship Games, hosted by the higher seed.
- The winners of those games advance to the Super Bowl, which is at a neutral site and decides the league champion.
