What is the NFL playoff format? How the NFL playoffs work for the 2024-25 postseason

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The most thrilling part of the NFL season is nearly here. The NFL playoffs are just a week away as the best teams in both conferences contend for this year's Super Bowl title.

Starting in the 2020-21 playoffs, the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff field from the prior 12-team format. To begin Super Wild Card Weekend, we go from 32 teams to 14. Here's everything you need to know about the NFL playoff format this season:

NFL playoff format

The NFL playoff format is a single-elimination tournament of seven teams in the AFC and NFC, including:

• Four division winners (South, North, East, and West)
• Three wild card teams (best remaining teams by record)

The division winner with the best record receives the No. 1 seed in their conference, plays their playoff games at home, and gets a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

The playoffs have four rounds: the wild card round, divisional round, conference championship games, and the Super Bowl. There is an extra week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.

Wild card round

• No. 1 seed has a bye
• No. 2 seed hosts No. 7 seed
• No. 3 seed hosts No. 6 seed
• No. 4 seed hosts No. 5 seed

Divisional round

• The No. 1 seed hosts the lowest remaining seed.
• The second-highest remaining seed hosts the second-lowest remaining seed.

Conference championship game

• Divisional round winners (higher seed hosts)

Super Bowl

• Conference championship winners play at a neutral site.
  • This year's Super Bowl will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

When do the NFL playoffs start?

The NFL playoffs kick off on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. ET for the first game of the wild-card round.

Here's how the full schedule breaks down for the 2024-25 NFL playoffs.

• Wild card round: Jan. 11-13, 2025
• Divisional round: Jan. 18-19, 2025
• Conference championship: Jan. 26, 2025
• Super Bowl: Feb. 9, 2025

NFL playoff picture

AFC

• No. 1 seed: Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West winners)
• No. 2 seed: Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East winners)
• No. 3 seed: Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners)
• No. 4 seed: Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South winners)
• No. 5 seed: Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 1)
• No. 6 seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2)
• No. 7 seed: Denver Broncos (10-7, wild card No. 3)

NFC

• No. 1 seed: Detroit Lions (14-2, NFC North leaders)
• No. 2 seed: Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East winners)
• No. 3 seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winners)
• No. 4 seed: Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West winners)
• No. 5 seed: Minnesota Vikings (14-2, wild card No. 1)
• No. 6 seed: Washington Commanders (12-5, wild card No. 2)
• No. 7 seed: Green Bay Packers (11-6, wild card No. 3)

NFL playoff bracket

These are the current wild card matchups, given the state of the playoff picture:

AFC wild card

• No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 7 Denver Broncos
• No. 3 Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers
• No. 4 Houston Texans vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers

NFC wild card

• No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers
• No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders
• No. 4 Los Angeles Rams vs. No. 5 Minnesota Vikings