A fourth-quarter lead hasn’t meant much to open the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
The first four winners of the postseason won with fourth-quarter comebacks.
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?
NFL playoff bracket
AFC
NFC
a – advanced
e – eliminated
Wild-card round playoff schedule
AFC
Sunday, Jan. 11
No. 6 Buffalo Bills 27, No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars 24
No. 2 New England Patriots 16, No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers 3
Monday, Jan. 12
No. 5 Houston Texans 30, No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers 6
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 23, No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles 19
Bye: Seattle Seahawks
Divisional round playoff schedule
Saturday, Jan. 17
Sunday, Jan. 18
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NFL playoffs bracket: Schedule, scores, seeds, format for 2025-26 postseason
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
