How the NFL Playoffs Work?

Introduction

The NFL Playoffs are an exciting time of year for football fans. The top teams from each conference battle each other in a single-elimination tournament, culminating in the Super Bowl. This post will explain the structure of the playoffs and how teams qualify.

Seeding

The NFL is divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). At the end of the regular season, the seven teams with the best overall record in each conference qualify for the playoffs. These teams are seeded according to their record, with the top seed in each conference receiving a bye in the first round. The other teams in each conference play against each other during the first week (The Wild-Card Round), which dictates who plays who moving forward.

Wild-Card Round

In the first round, known as the Wild-Card Round, the number 1 seeds have a bye and the three remaining division winners in each conference play against the three ‘best-of-the-rest teams’. The matchups are based on seeding, with the best-seeded teams playing the respective worst-seeded teams. For example, this year, the second-seeded San Fransisco 49ers will play against the seventh-seeded Seattle Seahawks. The third seed plays the sixth seed and so on. The winners of these games advance to the Divisional Round, while the losers are eliminated from the playoffs.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Every game of the playoffs will be played at the home field of whoever is the best-seeded in each matchup. This means that each year, the number one-seeded team will play all of their games with home-field advantage. Not bad when you consider they get a bye in the first week as well!

Divisional Round

In the Divisional Round, the three teams that advanced from the Wild-Card Round join the number 1 seeds in another round of seeded matchups, just like in the round before. So, the two number-one-seeded teams, who just benefitted from a bye week, will now play whichever team progressed from the Wild-Card round with the lowest seed. For example, if the Seahawks (7) defeat the 49ers (2), they will play the Philadelphia Eagles (1 seed). The winners of these games advance to the Conference Championship Game, while the losers are eliminated from the playoffs.

Conference Championship Game

Now that we are down to the two final teams in each conference, this round is to determine the best representative of each conference, hence being called the Conference Championship game. As glamorous as this sounds, the teams will only enjoy a brief celebration before quickly turning their attention to the next and final round, The Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl

Having battled through three rounds of knock-out football, the best team from each conference now remain standing, ready to battle for the grand prize. This showdown is celebrated all around the world, drawing the attention of die-hard, passive and general sport fans alike. It is one of the best days of the year for fans and the NFL spares no expense in making it a real spectacle. Rihanna is taking on the task of the highly-anticipated halftime show this year and it promises to be another showstopper.