NFL Week 18 Overreactions
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the last week of the 2024 NFL regular season.
Sports Seriously
The 2024 NFL regular season is complete, and the most thrilling part of the NFL season has arrived.
The NFL playoffs begin this weekend as the best teams in both conferences contend for the Super Bowl title.
This will be the fifth consecutive season since the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff field from the prior 12-team format. To begin wild card weekend, the 14-team field beings their quest for a Lombardi trophy.
Here is everything to know about the NFL playoffs bracket, teams and schedule in 2025.
Teams that made the NFL playoffsAFCNFCNFL conference standingsAFCKansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West winners, No. 1 seed)Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East winners, No. 2 seed)Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners, No. 3 seed)Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South winners, No. 4 seed)Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 1, No. 5 seed)Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2, No. 6 seed)Denver Broncos (10-7, wild card No. 3, No. 7 seed)NFCDetroit Lions (15-2, NFC North winners, No. 1 seed)Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East winners, No. 2 seed)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winners, No. 3 seed)Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West winners, No. 4 seed)Minnesota Vikings (14-3, wild card No. 1)Washington Commanders (12-5, wild card No. 2, No. 6 seed)Green Bay Packers (11-6, wild card No. 3, No. 7 seed)2024-25 NFL playoff bracket, wild card matchups
Here’s a look at the NFL playoff bracket and the matchups for the wild-card round.
AFC:
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (bye)No. 7 Denver Broncos vs. No. 2 Buffalo BillsNo. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Baltimore RavensNo. 5 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 4 Houston Texans
The NFC bracket is set. This is how the teams will match up in the wild-card round.
NFC:
No. 1 Detroit Lions (bye)No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Philadelphia EaglesNo. 6 Washington Commanders at No. 3 Tampa Bay BuccaneersNo. 5 Minnesota Vikings at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams2024-25 NFL playoffs schedule
The wild-card round is set. All times Eastern.
Wild Card (all times Eastern)
All times Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 11
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBSPittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, Jan. 12
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBSGreen Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, FoxWashington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Monday, Jan. 13
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABCDivisional round
All times TBD
Saturday, Jan. 18
TBD at Kansas City Chiefs divisional game: TBDTBD at Detroit Lions divisional game: TBD
Sunday, Jan. 19
AFC divisional game: TBDNFC divisional game: TBDConference championships
Sunday, Jan. 26:
NFC championship game: 3 p.m.AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.Super Bowl 59Date: Feb. 9, 2025Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)Time: 6:30 p.m.TV: FOX
What is the 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 Chiefs and Lions earned the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively.
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 byeNo. 2 seed hosts No. 7 seedNo. 3 seed hosts No. 6 seedNo. 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.