Who Qualifies for the NFL Playoffs?

Each year, all 32 NFL franchises look to secure a playoff berth after an 18-week regular season. 

How Many Teams Make the NFL Postseason?

The current playoff format has 14 spots, with seven teams apiece in the AFC and NFC.

The previous format had six teams from each conference make the postseason, with the change to seven taking place in 2020.

What Does the NFL Playoff Format Look Like?

The top four teams are the four division winners (East, North, South, West), with the remaining three squads making up the wild-card spots. The order is based on regular season records.

The two number one seeds, who have the best regular season records in their respective conferences, receive a bye and play the winners from the wild-card round.

In the wild-card round, the No. 2 seed faces the No. 7, No. 3 plays against No. 6, and No. 4 takes on No. 5.

After these matchups, the divisional round has the No. 1 seeds go up against the lowest seeds. The second-best remaining teams also face off against the second-lowest seeds.

Once this round concludes, the winners play in the AFC and NFC Championships, with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line in each game.