How do NFL playoffs work?

The NFL postseason is here. One of the most anticipated events on the NFL calendar. After competing hard for 18 weeks in the regular season, 14 NFL teams will get the opportunity to chase the Lombardi Trophy. The NFL postseason is filled with excitement as the best teams go up against the best, drawing a huge audience and giving the fans a memorable experience.

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As we near the NFL playoffs, it is essential to understand how the postseason works. Here is everything you need to know about how the NFL playoffs work.

NFL playoffs format: How does the postseason work in the NFL?

The NFL playoff will have 14 teams competing for the ultimate glory, winning the Super Bowl and lifting the Lombardi Trophy. From each conference, seven teams will be making their way into the NFL playoffs.

The winners of each division in the AFC and NFC conferences will get an immediate spot in the playoffs. The remaining three team’s seeding will be determined based on their record. These teams will be given a seed number, depending on their record in the regular season. The No. 1 seed will be given to the winningest team. And the team with the poor record will be given the No. 7 seed.

Bye will be awarded to the winningest team of each conference, that is the No. 1 seed. This team will take on the wild card round winners.

The first round of the NFL playoffs will be the wild card round.

Wild Card round

A total of six games will take place in the wild-card round, three games per conference. These teams will play each other based on the seeding. The team with the highest seed will face the team with the lowest seed. This same process happens in both conferences.

The No. 2 seed clashes with the No. 7 seed. The No. 3 seeded team will take on the No. 6 seeded team. And finally, the No. 4 seed will face the No. 5 seed.

During this stretch, the home-field advantage will be awarded to the better-seeded teams.

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Divisional Round

The divisional round of the playoffs is the next test for the teams. In this round, the wild card round winners will take on the No. 1 seeded team. The No. 1 seeded team will face the lowest-seeded team.

The second-highest-seeded team will face the next lowest-seeded team. There will be a total of four divisional-round games.

AFC and NFC Conference championships

The best two teams in the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference will take on each other for the conference championships.

The team with the better record among these two best teams will again get the home-field advantage to host the title game.

Super Bowl

This is the ultimate prize. The ultimate test for the two best teams in the National Football League. The Super Bowl will be held in a neutral venue without making it easier for any one team.

In the final game of the season, with everything on the line, to lift the Lombardi Trophy, the winners of the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference will take on each other in the finals.

How do tiebreakers work in the NFL playoffs?

There are different tie-breaking procedures in the NFL. This depends on if it is a division or a non-divisional team. To resolve the cases of ties, the NFL has few procedures in place. Here is how they work.

Division Round Tie Breakers

If two teams are competing for a divisional spot and the ranking, then here is how the tie-breaking procedure works.

Tiebreaker between two teams

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.

2. Best win percentage in games played within the conference.

3. The best win percentage in common games is a minimum of four.

4. Strength of victory.

5. Strength of schedule.

6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.

7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.

8. Best net points in conference games.

9. Best net points in all games.

10. Best net touchdowns in all games.

11. Coin toss.

Tiebreaker between three or more teams

If there are three or more teams that are vying for the divisional spot, then here is how the tie-breaking procedure will be used.

1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division before proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.

2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)

3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.

4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.

5. Strength of victory in all games.

6. Strength of schedule in all games.

7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.

8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.

9. Best net points in conference games.

10. Best net points in all games.

11. Best net touchdowns in all games.

12. Coin toss

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Wild Card round Tie Breakers

If there are two teams from the same division competing for a spot in the wild card, the above-mentioned divisional tiebreakers are used. But if the teams belong to different divisions, the steps mentioned below are used:

Tiebreaker between two teams

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.

2. Best win percentage in games played within the conference.

3. Best win percentage in common games, a minimum of four.

4. Strength of victory.

5. Strength of schedule.

6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.

7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.

8. Best net points in conference games.

9. Best net points in all games.

10. Best net touchdowns in all games.

11. Coin toss.

Tiebreaker between three or more teams

If three teams are competing for a wild card spot, the following procedure is used. If the two teams remain after this, then the above-mentioned steps will be used again.

1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division before proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.

2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)

3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.

4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.

5. Strength of victory in all games.

6. Strength of schedule in all games.

7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.

8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.

9. Best net points in conference games.

10. Best net points in all games.

11. Best net touchdowns in all games.

12. Coin toss