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Understanding the Wild Card positions can be challenging, but they are not as hard as you think.
A franchise from each division that didn't finish first could advance to the postseason, thanks to the NFL's 1970 introduction of the "Wild Card." Before introducing a third Wild Card franchise from each division in 2020, the league had already added a second Wild Card team from each conference in 2012.
In the NFL, the Super Bowl is open to all teams that have played in the Wild Card round. A team must play in the playoffs to be a Super Bowl candidate, and if the team continues to win their Wild Card matchups, they will be eligible to play in the Super Bowl.
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The winner of every conference with the strongest regular-season result obtains a first-round bye and gets an outright invitation to the Divisional Round. Each of the two conferences, sends three Wild Card franchises and four division winners to their playoffs.
Each Wild Card team must participate in the first phase of the postseason games, often known as the Wild Card round, after qualifying for the postseason. The lowest-ranked divisional champion will be the opponent for the highest-ranked wild card side in each division, while the third-lowest-ranked conference champion will be the opponent for the second-highest wild card team.
The "Conference Champion" of each conference, who finished first in their division, was given a one-week bye and is exempt from competing in the wild-card round.
Only 10 teams using the wild card slot have made it to the Super Bowl since the wild card scheme was introduced in 1970. Six of those were Super Bowl champions.
When is the wild card round for the 2022-23 NFL season?
The weekend following the conclusion of the regular season is when the NFL postseason games begin. The NFL postseason begins in earnest on the second weekend of January since the regular season typically finishes on the first Sunday of the month.
Until the Super Bowl, traditionally played on the first Sunday in February, teams that win their matches advance each week. The typical one-week prep phase during the season increases to two weeks as teams advance to the Super Bowl. So there is always a two-week break between the last conference championship game and the Super Bowl.
