Three…two…one…happy 2024 NFL Playoffs!
If your New Year's resolutions include watching more football, you're an excellent goal scorer and you're in luck. The NFL playoffs begin on January 13th, with the wild card round lasting until January 15th. That gives you about a week to familiarize yourself with and get to know the league's fanbase, but luckily it starts here with a few minutes and everything you need to know.
Warning: Increased football viewership may result in excessive shouting at inanimate objects such as your television.
How many teams make it to the postseason?
Fourteen of the league's 32 teams are eligible to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, with seven teams – the four division winners and three wild card teams – from each conference surviving Week 18.
The teams with the best records in the AFC and NFC each grabbed the No. 1 spot, and both were secured in Week 17. The Baltimore Ravens (13-3) moved past the Miami Dolphins to clinch the top spot in the AFC for the first time since 2019, while the 49ers' victory over the Washington Commanders and the Arizona Cardinals' victory over the Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco (12-4) secured NFC supremacy.
As the frontrunners, the Ravens and 49ers receive a bye in the first round – bypassing the wild card round – and home field advantage.
The No. 2 seeds are the division winners with the second-best records, and the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds follow as the division winners with the third and fourth-best records.
Places five to seven go to the wild card teams, i.e. those that did not win their divisions but had the second-best records of all conferences. They fill out the remaining seeding list chronologically: The team with the best record of all three wildcard teams ends up in 5th place, the second best in 6th place and the third best in 7th place.
What are the playoff tiebreakers?
What if playoff contenders had the same record? Who's coming in?
It is the team with the best direct record. But if it's a tie here too, the postseason bid goes to the team that…
And if everyone is somehow even, there is the foolproof, finite tiebreaker: the coin toss.
Header… your team gets a playoff bid! Tails… your poor, poor television.
This is what the current playoff picture looks like
It's crunch time in the NFC…
The 49ers, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams have booked their tickets and have two spots left in Week 18.
The 49ers own the NFC West and the Lions won the NFC North. The NFC East and South are unclaimed.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8), Green Bay Packers (8-8), Seattle Seahawks (8-8), New Orleans Saints (8-8), Atlanta Falcons (7-9) and Minnesota Vikings (7-9 ). ) have one game left to punch their playoff ticket, while the Cardinals, Commanders, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears are eliminated.
How everyone can secure a spot in the playoffs:
Privateer: One win (takes NFC South Division title) OR a tie + loss/draw for the Saints (clinches NFC South Division title) OR a tie + Seahawks loss + Packers loss/tie.
Packer: A victory OR a tie + Seahawks loss/draw + Saints loss/draw OR Draw + Seahawks loss + Buccaneers loss OR a tie + Seahawks draw + Buccaneers loss/draw OR Vikings loss/draw + Seahawks loss + Buccaneers loss OR Vikings loss/draw + Seahawks loss + Saints loss.
Seahawks: A win + loss/draw for the Packers OR a tie + Packers loss + Buccaneers loss/tie OR a draw + Packers loss + Saints loss/draw.
Saints: A win + Buccaneers loss/draw OR a draw + Buccaneers loss OR a Seahawks win + loss/draw + Packers loss/draw OR a tie + Seahawks loss + Packers loss.
Falcons: One win + Buccaneers loss.
Vikings: A win + a Packers loss + a Seahawks loss + a Buccaneers loss OR a win + Packers loss + Seahawks loss + Saints loss.
Now in the AFC…
The Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Dolphins and Cleveland Browns are locked in the playoff round. With three spots remaining, the Buffalo Bills (10-6), Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7), Indianapolis Colts (9-7), Houston Texans (9-7) and Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) are knocking on the door is closed for the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Ravens control the AFC North and the Chiefs hold the AFC West. The Bills' matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday will decide the AFC East title. But keep an eye on the AFC South as a three-legged race looms in Week 18, much of the drama still to come.
How everyone can secure a spot in the playoffs:
Bills: One win (wins AFC East Division title) OR a tie OR Steelers loss/draw OR Jaguars loss/draw OR Tie between Texans and Colts.
Jaguars: One win (takes AFC South Division title) OR a tie+tie between Colts and Texans (takes AFC South Division title) OR a tie + Steelers loss/draw OR Steelers loss + Broncos loss/tie + Colts-Texans doesn't end in a tie.
Colt: A Jaguars win+loss/draw (clinches AFC South Division title) OR a draw + Jaguars loss (takes AFC South Division title) OR a victory OR a tie + Steelers loss/draw.
Texans: A Jaguars win+loss/draw (clinches AFC South Division title) OR a victory OR a draw + Jaguars loss + Steelers loss/draw.
Steelers: One win + Bills loss OR a win + loss/draw for the Jaguars OR a win + draw between Colts and Texans OR a draw + Jaguars loss + Colts-Texans does not end in a draw OR Jaguars loss + Broncos win + Colts-Texans doesn't end in a draw.
Playoff schedule, TV info
Wildcard Round (all times East)
Saturday, January 13th
- Game 1: 4:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Game 2: 8:15 p.m. (Peacock)
Sunday, January 14th
- Game 3: 1:00 p.m. (TBD)
- Game 4: 4:30 p.m. (still open)
- Game 5: 8:15 p.m. (still TBD)
Monday, January 15th
- Game 6: 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
Divisional round
The stakes are raised with two games each on January 20th and 21st. Times and networks will be announced later.
Conference Championships
Both conference championship games will take place on Sunday, January 28th.
Super Bowl LVIII
The Super Bowl begins on February 11th and will be broadcast on CBS this year. This year's game will take place at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Required reading
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)