NFL playoffs
Updated: 12/11/2025, 5:33:52 PM Wikipedia source
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs is the annual single-elimination tournament held to determine the league champion. The four-round tournament is held after the league's regular season. Since the 2020 season, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage, with a tie-breaking procedure if required. The top team in each conference receives a first-round bye, automatically advancing to the next round. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, the league's championship game, competed between teams from each conference. Among the four major professional sports leagues in the United States, the NFL postseason is the only one to use a single-elimination tournament in all of its rounds. NFL postseason history can be traced to the first NFL Championship Game in 1933, though in the early years, qualification for the game was based solely on regular-season records. From 1933 to 1966, the NFL postseason generally only consisted of the NFL Championship Game, which pitted the league's two division winners against each other (pending any one-game playoff matches that needed to be held to break ties in the division standings). In 1967, the playoffs were expanded to four teams (division winners). When the league completed its merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970, the playoffs were expanded to eight teams, which increased to ten in 1978, sixteen in 1982 (which was caused by a shortened season due to 1982 NFL strike), back to ten in 1983, twelve in 1990, and fourteen in 2020.
Infobox
Tables
| Season | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | 2026–27(Tentative) |
| Wild Card | Jan 13–15 | Jan 11–13 | Jan 10–12 | Jan 16–18 |
| Divisional | Jan 20–21 | Jan 18–19 | Jan 17–18 | Jan 23–24 |
| Conference | Jan 28 | Jan 26 | Jan 25 | Jan 31 |
| Super Bowl | LVIIIFeb 11 | LIXFeb 9 | LXFeb 8 | LXIFeb 14 |
| Divisional tiebreakers | Conference tiebreakers |
| Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs). Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games (games played against the same opponents). Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference. Strength of victory (the combined won-lost-tied percentage of all the teams that a club has defeated). Strength of schedule (the combined won-lost-tied percentage of all the teams that a club has played against). Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. Best net points in common games. Best net points in all games. Best net touchdowns in all games. | Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division before proceeding to step 2. Head-to-head, if applicable. (For ties among three or more teams, this step is only applied if there is a head-to-head sweep; i.e., if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.) Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, a minimum of four. Strength of victory (record of all the teams they defeated that season). Strength of schedule (record of all the teams they played that season). Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. Best net points in conference games. Best net points in all games. Best net touchdowns in all games. |
| Length of game | Date | Away team | Score | Home team | Winning score |
| 82:40 | December 25, 1971 | Miami Dolphins | 27–24 | Kansas City Chiefs | Garo Yepremian 37-yard field goal |
| 77:54† | December 23, 1962 | Dallas Texans | 20–17 | Houston Oilers | Tommy Brooker 25-yard field goal |
| 77:02 | January 3, 1987 | New York Jets | 20–23 | Cleveland Browns | Mark Moseley 27-yard field goal |
| 76:42 | January 12, 2013 | Baltimore Ravens | 38–35 | Denver Broncos | Justin Tucker 47-yard field goal |
| 75:43 | December 24, 1977 | Oakland Raiders | 37–31 | Baltimore Colts | Dave Casper 10-yard touchdown pass from Ken Stabler |
| 75:10 | January 10, 2004 | Carolina Panthers | 29–23 | St. Louis Rams | Steve Smith 69-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme |
| † AFL game prior to the AFL–NFL merger. | |||||
| Team | Appearances |
| Green Bay Packers | 37 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 36 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 35 |
| Cleveland / St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams | 33 |
| New York Giants | 33 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 32 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 31 |
| Cleveland Browns | 30 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 30 |
| Baltimore / Indianapolis Colts | 29 |
| Boston / New England Patriots | 28 |
| Chicago Bears | 27 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 27 |
| Washington Redskins / Football Team / Commanders | 26 |
| Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans | 25 |
| Miami Dolphins | 25 |
| Buffalo Bills | 24 |
| Denver Broncos | 23 |
| Oakland / Los Angeles / Las Vegas Raiders | 23 |
| San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers | 21 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 20 |
| Detroit Lions | 20 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 16 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 16 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 15 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 14 |
| New Orleans Saints | 14 |
| New York Jets | 14 |
| Chicago / St. Louis / Arizona Cardinals | 11 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8 |
| Houston Texans | 8 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8 |
| Current consecutive Playoff appearances | |||||||||||
| Seasons | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| 10 | Kansas City Chiefs' longest streak | ||||||||||
| 6 | Buffalo Bills' longest streak (tied) | ||||||||||
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers' longest streak | ||||||||||
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | ||||||||||
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | ||||||||||
| 2 | Detroit Lions | ||||||||||
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||||||||||
| 2 | Houston Texans | ||||||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles Rams | ||||||||||
| 2 | Green Bay Packers | ||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota | ||||||||||
| 1 | Washington | ||||||||||
| 1 | LA Chargers | ||||||||||
| 1 | Denver | ||||||||||
| Seasons | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Division | Team | Seasons |
| AFC East | Buffalo Bills | 6 |
| AFC North | Baltimore Ravens | 3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | |
| AFC South | Houston Texans | 2 |
| AFC West | Kansas City Chiefs | 10 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 1 | |
| Denver Broncos | 1 | |
| NFC East | Philadelphia Eagles | 4 |
| Washington Commanders | 1 | |
| NFC North | Detroit Lions | 2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1 | |
| NFC South | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 |
| NFC West | Los Angeles Rams | 2 |
| Streak Length | Teams |
| 11 | Patriots |
| 10 | Chiefs |
| 9 | Cowboys · Colts |
| 8 | 49ers · Packers · Rams · Steelers |
| 7 | Oilers (Titans) |
| 6 | Bills (x2) · Browns · Raiders · Vikings |
| 5 | Dolphins (x 3) · Seahawks (x 2) · Bears · Bengals · Broncos · Eagles · Ravens · Buccaneers |
| 4 | Chargers · Giants · Jaguars · Redskins (Commanders) · Saints |
| 3 | Lions (x 2) · Falcons · Panthers |
| 2 | Jets (x 5) · Cardinals (x 4) · Texans (x 3) |
| Teams' longest consecutive playoff appearances all time | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Chi. Cards 2 | Detroit Lions 3 | NY Jets 2 | St. L. Cards 2 | NY Jets 2 | NY Jets 2 | Buffalo Bills 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland Browns 6 | Washington Redskins 4 | Dallas Cowboys 9 | Houston Oilers 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Steelers 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles Rams 8 | San Francisco 49ers 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oakland Raiders 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota Vikings 6 | S. D. Chargers 4 | Chicago Bears 5 | Detroit Lions 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins 5 | Miami Dolphins 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bold and light blue is an Active Streak |
| Teams' longest consecutive playoff appearances all time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Indianapolis Colts 9 | Cincinnati Bengals 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville Jaguars 4 | Philadelphia Eagles 5 | New York Giants 4 | Green Bay Packers 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New England Patriots 11 | Tampa Bay Bucs 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego Chargers 4 | Kansas City Chiefs 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins 5 | Baltimore Ravens 5 | Carolina Panthers 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NY Jets 2 | NY Jets 2 | Denver Broncos 5 | Buffalo Bills 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona Cards 2 | Atlanta Falcons 3 | Arizona Cards 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seattle Seahawks 5 | Seattle Seahawks 5 | New Orleans Saints 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Texans 2 | Houston Texans 2 | Houston Texans 2 | Houston Texans 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Streak Length | Teams |
| 8 | Patriots |
| 7 | Chiefs |
| 6 | Cowboys |
| 5 | Eagles · Packers · Raiders · Ravens · Seahawks · Bills |
| 4 | Steelers · Vikings |
| 3 | 49ers (x 4) · Chargers · Dolphins (x 2) · Giants · Rams · Washington |
| 2 | Bears (x 2) · Bengals · Broncos (x 2) · Browns (x 3) · Buccaneers · Cardinals · Colts (x 4) · Falcons · Jaguars · Jets · Lions · Panthers · Saints · Texans (x 2) · Titans (Oilers) (x 4) |
| Teams' longest consecutive seasons with a playoff win all time (minimum 2 seasons) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Chicago Bears 2 | Detroit Lions 2 | Cleveland Browns 2 | Baltimore Colts 2 | Houston Oilers 2 | Cleveland Browns 2 | Baltimore Colts 2 | Oakland Raiders 5 | Houston Oilers 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins 3 | Los Angeles Rams 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams' longest consecutive seasons with a playoff win all time (minimum 2 seasons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| San Diego Chargers 3 | Chicago Bears 2 | Denver Broncos 2 | San Francisco 49ers 3 | Dallas Cowboys 6 | Minnesota Vikings 4 | Indianapolis Colts 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| New York Giants 3 | Houston Oilers 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars 2 | Philadelphia Eagles 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland Browns 2 | Washington Redskins 3 | Green Bay Packers 5 | Miami Dolphins 3 | Tennessee Titans 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| San Francisco 49ers 3 | San Francisco 49ers 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denver Broncos 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bold and light blue is an Active Streak |
| Teams' longest consecutive seasons with a playoff win all time (minimum 2 seasons) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Baltimore Ravens 5 | Indianapolis Colts 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Arizona Cardinals 2 | New England Patriots 8 | Cincinnati Bengals 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| New York Jets 2 | San Francisco 49ers 3 | Carolina Panthers 2 | Atlanta Falcons 2 | Kansas City Chiefs 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Seattle Seahawks 5 | New Orleans Saints 2 | Buffalo Bills 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Houston Texans 2 | Houston Texans 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
References
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- The Baltimore Ravens were originally the Cleveland Browns, and moved to Baltimore in 1996. Due to an agreement with the
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