What teams made NFL playoffs? Wild card bracket, matchups, schedule

Posted by author January 7, 2025 NFL

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The 2024 NFL regular season is complete, and the most thrilling part of the NFL season has arrived.

The NFL playoffs begin this weekend as the best teams in both conferences contend for the Super Bowl title.

This will be the fifth consecutive season since the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff field from the prior 12-team format. To begin wild card weekend, the 14-team field beings their quest for a Lombardi trophy.

Here is everything to know about the NFL playoffs bracket, teams and schedule in 2025.

Teams that made the NFL playoffs

AFC

NFC

NFL conference standings

AFC

Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West winners, No. 1 seed)
Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East winners, No. 2 seed)
Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners, No. 3 seed)
Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South winners, No. 4 seed)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 1, No. 5 seed)
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2, No. 6 seed)
Denver Broncos (10-7, wild card No. 3, No. 7 seed)

NFC

Detroit Lions (15-2, NFC North winners, No. 1 seed)
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East winners, No. 2 seed)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winners, No. 3 seed)
Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West winners, No. 4 seed)
Minnesota Vikings (14-3, wild card No. 1)
Washington Commanders (12-5, wild card No. 2, No. 6 seed)
Green Bay Packers (11-6, wild card No. 3, No. 7 seed)

2024-25 NFL playoff bracket, wild card matchups

Here’s a look at the NFL playoff bracket and the matchups for the wild-card round.

AFC:

No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (bye)
No. 7 Denver Broncos vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills
No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens
No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 4 Houston Texans

The NFC bracket is set. This is how the teams will match up in the wild-card round.

NFC:

No. 1 Detroit Lions (bye)
No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles
No. 6 Washington Commanders at No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 5 Minnesota Vikings at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams

2024-25 NFL playoffs schedule

The wild-card round is set. All times Eastern.

Wild Card (all times Eastern)

All times Eastern

Saturday, Jan. 11

Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video

Sunday, Jan. 12

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC

Monday, Jan. 13

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Divisional round

All times TBD

Saturday, Jan. 18

TBD at Kansas City Chiefs divisional game: TBD
TBD at Detroit Lions divisional game: TBD

Sunday, Jan. 19

AFC divisional game: TBD
NFC divisional game: TBD

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 26:

NFC championship game: 3 p.m.
AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 59

Date: Feb. 9, 2025
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: FOX

What is the NFL playoff format?

The NFL playoff format is a single-elimination tournament of seven teams in the AFC and NFC, including:

Four division winners (South, North, East, and West)
Three wild card teams (best remaining teams by record)

The division winner with the best record receives the No. 1 seed in their conference, plays their playoff games at home, and gets a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Chiefs and Lions earned the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively.

The playoffs have four rounds: the wild card round, divisional round, conference championship games, and the Super Bowl. There is an extra week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.

Wild card round