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American Football

How do the NFL playoffs work and how many teams can qualify?

DAZN

8, Feb

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Every one of the NFL’s 32 teams starts the season chasing the same prize: a trip to the Super Bowl and the chance to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Two have survived the grind, and the matchup is now locked in.

Getting there, though, meant running the gauntlet of the playoffs - a win-or-go-home path to the biggest stage.

So how does it all work? DAZN News breaks it down.

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How many teams will reach the NFL Playoffs?

Come the end of the regular season, 14 teams advance to the playoffs, seven from the AFC and seven from the NFC.

The four teams which win their respective divisions in each conference earn spots, while the remaining three places are given to the non-division-winning teams that have the best records in their respective conferences.

These are known as "Wild Card spots”.

Which teams made the 2026 NFL Playoffs?

Note: Win-loss records do not include playoff games.

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NFC:

Seattle Seahawks (14-3). Defeated the Rams to claim the NFC title and book their place in the final two.

AFC:

New England Patriots (14-3). Overcame the Broncos to win the AFC Championship and reach the Super Bowl.

Exited the playoffs in the Championship Games

NFC:

Los Angeles Rams (12-5). Eliminated by the Seahawks.

AFC:

Denver Broncos (14-3). Eliminated by the Patriots.

Exited the playoffs in the Divisional Round

NFC:

Chicago Bears (11-6). Eliminated by the Rams.
San Francisco 49ers (12-5). Eliminated by the Seahawks.

AFC:

Buffalo Bills (12-5). Eliminated by the Broncos.
Houston Texans (12-5). Eliminated by the Patriots.

Exited the playoffs in the Wild Card round

NFC:

Carolina Panthers (8-9). Eliminated by the Rams.
Green Bay Packers (9-7-1). Eliminated by the Bears.
Philadelphia Eagles (11-6). Eliminated by the 49ers.

AFC:

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7). Eliminated by the Texans.
Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4). Eliminated by the Bills.
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6). Eliminated by the Patriots.

How do the NFL Playoffs work?

The NFL Playoffs begin with the Wild Card round, followed by the Divisional round.

The AFC and NFC Championship games then decide who will be each conference’s representation in the Super Bowl.

Wild Card round
Divisional round
AFC and NFC Championship games
Super Bowl

The wild card round uses the following format in each conference.

Number two seed vs Number seven seed
Number three seed vs Number six seed
Number four seed vs Number five seed

The winner of these Wild Card games will advance to the divisional round and join the two No. 1 seeds from the AFC and NFC, who earned byes as the teams with the best regular-season records.

The No.1 seeds will face the worst remaining team in their respective conference in the divisional playoffs, and once this matchup is confirmed, the remaining two teams in each conference (second-best and second-worst seeds) will go head-to-head.

Once the divisional games have concluded, the two remaining teams will meet in the AFC and NFC Championship games to determine who will represent each conference in the Super Bowl.