When do the NFL playoffs start in 2025? Date, TV schedule & updated AFC, NFC playoff brackets

The 2025 NFL Playoffs are upon us.

Fourteen teams are continuing onto the postseason, with 18 teams turning their attention to the offseason. Seven teams make the playoffs from each conference, with each No. 1 seed receiving a first-round bye for the Wild Card Round.

The Lions defeated the Vikings during the final game of the regular season, clinching the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. On the flip side, he Chiefs earned the AFC's No. 1 seed, giving the defending Super Bowl champions and Detroit an automatic bye to the divisional round. 

The postseason should feature some great matchups throughout, so you want to make sure you don't miss any of the action. Here's what you need to know about the 2025 NFL Playoffs. 

SN'S PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NFL scores | Full NFL schedule | Updated NFL bracket

When do the NFL playoffs start in 2025?

• Wild-card round: Jan. 11-13
• Divisional round: Jan. 18-19
• Conference Championships: Jan. 26
• Pro Bowl: Feb. 2
• Super Bowl: Feb. 9

The NFL added an extra game to the schedule starting in 2021. This gave fans one more chance to watch their team in the regular season, but it also meant that the Super Bowl was pushed back. It now falls on the second Sunday in February, with the Pro Bowl still happening the week between the Championship Round and the Super Bowl. 

2025 NFL playoff bracket

Here is a look at the NFL's playoff bracket heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (BYE)
2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. Denver Broncos
3. Baltimore Ravens vs. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Houston Texans vs. 5. Los Angeles Chargers

NFC

1. Detroit Lions (BYE)
2. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 7. Green Bay Packers
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 6. Washington Commanders
4. Los Angeles Rams vs. 5. Minnesota Vikings

NFL playoff schedule 2025

Wild-card round

Saturday, January 11

Sunday, January 12

Monday, January 13

Divisional Round

Saturday, January 18

Sunday, January 19

Championship Round

Sunday, January 26

Super Bowl

Sunday, February 9

MORE 2025 NFL PLAYOFF NEWS:

• Full NFL playoff schedule
• Updated NFL playoff bracket
• Wild-card picks against the spread
• NFL playoff power rankings, 1-14
• SN's expert playoff predictions, Super Bowl 59 picks

How do the NFL playoffs work?

The recently expanded NFL playoffs now see 14 teams enter the postseason, seven from each conference.

The top overall seed in the AFC and NFC both receive a bye for the Wild Card round. The No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds are assigned to division winners and also come with home-field advantage in the first round. The final three spots in each conference are wild-card teams and go on the road in the first round. 

The No. 1 seeds take the field in the Division Round and host the lowest seed remaining. It isn't a bracket format throughout, so if the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds win and the No. 7 seed loses, the No. 6 seed would then take on the No. 1 seed while the No. 5 would take on the best remaining seed. 

The two winners from the Division Round advance to the Championship Round, which is also hosted by the better seed. This then leads to the one neutral site game of the playoffs, the Super Bowl, and pits the remaining AFC and NFC teams against each other. 

When working through seeding, hierarchy is determined by win-loss-tie record. With only 17 games on the schedule, there are often ties between two or even three teams.

Here is the deep tiebreaker system the league came up with to combat this:

To break a two-team tie within a division

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

To break a three-team tie within a division

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

To break a two-team Wild-Card tie (different divisions)

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory in all games.
5. Strength of schedule in all games.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.

To break a three-team Wild-Card tie (different divisions)

1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

Note from the League: If two clubs remain tied after one or more clubs are eliminated during any step, tiebreaker restarts at Step 1 of two-club format. If three clubs remain tied after a fourth club is eliminated during any step, tiebreaker restarts at Step 2 of three-club format.

NFL DRAFT NEWS:

• SN's Latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft
• NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board
• Updated NFL Draft order after Week 17

Current 2025 NFL playoff picture

AFC

*Clinched playoff berth

NFC

*Clinched playoff berth