When will the NFL playoffs begin? Date, TV schedule, and updated AFC and NFC playoff brackets

December 31, 2022

The NFL has been as unpredictable as ever during the 2022 season, and it only gets more so as the season progresses.

The NFL is nearing the end of the season

NFL playoffs
(Source: Wikipedia)

The race for the NFL playoffs in 2023 is heating up, with many teams jockeying for position in the divisional and wild-card standings.

This includes a tightly packed NFC East battle in which all four teams could emerge as playoff participants and an NFC South battle in which a team with a losing record will almost certainly be sent into the postseason.

All of this high drama is due to the NFL’s 14-game playoff format, which was implemented for the 2021 postseason. The new format, now in its third year, has been successful in increasing late-season competition in the NFL’s wild-card battles.

This saga, however, will be resolved soon. Teams will emerge as the 14 postseason participants, and the final few weeks of the season will whittle down the teams who will be looking ahead to the offseason rather than a potential trip to Glendale.

But when do the NFL playoffs start? Everything you need to know about the NFL playoffs in 2023, including dates and a TV schedule for each round, how all the tiebreakers work, and how the playoff picture currently looks, is provided below.

  • When will the NFL playoffs begin in 2023?

Related: Week 17 NFL RB Injury Reports: Latest news on Alvin Kamara, Miles Sanders, Antonio Gibson and Elijah Mitchell

  • Wild-card round: Jan. 14-16
  • Divisional round: Jan. 21-22
  • Conference championships: Jan. 29
  • Super Bowl 56: Feb. 12

For the third year in a row, 14 teams will compete in the NFL playoffs. In the 2023 playoffs, the league will feature seven teams from each conference, with the No. 1 seed in each conference receiving a bye.

For the second year in a row, the NFL postseason has been pushed back by a week. This is due to the league’s implementation of a 17-game schedule in 2021, which was continued in 2022. As a result, the Super Bowl will take place on the second Sunday of February rather than the first.

  • NFL playoff bracket

Here is the complete NFL playoff bracket for 2023:

AFC

1. Buffalo Bills (BYE)

2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 7. Miami Dolphins

3. Cincinnati Bengals vs. 6. Los Angeles Chargers

4. Tennessee Titans vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens

NFC

1. Philadelphia Eagles (BYE)

2. Minnesota Vikings vs. 7. Washington Commanders

3. San Francisco 49ers vs. 6. New York Giants

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 5. Dallas Cowboys

  • NFL playoff schedule 2023

Wild-card round

Saturday, Jan. 14

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Wild-card round 4:30 p.m. ET TBD fuboTV
Wild-card round 8:15 p.m. ET TBD fuboTV

Sunday, Jan. 15

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Wild-card round 1 p.m. ET TBD fuboTV
Wild-card round 4:30 p.m. ET CBS fuboTV
Wild-card round 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Peacock, fuboTV

Monday, Jan. 16

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Wild-card round 8:15 p.m. ET ESPN, ABC ESPN+, fuboTV

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 21

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Divisional round TBD TBD fuboTV
Divisional round TBD TBD fuboTV

Sunday, Jan. 22

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Divisional round TBD TBD fuboTV
Divisional round TBD TBD fuboTV

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 29

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
AFC championship 3:05 p.m. ET CBS Paramount+, fuboTV
NFC championship 6:40 p.m. ET Fox fuboTV

Super Bowl 57

Sunday, Feb. 12

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Super Bowl 57 6:30 p.m. ET Fox Fox Sports app, fuboTV
  • How do the NFL playoff’s function?

The NFL postseason will begin in 2023, with participants determined by the results of the 2022 NFL season. The NFL will allow seven teams from each conference to qualify for the postseason, for a total of 14 teams. There are four division winners and three wild cards among them.

Because there are seven teams in each conference, only one will have a bye week. This will be given to the top seed, who will also receive home-field advantage for the duration of the postseason race.

The seeding for the 2023 NFL playoffs is determined in a straightforward manner. The division winner with the best record in each conference will receive the No. 1 seed. The remaining division winners are represented by the Nos. 2 through 4 seeds, ranked from best to worst record. The No. 5 seed, the top wild-card spot, will go to the team with the best record that did not win a division, while the Nos. 6 and 7 seeds will go to the second- and third-best non-division winners, respectively.

Any standings ties will be broken using the NFL’s official tiebreaking procedures. Here’s a look at what they will be for the 2022 NFL season.

To break a tie in the division standings, use the following formula:

(Between two teams)

  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.
  6. Strength of schedule.
  7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
  8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
  9. Best net points in common games.
  10. Best net points in all games.
  11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
  12. Coin toss

(Among three or more teams)

  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.
  6. Strength of schedule.
  7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
  8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
  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 tie in wild-card standings:

(Between two teams)

  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.
  5. Strength of schedule.
  6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
  7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
  8. Best net points in conference games.
  9. Best net points in all games.
  10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
  11. Coin toss.

(Among three or more teams)

  1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division before 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.
  6. Strength of schedule.
  7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
  8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
  9. Best net points in conference games.
  10. Best net points in all games.
  11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
  12. Coin toss

From the wild-card round to the AFC and NFC championship games, the team with the lower seed has home-field advantage. The Super Bowl will be held in a neutral location, this year in Glendale, Arizona.

  • NFL playoff picture as of now

Here’s how the standings in each conference look heading into Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season.

AFC

Seed Team Record Clinched
1. Bills 12-3 AFC East
2. Chiefs 12-3 AFC West
3. Bengals 11-4 Playoff berth
4. Jaguars 7-8 N/a
5. Ravens 10-5 Playoff berth
6. Chargers 9-6 Playoff berth
7. Dolphins 8-7 N/a

NFC

Seed Team Record Clinched
1. Eagles 13-2 Playoff berth
2. Vikings 12-3 NFC North
3. 49ers 11-4 NFC West
4. Buccaneers 7-8 N/a
5. Cowboys 12-4 Playoff berth
6. Giants 8-6-1 N/a
7. Commanders 7-7-1 N/a