Does the NFL reseed in playoff? Football Postseason Explained

It's that time of year again, and the NFL regular season is winding down. The permutations have been determined, the draft lotteries have been drawn, and teams now have a better idea of where they stand.

Now that the postseason is right around the corner, casual leader fans will surely have a few questions to ask. Here, we will shed light on a couple, the first being.

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Does the NFL reseed in playoff?

Yes, the NFL reseeds teams that make it to the playoff, and the reseeding is slightly different from other American sports. Based on their regular season records, the four teams from each conference (AFC and NFC) are seeded from one to four.

The two teams that earn the number-one seed from each conference will be granted first-round byes. This means they do not need to play in the first round of the NFL playoff. Furthermore, they will be given home-field advantage until the Super Bowl finals, which will be played in a neutral facility. Also, the second, third, and fourth seeds for their respective conferences have to play in the first round, and they play against the three wildcard teams.

In addition to the four best teams from each conference, the next three best teams within the conference will also earn a spot in the first round of the playoff. These franchises are known as wild-card teams, and there are a total of six of them that qualify to play in the postseason.

Kindly note that wild card teams are determined by their overall win-loss record, with the top three teams from each conference that didn’t win their division being selected for the wild card spots.

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The 2024 NFL Playoff Bracket

As we enter the wildcard round of the 2024 NFL playoff, two teams, the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, have a bye this week by the virtue of their No. 1 seed in their respective conference.

Here is how the the playoff bracket looks in the National Football Conference and American Football Conference.

NFC Playoff Bracket

The final NFC playoff seedings for the 2023 NFL season is as follows:

#1 – San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

#2 – Dallas Cowboys (12-5)

#3 – Detroit Lions (12-5)

#4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)

#5 – Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)

#6 – Los Angeles Rams (10-7)

#7 – Green Bay Packers (9-8)

AFC Playoff Bracket

The final AFC playoff seedings for the 2023 NFL season is as follows:

#1 – Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

#2 – Buffalo Bills (11-6)

#3 – Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)

#4 – Houston Texans (10-7)

#5 – Cleveland Browns (11-6)

#6 – Miami Dolphins (11-6)

#7 – Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)