How does the NFL Playoff bracket work? Explaining byes, AFC-NFC seeding, and format for the 2022-23 postseason

Overall, 14 teams will compete in NFL postseason games this season. This is the third time the league will have 14 teams in the postseason. The league had 12 teams in the postseason before the 2020 campaign.

Seven teams will emerge from each of the two conferences. A second wild-card encounter between the number 2 seeded team and the number 7 seeded team has been added due to the inclusion of a seventh team. There is no longer a bye for the second seed in either conference.

There are three wild cards and four division winners in each conference. Under the new format, all division members will be eligible for the playoffs. That would mean three teams from a division taking the wild-card slots.

How does the NFL AFC-NFC seeding work?

The four teams from the two conferences are seeded from one to four depending on their regular-season performances. The top two teams from each conference get a home-field advantage in the second round of the playoffs and a first-round bye, which means they won't have to participate in the first round. However, the first round does require the second, third, and fourth seeds to compete, and they do so facing the three "wild card" clubs.

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The three NFL best teams in each conference get a place in the first phase of the postseason games, in addition to the top four teams from each conference. The wild card teams are eligible to compete in the playoffs. The top three clubs from each conference that did not win their division are chosen as the wild card clubs based on their total win-loss record.

The NFL uses various tiebreaking methods when teams competing for a Wild Card position have identical records.

Steps taken to separate two teams tied on points and win-loss record

1. Their head-to-head record in the regular season will be considered
2. Won-lost-tied records within their division will be considered
3. Won-lost-tied records in common games will be considered
4. Won-lost-tied record in the conference will be considered
5. The manner/margin of wins will be considered
6. The strength of opponents faced in the regular season will be considered
7. Overall rank among conference teams in points scored and points allowed will be considered
8. Net points in all games will be considered
9. Net touchdowns in all games will be considered
10. A coin will be tossed

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