The NFL has reached its postseason and the pretenders have finally been separated from the contenders. 14 teams remain in the race for the biggest prize in football.Before the playoffs begin, let's examine how the Wild Card round works and the formatting and scheduling for the 2024 postseason. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHow does the NFL Wild Card round work?The Wild Card round is the first stage of the playoffs, in which six teams in each conference compete to qualify for the divisional round. The number one seeded team is exempt from the Wild Card round, as it gets a bye to the divisional round.Each divisional champion (East, West, North and South) will get home-field advantage in the Wild Card round. The three best-placed teams from the rest of the conference will visit them, as they've qualified via the wild card slots.The second-placed team in the conference will go against the seventh, the third-placed team will play against the sixth and the fourth will clash against the fifth. The winners of these fixtures will proceed to the divisional round games.What's the 2024 NFL Wild Card round schedule?Here's a look at the 2025 NFL Wild Card round schedule for both conferences:AFC Wild Card round scheduleNo. 2 Buffalo Bills versus the No. 7 Denver BroncosNo. 3 Baltimore Ravens versus the No. 6 Pittsburgh SteelersNo. 4 Houston Texans versus the No. 5 Los Angeles ChargersNFC Wild Card round scheduleNo. 2 Philadelphia Eagles versus the No. 7 Green Bay PackersNo. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus the No. 6 Washington CommandersNo. 4 Los Angeles Rams versus the No. 5 Minnesota VikingsThe Kansas City Chiefs will join the AFC wild card round game winners in the divisional round, while the Detroit Lions will join the winners of the NFC wild card round games.Here's a look at the rest of the playoff schedule:Divisional round games: January 18-19, 2025Conference championship games: January 26, 2025Super Bowl 59: February 9, 2025