Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 NFL Playoffs
It's that time of year again; the NFL Playoffs! And Event Tickets Center is here to help you by answering as many questions as we can about it!
What is the NFL Playoff format?
The NFL Playoffs this year will have four rounds of games amongst the qualifying teams that will end with the Super Bowl LVII on February 12th, 2023 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
How many teams play in the 2022 NFL Playoffs?
14 teams total will play in the NFL Playoffs. This will also include the four division winners from each conference, as well as three wild card teams from each conference. According to WPTV, this will be a unique Playoff schedule, as it'll be the first time since the 1999 season to feature all 3 Florida teams (Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars) in the same season. This will also be the first postseason berth the New York Giants got since 2016.
When do the 2022 NFL Playoffs Start?
The first game of the NFL Playoffs will be on Saturday, January 14th, 2023.
How many Wild Card teams make it into the 2022 NFL playoffs?
Three teams from each conference get Wild Card spots. For 2023, that will include the Seattle Seahawks, the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Dallas Cowboys.
How many rounds are in the NFL Playoffs? Which teams play each other?
There are four rounds in total over the course of a few weekends. Both NBC Sports and CBS Sports have reported the game schedule, including who will be playing the initial wild card rounds.
Wild Card Round: This will occur from Saturday, January 14th to Monday, January 16th and will include the below games:
Saturday, Jan. 14th
Seahawks v. 49ers Chargers v. JaguarsSunday, Jan. 15th
Dolphins v. Bills Giants v. Vikings Ravens v. BengalsMonday, Jan. 16th
Cowboys v. BuccaneersDivisional Round: This will occur Saturday, January 21st, and Sunday, January 22nd. The NFL will announce the divisional round schedule once the wild card games have been completed. CBS Sports, however, does say that there are two things they know for certain; the Chiefs and the Eagles will be hosting a game, and so will the winner of the Cowboys-Buccaneers game on Sunday, Jan 22.
Conference Championships: This will occur Sunday, January 29th. This will have two separate games, one for the NFC Championship at 3:05 p.m. EST, and the AFC Championship at 6:40 p.m. EST.
Super Bowl LVII: This will occur Sunday, February 12th, as the Pro Bowl is held on the Sunday between this event and the Conference Championships. In this case, the Pro Bowl is slated for Sunday, Feb 5th. This will be between the NFC and AFC Champions.
What is seeding? How does it work?
Seeding is where players and/or teams are given a preliminary ranking for purposes of a draw. In this case, various teams are placed into different brackets based on various qualifications, such as performance. For the NFL Playoffs, the division winners with the best record from each conference will earn a first-round bye. After, the division records will be seeded 2nd-4th based on their overall record.
After the division winners are seeded, the three wild card spots from each conference are seeded 5th-7th based on their overall record, regardless of division. In the first round, the 2nd and 7th seeds, 3rd and 6th seeds, and 4th and 5th seeds play. In the 2nd round, the division winner with the 1st round bye plays the lowest-seeded team remaining, and the two middle-seeded teams remaining will play in the divisional round. The two teams in the conference that advance past the divisional round will play in the conference championship, and the teams that win the conference championship will advance to the Super Bowl.
Which teams made it into the NFL Playoffs and how?
(i.e. who won which divisions, who were wildcards, and what were their records?) There are seven teams for each of the AFC and NFC Championships, according to NBC Sports.
For the NFC, The Philadelphia Eagles were the first, as the NFC East Leader with a No. 1 seed spot, and they'll most likely have a first-round bye. Joining them will be the San Francisco 49ers, the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Seattle Seahawks. The wild cards for this championship are the Cowboys, the Giants, and the Seahawks. The 49ers were the NFC West Winner, the Vikings the NFC North winners, and the Buccaneers the NFC South Winners.
For the AFC, with the No. 1 seed spot and winner of the AFC West, we have the Kansas City Chiefs. Joining them will be the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Miami Dolphins. The wildcards for this championship are the Chargers, the Ravens, and the Dolphins. The Bills were the AFC East champions, the Bengals AFC North champions, and the Jaguars were the AFC South leader.
Any further updates you'll be able to find in the weeks to come, especially as the seeding charts continue to narrow down.
How many/which teams get first-round byes?
The division winner from each conference gets an automatic first-round bye. Essentially, only two teams will get first-round byes.
How can I watch the NFL Playoffs?
If you'd prefer to watch the Playoffs without having to travel to each and every game, the the Cable TV website mentioned that the following networks and services do offer ways to watch:
- -CBS
-ESPN/ABC (Simulcast release between both channels)
-FOX
-NBC/Universal Networks
In effect, in order to be able to watch every single game, you will need access to every one of the channels listed above. Some locations around the U.S. have access to all four channels where all you need is an antenna and a TV. In the instance, you don't have an antenna and/or a TV, and you want to see every game, there are streaming options available. This includes, but is not limited to: Youtube TV and NFL + (Formerly NFL Game Pass). You can access these options on mobile devices and PCs.
How to get tickets to the 2022 NFL Playoffs
If you're ready to experience all the excitement IRL and cheer your favorite NFL team on from the sidelines, look no further. From tickets to every playoff game all the way through to the Super Bowl, we've got you covered. Snag your 2022 NFL playoff tickets and secure your spot in the center of all the action now!
