The NFL playoff draw for 2021 has taken its final shape.
While the NFC East champion has yet to be determined on “Sunday Night Football,” whoever it is will be locked into the NFC’s No. 4 seed and host the Buccaneers in the wild-card round. Otherwise, everything is set in stone. The Chiefs and Packers get the only goodbye from each conference. The Dolphins, Cardinals and Cowboys all had costly losses in Week 17. And the Bills and Rams proved they can win even without their best players on the field.
Beginning January 9, the NFL will showcase its expanded playoff pool of 14 teams (up from the usual 12 for the first time this season). Of those 14, 12 will play in the first round thanks to a necessarily altered bye structure to end up with the same number of playoff rounds. Extra teams mean two extra games, putting up a trio of games on both Saturday and Sunday on wild card weekend.
Below is everything you need to know about the NFL playoff group in 2021, including a full postseason schedule, TV channels for all playoff games, and scores / results as they come.
MORE: Expanded NFL Playoff Support Explained
NFL playoff group 2021
Here’s a look at the full NFL playoff chart for 2021, updated ahead of “Sunday Night Football.”
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (goodbye)
2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts
3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 6. Cleveland Browns
4. Tennessee Titans vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (goodbye)
2. New Orleans Saints vs. 7. Chicago Bears
3. Seattle Seahawks vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams
4. Washington Football Team / New York Giants vs. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2021 NFL playoff schedule
This section will be updated when the NFL playoff schedule is released.
Wild card round
Saturday January 9
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD in TBD | 1:05 pm ET | TBD | TBD |
| TBD in TBD | 4:40 pm ET | TBD | both |
| TBD in TBD | 8:15 pm ET | TBD | both |
Sunday January 10
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD in TBD | 1:05 pm ET | TBD | both |
| TBD in TBD | 4:40 pm ET | CBS | both |
| TBD in TBD | 8:15 pm ET | NBC | both |
Divisional round
Saturday January 16
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
| NFC divisional round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
Sunday January 17
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
| NFC divisional round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
Conference Championships
Sunday January 24
| Match | Away team | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| NFC vs NFC | NFC TBD | 3:05 pm ET | Fox | both |
| AFC vs AFC | AFC TBD | 6:40 pm ET | CBS | both |
Super Bowl 55
Sunday February 7
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion | 6:30 pm ET | CBS | both |
TV channels, live broadcasts of NFL playoff games
Beginning with the wild card round, each week’s NFL playoff games will air nationally on NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN. CBS has exclusive broadcast rights to the AFC championship game, while Fox showed the NFC championship. CBS is the home of Super Bowl 55.
In Canada, you can broadcast live on Dan, which offers a free trial.
Details of national and local television coverage for each playoff game are included in the tables below and will be updated when the NFL playoff schedule is released.
Wild card round
Saturday January 9
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD in TBD | 1:05 pm ET | TBD | TBD |
| TBD in TBD | 4:40 pm ET | TBD | both |
| TBD in TBD | 8:15 pm ET | TBD | both |
Sunday January 10
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD in TBD | 1:05 pm ET | TBD | both |
| TBD in TBD | 4:40 pm ET | CBS | both |
| TBD in TBD | 8:15 pm ET | NBC | both |
Divisional round
Saturday January 16
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
| NFC divisional round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
Sunday January 17
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
| NFC divisional round (TBD in TBD) | TBD | TBD | both |
Conference Championships
Sunday January 24
| Match | Away team | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| NFC vs NFC | NFC TBD | 3:05 pm ET | Fox | both |
| AFC vs AFC | AFC TBD | 6:40 pm ET | CBS | both |
Super Bowl 55
Sunday February 7
| Match | Start time | television channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion | 6:30 pm ET | CBS | both |
When do the NFL playoffs end in 2021?
- Start date: Saturday, January 9
- Final date: Sunday, February 7
The NFL playoffs last about a month, beginning with the wild card round, then the divisional round, and the conference championships before culminating in the Super Bowl on February 7 in Tampa, Florida.
As is often the case, there is a week off between conference title games and the Super Bowl. Normally, the Pro Bowl is played in that space, although a physical Pro Bowl game is not played in 2021.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.
