When do the NFL playoffs start in 2022? Date, updated TV and AFC programming, NFC playoffs parenthesis

The 2021 NFL season has been anything but predictable. The AFC features a mess of teams vying for position at the top of the conference and several six- and seven-win teams battling for wild-card spots. The NFC has a more defined power structure, but the last two wild card points are anyone’s game.

That will make the search for the 2022 playoff spots exciting as the NFL regular season draws to a close.

The NFL playoffs switched to a 14-team format last season, so there are a couple more playoff spots up for grabs than usual. That will give more teams a chance to make the postseason, especially with the league playing its first 17-game season.

Below is everything you need to know about the 2022 NFL playoffs, including the dates and television schedule for each round, how all the tiebreakers work, and how the playoff image is currently being spread.

MORE: Explaining the NFL Expanded Playoffs

When do the NFL playoffs start in 2022?

• Wild card round: January 15-17
• Divisional round: January 22-23
• Conference Championships: January 30th
• Super Bowl 56: February 13th

The NFL postseason will feature seven teams from each conference in 2022. It is the second year since the NFL expanded to a 14-team postseason in which the No. 1 seed in each conference is the only one to receive a week of break.

This year, the entire NFL postseason has gone back a week, as the NFL has added one more week to its regular season. That means the playoffs will start in mid-January instead of early in the month and the Super Bowl will be on the second Sunday in February instead of the first.

NFL playoff support

Here’s a look at the full NFL playoff chart for 2022:

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (goodbye)
2. New England Patriots vs. 7. Buffalo Bills
3. Tennessee Titans vs. 6. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Cincinnati Bengals vs. 5. Indianapolis Colts

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers (goodbye)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 7. Washington football team
3. Dallas Cowboys vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
4. Arizona Cardinals vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams

2022 NFL playoff schedule

Wild card round

Saturday january 15

Sunday January 16

Monday January 17

Divisional round

Saturday January 22

Sunday 23 January

Conference Championships

Sunday January 30

Super Bowl 56

Sunday February 13

PLUS: Watch NFL playoff games live on fuboTV (7-day free trial)

How do the NFL playoffs work?

The NFL postseason will take place in 2022, although qualifying teams will be based on results from the 2021 NFL season. This will mark the second postseason during which the NFL will feature 14 total playoff teams, seven in each conference. That means there will only be one team in each conference that has a bye week.

The postseason seeding works like this. The No. 1 seed will be the division champion with the best record. Seed 2-4 will be the other division winners ranked from best record to worst. The last three seeds will be the best remaining non-divisional winners. The best wild-card team will take the No. 5 seed, while the second-best team will take the No. 6 seed. The No. 7 seed will go to the third-best wild-card team.

The team with the highest seed earns home advantage in every playoff game from the wild-card round to the AFC and NFC championship games.

Below are the NFL playoff procedures for the NFL playoff field.

To break a tie in the division standings:

(Between two teams)

1. Head to head (best percentage of wins, losses and draws in matches between clubs).
2. Best win-lost-tied percentage within the division.
3. Best win-loss-tie percentage in common games.
4. Best win-loss-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Victory force.
6. Schedule force.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. The best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

(Between three or more teams)

1. Head-to-head (best percentage of wins, losses and draws in matches between clubs).
2. Best win-lost-tied percentage within the division.
3. Best win-loss-tie percentage in common games.
4. Best win-loss-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Victory force.
6. Schedule force.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. The best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

To break a tie in the wild card rankings:

(Between two teams)

1. Face to face, if applicable.
2. Best win-loss-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best win-loss-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Victory force.
5. Schedule force.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. The best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Toss of the coin.

(Between three or more teams)

1. Apply the divisional tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked clubs in each division before proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division after the application of the divisional tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that necessary to identify the two wildcard participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has beaten the others or if one club has lost each other.)
3. Best win-loss-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best win-loss-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Victory force.
6. Schedule force.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. The best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

Current image of the NFL playoffs

Here’s how the standings break down in both conferences after Week 15, along with the other teams still in pursuit of the playoffs.

On the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-6), Cleveland Browns (7-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-1), Miami Dolphins (7-7), Denver Broncos (7-7), Las Vegas Raiders (6-7 ))

On the hunt: Minnesota Vikings (6-7), Philadelphia Eagles (6-7), New Orleans Saints (7-7), Atlanta Falcons (6-8), Seattle Seahawks (5-8)