The 2024 NFL playoff bracket was finalized on Sunday, January 5, with the final day of the league’s regular season.
14 teams will play for a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February, but before teams can get themselves to the Big Game, there is much work to be done first. The action will begin on Saturday, January 11 with the start of the Wild Card round. In total, six games will take place over the course of the weekend, culminating in a Monday night game which will lock in the matchups for the divisional round.
The full schedule of games for the Wild Card round has been released by the league.
2024 NFL Playoff Bracket: NFC
Detroit, in the final game of the regular season, decisively won its way to the top seed in the NFC. They will wait until next week to find out their opponent, which could be divisional rival Green Bay if an upset occurs. It will be the Packers, Vikings, Commanders, or Rams.
As for the matchups we know today, Green Bay is going to Philadelphia, Tampa Bay is hosting Washington, and Minnesota, a rarity in that they are a 14-win wild card team, has to go on the road to play Los Angeles.
2024 NFL Playoff Bracket: AFC
Kansas City had little competition for the number 1 seed in the AFC over the past month. They locked it up on Christmas and will await either Houston, the Chargers, Pittsburgh, or Denver.
Speaking of the latter: Do not assume that Denver would be a good matchup for the Chiefs just because of what happened in Week 18. The Broncos were a desperate team trying to get into the postseason, and Kansas City rested almost everyone of importance on offense. They would look like a much different team should they meet in the divisional round.
Denver will go to Buffalo, Pittsburgh faces a divisional rival again in Baltimore, and Los Angeles is heading to Houston.
