2024 NFL playoff bracket: Seeding and schedules ahead of divisional round matchups
Super Bowl LVIII is less than a month away. Fourteen teams entered the postseason with a chance at the title; eight remain after the wild card round of games.
Only one wild card team made it through the first round of the playoffs: the Green Bay Packers. The NFC's No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys couldn't handle the Packers and lost at home for the first time this season 48-32.
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Division winners won the rest of the matchups of the weekend. In the AFC, the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills knocked out the Pittsburgh Steelers after a weather delay. The first day of wild card weekend saw the AFC South champion Houston Texans dominate the Cleveland Browns and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs stifle the Miami Dolphins in subzero temperatures.
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In the NFC, the NFC North champion Detroit Lions held off the Los Angeles Rams for their first postseason win in 32 years in the closest game of the weekend. NFC South champions Tampa Bay blew out the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night to close the first round of the NFL playoffs.
This week, the No. 1 seeds in both conferences join the fray. The San Francisco 49ers host the Packers in the NFC and the Baltimore Ravens take on the Texans at home in the AFC.
Here's how the NFL playoffs bracket looks ahead of the divisional round:
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2023-24 NFL playoffs bracket
Here's how the bracket looks in the AFC:
Divisional round
Conference championship
Here's how the bracket looks in the NFC:
Divisional round
Conference championship
Super Bowl
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2023-24 NFL playoffs start times, how to watch
Divisional round - Saturday, Jan. 20
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC, ESPN+, and NFL+
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, and NFL+
Divisional round - Sunday, Jan. 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions, 3:00 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, and NFL+
Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS, Paramount+, and NFL+
Conference championship round - Sunday, Jan. 28
AFC championship game, 3:00 p.m. ET, CBS, Paramount+, NFL+
NFC championship game, 6:30 p.m. ET, FOX, Fox Sports app, and NFL+
Super Bowl - Sunday, Feb. 11
NFC champion vs. AFC champion, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS, Paramount+, NFL+
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NFL divisional round playoff recap
Which teams are in the NFL playoffs this year?
AFC:
No. 1 Baltimore Ravens
No. 2 Buffalo Bills
No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs
No. 4 Houston Texans
No. 5 Cleveland Browns - eliminated
No. 6 Miami Dolphins - eliminated
No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers - eliminated
NFC:
No. 1 San Francisco 49ers
No. 2 Dallas Cowboys - eliminated
No. 3 Detroit Lions
No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles - eliminated
No. 6 Los Angeles Rams - eliminated
No. 7 Green Bay Packers
NFL playoff starting quarterbacks
AFC:
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
NFC:
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
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AFC:
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens (11-9)
Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills (5-5)
Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs (23-16)
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (1-0)
NFC:
Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers (6-3)
Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions (1-0)
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers (3-3)
How does the NFL Playoffs' dynamic bracket work?
The NFL uses a dynamic bracket in the playoffs, meaning the bracket changes after every round.
The highest-seeded team plays the lowest seed, the second-highest plays the second lowest, and so on. The highest remaining seeds host the next week's games until the Super Bowl. That means the location of the next round's games can change depending on the winners.
For example, the No. 1 seed 49ers and No. 7 seed Packers face off in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. If the 49ers win, they will host the next round's game against the winner of the Lions-Buccaneers game because they are the top seed remaining in the playoff field. If the Packers win, they will go on the road to play the winner of Lions-Buccaneers because they are the lowest seed in the playoff field.
This dynamic format continues until the Super Bowl, which is played at a pre-determined stadium. This season, Super Bowl LVIII will be at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 NFL Playoff bracket: AFC, NFC schedule, times and scenarios
