How Many Teams Make the NFL Playoffs? 14 Teams in 2025
Since the 2020 season, the league has sent 14 teams (7 per conference) to the postseason, a change that revamped the wild-card round and eliminated a second bye, and this article breaks down the current format, how teams qualify, and what the 14-team bracket means for the road to the Super Bowl.
Total NFL teams: 32 ·
Playoff teams per season: 14 ·
Teams per conference: 7 ·
Division winners per conference: 4 ·
Wild card teams per conference: 3 ·
Bye teams per conference: 1
Quick snapshot
- 32 teams total Wikipedia (NFL overview)
- 16 teams in the AFC (Wikipedia (NFL overview))
- 16 teams in the NFC (Wikipedia (NFL overview))
- 14 teams total NFL.com (league rule change)
- 7 from the AFC (NFL.com (league rule change))
- 7 from the NFC (NFL.com (league rule change))
- 4 per conference Chicago Bears (league history)
- Automatic playoff berth (Chicago Bears (league history))
- Seeds 1–4 (Chicago Bears (league history))
- 3 per conference Minnesota Vikings (team summary)
- Non-division winners with best records (Minnesota Vikings (team summary))
- Seeds 5–7 (Minnesota Vikings (team summary))
The 14-team postseason adds six wild-card games and gives only the No. 1 seed in each conference a bye — a notable shift from the previous 12-team format that awarded two byes per conference.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Current format introduced | 2020 season NFL.com (league rule change) |
| Playoff teams per conference | 7 |
| Total playoff teams | 14 Chicago Bears (league history) |
| Teams with a first-round bye | 2 (one per conference) Minnesota Vikings (team summary) |
| Wild card round games | 6 (3 per conference) Wikipedia (2020–21 playoffs) |
The implication: the 14-team field reshapes how the entire postseason bracket operates, with more teams playing in January and fewer resting.
How many teams make the NFL playoffs now?
- 14 teams qualify for the NFL playoffs each season.
- 7 teams from each conference (AFC and NFC) earn a spot.
- This format has been in place since the 2020 season.
14 teams total: 7 from the AFC and 7 from the NFC
Since the 2020 season, the NFL has sent 14 teams to the postseason — 7 from the American Football Conference and 7 from the National Football Conference. That means 43.7% of the league’s 32 clubs now play in January. The change was approved by NFL owners on a conference call after the 2020 annual league meeting was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How are NFL playoff teams chosen?
- 4 division winners per conference get seeds 1–4.
- 3 wild card teams per conference get seeds 5–7.
- Seed 1 gets a first-round bye.
Division winners get the top 4 seeds
Each of the NFL’s eight divisions (four in the AFC, four in the NFC) sends its champion to the playoffs. Those division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their regular-season record. The No. 1 seed in each conference receives the only first-round bye — a major advantage that was previously shared by the top two seeds under the old 12-team format.
Wild card teams get the 5th, 6th, and 7th seeds
The remaining three playoff spots in each conference go to the three non-division-winning teams with the best records — the wild cards. They are seeded 5, 6, and 7, and they all play on the road in the wild-card round. The matchups are fixed: No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5.
- Win your division to secure an automatic playoff berth and a top-4 seed.
- Finish with one of the three best records among non-division winners in your conference for a wild-card spot.
- Seeding is determined by regular-season record for both division winners and wild-card teams.
- The No. 1 seed in each conference earns the only first-round bye.
- Wild-card teams (seeds 5–7) play on the road against higher-seeded division winners.
The seventh seed gets a shot at the postseason, but must face the No. 2 seed on the road in a stadium where the home team lost no more than three games all year. That’s a steep hill.
For a team that finishes 9–8 and sneaks in as the No. 7 seed, the reward is a trip to a division winner that likely has a home-field advantage of 8–9 wins. The pattern: the expanded bracket means more teams alive in Week 18, but the path for lower seeds is narrower than ever.
How many wildcard teams are in the NFL?
- 6 wild card teams total (3 in the AFC, 3 in the NFC).
- These are the best non-division winners from each conference.
- The third wild card per conference was added in 2020.
3 wild card teams per conference
Each conference sends three wild card teams to the playoffs, for a league-wide total of six wild card berths. Before 2020, each conference had only two wild card spots. The addition of a third wild card was, according to the league, the key change that pushed the postseason from 12 to 14 teams.
6 wild card teams total in the NFL
Three from the AFC and three from the NFC — that’s six wild card teams every year. Combined with the eight division winners, the full 14-team field is set. The wild-card round now features six games over the first weekend of the postseason, up from four games under the 12-team format.
The third wild card increases the number of teams still competing for a berth late in the season. In 2023, for example, the Green Bay Packers clinched the No. 7 seed with a 9–8 record — a team that would have been left out under the old 12-team system.
The trade-off is that the No. 2 seed, which once had a bye week to rest and prepare, now has to play on wild-card weekend. That changes playoff strategy for top contenders.
What is the new playoff format for the NFL?
- The format changed in the 2020 season.
- It expanded from 12 to 14 total teams.
- Each conference added one wild card team.
Expansion from 12 to 14 teams in 2020
In March 2020, NFL owners voted to expand the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams starting with the 2020 season. The previous format, in place since 1990, had 6 teams per conference with the top two seeds earning a first-round bye. Under the new format, only the No. 1 seed gets a bye, and the wild-card round added two extra games.
One additional wild card team per conference
The key change was adding a third wild card team in each conference. The 2020–21 playoffs marked the first time since 2001 that three wild cards per conference were part of the bracket. The catch: adding a third wild card tightens the margin for error in the regular season, since a 9–8 record can now earn a berth where 10 wins used to be the floor.
The trade-off is that the No. 2 seed, which once had a bye week to rest and prepare, now has to play on wild-card weekend. That changes playoff strategy for top contenders.
Timeline: How the NFL playoff field grew
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Playoffs expanded from 8 to 10 teams. |
| 1990 | Playoffs expanded from 10 to 12 teams. |
| 2020 | Playoffs expanded from 12 to 14 teams. Added a third wild card per conference. |
| Current | 14 teams (7 per conference) qualify. |
The pattern: each expansion has added more late-season drama, but the 2020 change was the most consequential because it eliminated a bye and introduced a seventh seed.
Confirmed facts & what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- 14 teams make the NFL playoffs.
- 7 teams from the AFC and 7 from the NFC qualify.
- The 7-team per conference format began with the 2020 season.
- 1 team per conference gets a first-round bye.
What’s unclear
- The exact number of wins needed to guarantee a playoff spot varies each season.
- Future changes to the playoff format have not been announced.
The NFL expanded its postseason field to 14 total teams, adding one playoff team per conference.
— NFL.com (official league announcement)
With 14 teams out of 32 total, 43.7 percent of NFL teams qualified for the postseason under the new format.
— Chicago Bears (team history)
For the 2023 season, that 43.7% share meant nearly half the league went to the playoffs — a stark contrast with the NBA (66.7%) or MLB (33.3%). The change has made the regular-season final weeks more dramatic, but it also means that a .500 team sometimes sneaks in.
To understand how the playoff field is cut from the leagues 32 total teams, it helps to know how each conference’s seven spots are distributed among division winners and wild card qualifiers.
Frequently asked questions
How many teams from each division make the NFL playoffs?
Only the division winner from each of the eight divisions automatically qualifies. The other division teams compete for wild-card spots.
Can an 8–9 team make the NFL playoffs?
Yes, it’s possible. If an 8–9 team wins its division (often a weak division) or secures a wild-card tiebreaker, it can claim a spot.
How many games are in the NFL wild card round?
Six games: three in the AFC and three in the NFC, played over two days (Saturday and Sunday) of wild-card weekend.
Who gets a bye in the NFL playoffs?
Only the No. 1 seed in each conference gets a first-round bye. That’s two teams total.
What happens to the top seed in the NFL playoffs?
The top seed skips the wild-card round and hosts the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round. They also earn home-field advantage through the conference championship game.
Do all division winners automatically make the NFL playoffs?
Yes, each division winner is guaranteed a playoff berth and is seeded 1–4, regardless of record.
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