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Championship weekend update
The Bucs beat the Packers 31-26 to win the NFC Championship Game. Tom Brady threw three interceptions and three touchdowns, and was bailed out by a huge defensive effort that included five sacks of Aaron Rodgers.
The Chiefs followed with a 38-24 win over the Bills in the AFC Championship Game. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce combined for 22 receptions for 290 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Divisional Round update
The Packers beat the Rams 32-18 and the Bucs beat the Saints 30-20 to set up the NFC Championship Game. The Bills beat the Ravens 17-3 and the Chiefs beat the Browns 22-17 to set up the AFC Championship Game.
Wild Card Round update
The NFL wrapped up the first round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs with a wild Browns win over the Steelers. We had four seeded upsets with the Browns, Ravens, Rams, and Buccaneers all winning this weekend. However, it’s worth noting the Ravens and Bucs were both road favorites.
The Divisional Round is next on the docket. In the AFC, the No. 1 seeded Chiefs will host the Browns and the No. 2 seeded Bills will host the Ravens. In the NFC, the No. 1 seeded Packers will host the Rams and the No. 2 seeded Saints will host the Bucs.
The NFL has wrapped up the regular season, which means the 2021 NFL Playoffs are upon us! The postseason will culminate on February 7th with Super Bowl 55 coming to us from Tampa, Florida.
The league expanded the playoff bracket from 12 teams to 14 teams. An additional playoff team in each conference makes one particularly big change: there is only one first round bye instead of the two we have had in years past. That No. 1 seed offers that much more value than in years past.
Below is a look at the full playoff bracket headed into Wild Card weekend. We’ll have six games the first weekend, with three on Saturday and three on Sunday. That will follow with four divisional round games, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The following Sunday is conference championship weekend, and then two weeks later is the Super Bowl.
The bracket is not rigid. The No. 1 seed in each conference will play the worst remaining seed in the divisional round. For example, if the No. 2, 3, and 4 seeds all win, No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play No. 3. If the No. 3, 6, and 7 seeds advance, No. 1 would play No. 7 and No. 3 would play No. 6.
The game dates and start times are of course all subject to change if COVID-19 creates any complications to the schedule.
AFC playoff bracket
The AFC road to the Super Bowl goes through Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs rolled to a 14-2 record and Patrick Mahomes is one of the two or three names competing for the league’s MVP award.
AFC Wild Card round
No. 1 seed (bye): Kansas City Chiefs
Indianapolis Colts (No. 7) @ Buffalo Bills (No. 2) — Bills win 27-24
Cleveland Browns (No. 6) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 3) — Browns win 48-37
Baltimore Ravens (No. 5) @ Tennessee Titans (No. 4) — Ravens win 20-13
AFC Divisional round
Baltimore Ravens (No. 5) @ Buffalo Bills (No. 2) — Bills win 17-3
Cleveland Browns (No. 6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (No. 1) — Chiefs win 22-17
AFC Championship game
Buffalo Bills (No. 2) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 1), Sunday Jan 24, 6:40 p.m. ET, CBS
NFC playoff bracket
The NFC road to the Super Bowl goes through the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. The Packers went 13-3 and clinched the No. 1 seed on the last day of the year with a win over the Bears.
Wild Card round
No. 1 seed (bye): Green Bay Packers
Chicago Bears (No. 7) @ New Orleans Saints (No. 2) — Saints win 21-9
Los Angeles Rams (No. 6) @ Seattle Seahawks (No. 3) — Rams win 30-20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 5) @ Washington Football Team (No. 4) — Bucs win 31-23
NFC Divisional round
Los Angeles Rams (No. 6) @ Green Bay Packers (No. 1) — Packers win 32-18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 5) @ New Orleans Saints (No. 2) — Bucs win 30-20
NFC Championship game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 5) vs. Green Bay Packers (No. 1) — Bucs win 31-26
Super Bowl 55
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Teams TBD, Sunday Feb 7, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS