Your Guide to the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs
Another wonderful and wild NFL season is in the books, and only 14 teams remain. Those 14 teams feature some of the sport’s biggest stars, most intriguing personalities, and thrilling rookies. This article will serve as your guide to the playoffs, explaining the format and previewing what to look out for in this weekend’s Wild-Card Round clashes. We even take a shot at predicting the entire playoff schedule, so, read on for spoilers!
This guide will also make sure you know when and where you need to be tuning in to catch every moment. However, you can also find up-to-date NFL broadcast information and game times on our website, and, with college football playoffs ramping up as well, our Football page is a very useful companion for the next few weeks.
Everything You Need to Know About the NFL Playoffs
- Playoff Dates: January 11th, 2025 - February 9th, 2025
- Super Bowl Date: February 9th, 2025
- Super Bowl Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Reigning Super Bowl Champions: Kansas City Chiefs
- 2024 AFC 1-seed: Kansas City Chiefs
- 2024 NFC 1-seed: Detroit Lions
- Playoff Format: 14 teams, single-elimination, top seeds get first-round bye
- TV Channels Required: CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video
- Broadcasting Information & Timings: Look no further than the Live Sports on TV NFL Page
How Do the NFL Playoffs Work?
14 teams will participate in the NFL playoffs, consisting of 7 teams from each of the NFL’s two conferences. The top 4 seeded teams will be the winners of each conference’s four divisions, with three wildcard spots then being filled by teams with the three best remaining regular season records.
The team who has the best record in each conference, in this case, the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC and the Detroit Lions in the NFC, will benefit from a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. While they put their feet up during the Wild-Card Round, seeds 2 to 7 in each conference will face off against each other, within each conference.
The winners will advance to the Divisional Round, which will determine who goes forward into the Conference Championship games, where the AFC and NFC Champions are crowned. These two teams will face off in the Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 9th, with the winner walking away with a Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl rings.
Key Dates and Schedule for the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs
- Wild Card Weekend: January 11-13, 2025
- Divisional Round: January 18-19, 2025
- Conference Championships: January 26th, 2025
- Super Bowl LIX: February 9th, 2025 (Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana)
Predicting the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs
Below, you will find each Wild-Card clash, along with dates, times, broadcast information, and a prediction, before we go on to map out what we think will happen throughout the later rounds.
Wild-Card Round Predictions
Los Angeles Chargers (5) @ Houston Texans (4)
- When: Saturday, Jan. 11, 4:30pm ET
- Where: NRG Stadium | Houston
- TV: CBS, Paramount+
The Houston Texans are banged up and struggling for form, but they are coming off a spiriting victory over their rival Tennessee Titans. Can they repeat the magic of last year’s playoffs and surprise everyone with a victory over Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh’s LA Chargers? I am going to say no. The Chargers are healthier and just too well-coached.
Prediction: Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers (6) @ Baltimore Ravens (3)
- When: Saturday, Jan. 11, 8:00pm ET
- Where: M&T Bank Stadium | Baltimore
- TV: Amazon Prime Video
The Pittsburgh Steelers have to be very low on confidence after their five-game losing streak to end the season. To make matters worse, they lost 34-17 to these Ravens just a few weeks ago. Give me the reigning MVP in this one.
Prediction: Ravens
Denver Broncos (7) @ Buffalo Bills (2)
- When: Sunday, Jan. 12, 1:00pm ET
- Where: Highmark Stadium | Highmark Stadium
- TV: CBS, Paramount+
It has been a fantastic rookie season for Bo Nix, and one where the Broncos have completely outshone their expectations, but surely they won’t be a match for this juggernaut of a Bills team.
Prediction: Bills
Green Bay Packers (7) @ Philadelphia Eagles (2)
- When: Sunday, Jan. 12, 4:30pm ET
- Where: Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia
- TV: FOX
The Packers will come to regret their loss to Chicago almost instantly. They are more injured than Philly and less well-rested. Oh, and the Eagles are supremely talented on both offense and defense.
Prediction: Eagles
Washington Commanders (6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3)
- When: Sunday, Jan. 13, 8:00pm ET
- Where: Raymond James Stadium | Tampa
- TV: NBC, Peacock
This intriguing clash will be a test for rookie Jayden Daniels, and I will be taking the battle-tested Buccaneers who won in this round this time last year, taking full advantage of playing on their home-field.
Prediction: Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings (5) @ Los Angeles Rams (4)
- When: Monday, Jan. 13, 8:00pm ET
- Where: SoFi Stadium | Los Angeles
- TV: ESPN, ABC, ESPN+
The Vikings have been one of the best teams all year long, but teams who play the Lions don’t typically do too well the week after, and this team are emotionally bruised after that Week 18 loss. Not to mention the shaky play from Darnold. I will be taking the Rams in an upset here, who will benefit greatly from resting their starters in Week 18.
Prediction: Rams
Predicted Divisional Round Playoffs
Los Angeles Rams (4) @ Detroit Lions (1)
Prediction: Lions win
Analysis: Expect a high-scoring affair, which Detroit are masters of winning.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (2)
Prediction: Eagles win
Analysis: The Bucs got bragging rights against the Eagles last year, but this is a very different Philly team.
Los Angeles Chargers (5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1)
Prediction: Chiefs win
Analysis: The Chargers have outdone expectations this year, but it’s hard to see them knocking off the Chiefs after two weeks of rest.
Baltimore Ravens (3) @ Buffalo Bills (2)
Prediction: Bills win
Analysis: The best game of the weekend, and a battle of MVP frontrunners. Josh Allen gets the pick here, but it's a coin flip.
Predicted Championship Round Matchups
NFC Championship: Philadelphia Eagles (2) @ Detroit Lions (1)
Prediction: Lions win
Analysis: The Lions will have more defensive starters back by this point of the playoffs, and have proven to be superior all year long.
AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills (2) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1)
Prediction: Chiefs win
Analysis: Of course, we are going for Mahomes to make it 4-0 in the postseason vs Allen.
Super Bowl Prediction
Matchup: Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Prediction: Chiefs win
Analysis: The Chiefs get the three-peat. Mahomes is the most clutch quarterback out there, and Andy Reid has the edge on the coaching front. His team are battle-tested, and prepared for every single moment that may face them.
2024-25 NFL Playoff Power Rankings
Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
Superstar quarterback plus elite coaching. There is a reason why they are going for the three-peat.
Detroit Lions (15-2)
The bully boys of the NFC, not far behind the Chiefs. They are also a sublime concoction of coaching and talent, with a perfect sprinkle of aggression and creativity.
Buffalo Bills (13-4)
Can this finally be Josh Allen’s year? He is playing as well as ever, but is he lacking the one playmaker he needs to get it done?
Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are as scary as they come, and the defense is rounding into form nicely. Zay Flowers’ injury is a concern.
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
MVP candidate Saquon Barkley is the beating heart of this offense, but you bet they can get you through the air as well. Dangerous as they come on offense and a Vic Fangio masterclass on defense.
Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
Sam Darnold has been a revelation, more than doubling the team’s preseason projected win total of 6.5. However, did Week 18 show his vulnerabilities in big games?
Green Bay Packers (11-6)
A concerning couple of weeks to close out the regular season, but still a very well-rounded, talented, and well-coached roster.
Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
Count out Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp and Sean McVay at your peril. Watch out for that young defensive line as well. This team can beat anyone on their day.
Washington Commanders (12-5)
The surprise of the season, overachieving with a roster that many gave no chance. Jayden Daniels is a phenom, and he has a tough, well-coached team around him, even if they are lacking star power.
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
Justin Herbert is one of the top quarterbacks out there, but the defense didn’t hold up quite as well in the second half of the season. Risky to count Jim Harbaugh out though.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
Baker Mayfield and his offense are capable of blowing up at any moment, but the risk for turnovers is also very high.
Denver Broncos (10-7)
Sean Payton has revitalized the Broncos, and Bo Nix has been a brilliant story in his rookie season. However, against the AFC’s best, their weaknesses, particularly on offense, will likely be exposed.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Mike Tomlin always keeps the Steelers competitive, but they are on a five-game losing skid and looking a bit lost.
Houston Texans (10-7)
Speaking of lost… The Texans were humiliated by the Ravens just two weeks ago (31-2) and beaten handily by Kansas City (27-19) the week before that. Injuries are a problem here.
Author: Venuse, Inc.