NFL Playoffs 2024: Overtime Rules, Bracket and Postseason Format
The 2023-24 NFL playoffs will officially begin this Saturday when the Houston Texans host the Cleveland Browns.
14 teams have entered the tournament, and 12 of them will be in action over Super Wild Card Weekend. Saturday's schedule will feature two games, while three contests will unfold on Sunday. The last game of the opening round will take place on Monday night.
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, who claimed the top seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively, will await the results.
The second stage in the race to Super Bowl LVIII is underway. Here's everything you need to know, including a refresher on the playoff format and overtime rules.
Playoff Format
1 of 4
Beginning in the 2020 season, the NFL expanded the playoffs from a 12-team bracket to a 14-team tournament. That year marked the first time since the 2001 season in which each conference sent three wild-card teams to the postseason.
In 2002, the NFL realigned to its current eight-division format, leaving only two wild-card teams from each conference in the 12-team playoff pool.
With seven teams in each conference making the postseason under the current format, only the top seed in the AFC and NFC get a first-round bye. Before the 2020-21 playoffs, the top two seeds in each conference received a bye.
Division-winners are awarded home games for the opening round, which is why the 9-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hosting the 11-6 Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Following the opening round, the highest seed in each matchup will receive home-field advantage.
The playoffs follow a low-seed-versus-high-seed format, with the second seed hosting the seventh seed, the third seed hosting the sixth seed and the fourth seed hosting the fifth seed to start.
The format carries through each round, meaning the No. 1 seed will always face the lowest seed to advance to the divisional round. Theoretically, this helps ensure that the two best teams in each conference won't face off until championship weekend.
Overtime Rules
2 of 4
Overtime rules are quite a bit different in the playoffs than during the regular season. For one, overtime periods consist of 15-minute periods instead of 10-minute periods, and games cannot end in ties.
If teams are tied at the end of the first overtime period—or if the team possessing the ball second hasn't finished its series, overtime continues with a second period.
Scoring rules are different in the playoffs too. While regular-season overtime games end if the first possession ends in a touchdown, that's not the case in the postseason.
Following the 2021-22 playoff thriller between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills—a game that ended with Patrick Mahomes' touchdown pass to Travis Kelce—the league's owner agreed to further modify the postseason overtime rules. Now, each team is guaranteed one possession, unless there is a defensive score.
"We always listen to the fans—that's an important thing," commissioner Roger Goodell said in 2022, per NFL.com's Nick Shook.
If the team with the opening possession scores a field goal or touchdown, the other team will have an opportunity to match. If there is no score on the opening possession, the game becomes sudden death, with the team to score first getting the win.
A defensive score (touchdown or safety) on the opening possession, however, will end the game—if a team scores on defense, it doesn't need an opportunity to match.
Playoff Field and Super Bowl Odds
3 of 4
AFC Field and SB Odds
1. Baltimore Ravens: +310 (bet $100 to win $310)
2. Buffalo Bills: +650
3. Kansas City Chiefs: +1000
4. Houston Texans: +5000
5. Cleveland Browns: +3000
6. Miami Dolphins: +1800
7. Pittsburgh Steelers: +12000
NFL Field and SB Odds
1. San Francisco 49ers: +220
2. Dallas Cowboys: +750
3. Detroit Lions: +1800
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +6000
5. Philadelphia Eagles: +1800
6. Los Angeles Rams: +4000
7. Green Bay Packers: 9000
Super Bowl odds via DraftKings.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Wild Card Weekend Schedule
4 of 4
Saturday, January 13
5. Cleveland Browns at 4. Houston Texans
4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
6. Miami Dolphins at 3. Kansas City Chiefs
8 p.m. ET on Peacock (NBC in local markets only)
Sunday, January 14
7. Pittsburgh Steelers at 2. Buffalo Bills
1 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+
7. Green Bay Packers at 2. Dallas Cowboys
4:30 p.m. ET on Fox
6. Los Angeles Rams at 3. Detroit Lions
8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
Monday, January 15
5. Philadelphia Eagles at 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN
Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visiting ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visiting OPGR.org (OR), or calling/texting TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
