The countdown to the Super Bowl on February 12 has begun – here’s everything you need to know
The turn of the year always marks the most exciting time for the NFL season. While many of us wait for winter to turn to spring, for ardent football fans it’s the most wonderful time of year as the regular season turns into the post.
Once again, the playoff bracket has been incredibly exciting, with it going right down to the wire. Now we run up to the Super Bowl in mid-February, and here’s all the information you need to know ahead of then…
The playoff picture: As it stands
With the regular season now coming to a close, nine teams have already officially clinched their place in the post-season with the last remaining five spots up for grabs across this last weekend.
The teams who have already confirmed their spots are:
NFC
- San Francisco 49ers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Detroit Lions
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams
AFC
- Baltimore Ravens
- Miami Dolphins
- Cleveland Browns
- Kansas City Chiefs
2023/24 NFL playoff schedule
The playoffs are broken down into different stages, beginning with the Wild Card playoffs, in which those teams who have the best record without having won their respective conferences take on the conference winners.
Wild Card Round
Divisional Round
Conference Championships
2023/24 NFL playoffs wildcard round
In each division, the wildcard round structure is as follows:
- Number seven seed v number two seed
- Number six seed v number three seed
- Number five seed v number four seed
2023/24 NFL Divisional playoffs round
Both Baltimore Ravens in the AFC and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC wrapped up their conference titles early, leading the entire division and going into the Divisional playoffs, which take place across January 20 and 21.
This sees the winners of the wildcard rounds go head to head, alongside the divisional champion in the regular season. The winners of the two Divisional playoffs in each division, then compete for the respective NFC and AFC Championships.
2023/24 NFL Championship round
Taking place on January 28, the NFL Championship games sees the winners of the Divisional playoffs battle it out for a place in the Super Bowl, being crowned champions of their division.
Both the NFC Championship and AFC Championship take place on the same day, with AFC getting underway at 3pm Eastern Time (8pm UK) and the NFC at 6.30pm Eastern Time, with an 11.30pm kick off in the UK.
Super Bowl LVIII
The Super Bowl this year takes place on February 11, 2024, with a 6.30pm start Eastern Time (11.30pm UK). It will be the first ever Super Bowl held in Nevada, taking place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, current home of the Raiders.
How to watch and live stream the NFL playoffs
The playoffs are split across a number of broadcasters, with many having rights to particular divisional playoffs and wild card games.
To watch the playoffs, a subscription with the likes of FuboTV or DirecTV is the best option, giving you access to the likes of Fox, CBS and NBC, which are showing most of the playoff games. You may also need a subscription to Peacock for some of the earlier wildcard games.
At present, the playoff fixtures are being shown on the following channels:
Saturday, January 13, 2024:
- 4.30pm ET: TBC vs TBC (NBC/Peacock)
- 8.15pm ET: TBC vs TBC (Peacock)
Sunday, January 14, 2024:
- 1pm ET: TBC vs TBC (CBS or Fox)
- 4.30pm ET: TBC vs TBC (CBS or Fox)
- 8.15pm ET: TBC vs TBC (NBC)
Monday January 15, 2024:
- 8.15pm ET: TBC vs TBC (ESPN/ABC)
The Divisional rounds are still to be confirmed, while CBS will broadcast the AFC Championship game at 3pm Eastern Time, with Fox holding the rights to the NFC Championship game, getting underway at 6.30pm ET.
The Super Bowl will then be broadcast on CBS.
NFL Playoff FAQs
What is the full postseason schedule?
The full schedule for the NFL playoffs is as follows:
- Wildcard round: January 13, 2024 – January 15, 2024
- Divisional round: January 20, 2024 – January 21, 2024
- AFC Championship game: January 28, 2024
- NFC Championship game: January 28, 2024
- Super Bowl LVIII: February 11, 2024
Who are the current NFL Divisional champions?
Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII. They finished as successful AFC Champions, beating the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the NFC Division.
The Eagles rampaged through the 49ers in the NFC Championship game before being just edged out in the Super Bowl, while the Chiefs beat the Cincinatti Bengals to earn their second crown in four years.
Who are the most recent Super Bowl winners?
Across the last 10 years, the Super Bowl has seen several regulars in the fixture, with the more recent winners as follows:
- Super Bowl LVII (2022): Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 Philadelphia Eagles
- Super Bowl LVI (2021): Los Angeles Rams 23-20 Cincinatti Bengals
- Super Bowl LV (2020): Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9 Kansas City Chiefs
- Super Bowl LIV (2019): Kansas City Chiefs 31-20 San Francisco 49ers
- Super Bowl LIII (2018): New England Patriots 13-3 Los Angeles Rams
- Super Bowl LII (2017): Philadelphia Eagles 41-33 New England Patriots
- Super Bowl LI (2016): New England Patriots 34-28 (OT) Atlanta Falcons
- Super Bowl 50 (2015): Denver Broncos 24-10 Carolina Panthers
- Super Bowl XLIX (2014): New England Patriots 28-24 Seattle Seahawks
- Super Bowl XLVIII (2013): Seattle Seahawks 43-8 Denver Broncos
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
