The NFL playoff bracket for 2021 has taken its final shape.
The NFL East champion Washington Football Team have confirmed their spot as the NFC's No. 4 seed and host the Buccaneers in the wild card round.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs and Packers get each conference's lone bye. The Dolphins, Cardinals and Cowboys had costly Week 17 losses. And the Bills and Rams showed they can win even without their best players on the field.
Beginning Jan. 9, the NFL will show off its expanded 14-team playoff bracket (up from the usual 12 for the first time this season). Out of those 14, 12 will play in the first round thanks to a necessarily altered bye structure to wind up with the same number of playoff rounds. Additional teams mean two additional games, putting a trio of games on both Saturday and Sunday in wild card weekend.
Below is all you need to know about the NFL playoff bracket in 2021, including a complete postseason schedule, TV channels for all the playoff games and scores/results as they come.
MORE: NFL's expanded playoff bracket, explained
NFL playoff bracket 2021
Here's a look at the complete NFL playoff bracket for 2021, updated following "Sunday Night Football."
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (bye)
2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts
3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 6. Cleveland Browns
4. Tennessee Titans vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (bye)
2. New Orleans Saints vs. 7. Chicago Bears
3. Seattle Seahawks vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams
4. Washington Football Team vs. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFL playoff schedule 2021 in Australia
ESPN and 7Mate will show every game of the Wildcard round.
Wild-card round (All times AEDT)
Sunday, January 10
| Matchup |
| Colts at Bills (5:05 am) |
| Rams at Seahawks (8:40 am) |
| Buccaneers at Football Team (12:15 pm) |
Monday, January 11
| Matchup |
| Ravens at Titans (5:05 am) |
| Bears at Saints (8:40 am) |
| Browns at Steelers (12:15 pm) |
Divisional round
Sunday, Jan. 17
| Matchup |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) |
| NFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) |
Monday, Jan. 18
| Matchup |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) |
| NFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) |
Conference championships
Monday, Jan. 25
| Away team |
| NFC TBD |
| AFC TBD |
Super Bowl 55
Monday, Feb. 8
| Matchup | Start time |
| AFC champion vs. NFC champion | 10:30 a.m. AEDT |
When do the NFL playoffs end 2021?
- Start date: Sunday, Jan. 10
- End date: Monday, Feb. 8
The NFL playoffs last about a month, starting with the wild card round, then the divisional round and conference championships before culminating in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 in Tampa, Florida.
As is often the case, there's a week off between the conference title games and the Super Bowl. Normally, the Pro Bowl is played in that gap, although there isn't a physical Pro Bowl game being played in 2021.