With the NFL's inaugural Week 18 wrapped up, it's time for the playoffs to kick off.
The path to the postseason in Week 18 was wild. The Colts, who were widely expected to earn one of the two Wild Card berths that had yet to be clinched, were defeated by the Jaguars. That knocked them out of the AFC playoff picture while opening the door for the Steelers to make it in after their win over the Ravens. So long as the Chargers and Raiders don't tie on "Sunday Night Football", the Steelers will go to the postseason in what is presumed to be Ben Roethlisberger's final season.
MORE: SN predicts the entire 2022 NFL playoff bracket
On the NFC side of the bracket, it looked like the Saints would clinch the lone remaining NFC spot early on. However, the 49ers roared back from a 17-0 deficit in the second half against the Rams and earned a 27-24 win in overtime. The 49ers will be the No. 6 seed because of their win while the Rams dropped to No. 4 but still won the NFC West thanks to the Cardinals' 38-30 loss to the Seahawks.
The wild-card games begin Saturday, Jan. 15, with 12 teams competing across three days. Two teams, the Packers and the Titans, earned first-round byes and won't compete until the divisional rounds the following weekend.
Below is all you need to know about the NFL playoff bracket in 2022, including a complete postseason schedule, TV channels for all the playoff games and scores/results as they come.
MORE: Watch NFL playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial)
NFL playoff bracket 2022
Here's a look at the complete NFL playoff bracket for 2022:
AFC
1. Tennessee Titans (BYE)
2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 7. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Buffalo Bills vs. 6. New England Patriots
4. Cincinnati Bengals vs. 5. Las Vegas Raiders
1. Tennessee Titans vs. 4. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 3. Buffalo Bills
2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 4. Cincinnati Bengals
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (BYE)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 7. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Dallas Cowboys vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
4. Los Angeles Rams vs. 5. Arizona Cardinals
1. Green Bay Packers vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 4. Los Angeles Rams
4. Los Angeles Rams vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
POWER RANKINGS: Every NFL playoff team's real chances to win Super Bowl 56
NFL playoff schedule 2022
Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Matchup |
| Bengals 26, Raiders 19 |
| Bills 47, Patriots 17 |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Matchup |
| Buccaneers 31, Eagles 15 |
| 49ers 23, Cowboys 17 |
| Chiefs 42, Steelers 21 |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Matchup |
| Rams 34, Cardinals 11 |
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 22
| Matchup |
| Bengals 19, Titans 16 |
| 49ers 13, Packers 10 |
Sunday, Jan. 23
| Matchup |
| Rams 30, Buccaneers 27 |
| Chiefs 42, Bills 36 |
Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 30
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel | Live stream |
| Chiefs vs. Bengals | 3:05 p.m. | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
| Rams vs. 49ers | 6:40 p.m. | Fox | Fox Sports app, fuboTV |
Super Bowl 56
Sunday, Feb. 13
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel | Live stream |
| Super Bowl 56 | 6:30 p.m. | NBC | NBC Sports app, fuboTV |
TV channels, live streams for NFL playoff games
This year, CBS, Fox, ABC, NBC and ESPN will each broadcast games throughout the playoffs. NBC is the home for Super Bowl 56 in February.
Viewers can watch all the NFL playoff games in 2022 live with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
In Canada, all NFL playoff games are available for live-streaming via DAZN with a subscription.
When do the NFL playoffs end 2022?
- Start date: Saturday, Jan. 15
- End date: Sunday, Feb. 13
The first weekend of the playoffs begins on Saturday, Jan. 15 with the wild-card round. The divisional round games take place the weekend after, with the conference championships happening on Sunday, Jan. 30.
The 2022 Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, Feb. 6, which is the weekend before the Super Bowl. The NFL season will end on Sunday, Feb. 13, when the Super Bowl takes place.