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The 2021 NFL season has been anything but predictable. The AFC features a mess of teams jockeying for position atop the conference and several six- and seven-win teams battling for Wild Card spots. The NFC has a more defined power structure, but the final two Wild Card spots are anybody's game.
That is going to make the chase for 2022 playoff spots exciting as the NFL's regular season winds down.
The NFL playoffs switched to a 14-team format last season, so there are a couple more playoff spots up for grabs than usual. That will give more teams a shot at making the postseason, especially with the league playing its first 17-game season.
Below is everything you need to know about the NFL playoffs for 2022, including dates and a TV schedule for each round, how all the tiebreakers work and how the playoff picture currently shakes out.
MORE: Explaining the NFL's expanded playoffs
When do the NFL playoffs start in 2022?
- Wild-card round: Jan. 15-17
- Divisional round: Jan. 22-23
- Conference championships: Jan. 30
- Super Bowl 56: Feb. 13
The NFL postseason will feature seven teams from each conference in 2022. It marks the second year since the NFL expanded to a 14-team postseason in which the No. 1 seed in each conference is the only one to receive a bye week.
This year, the entire NFL postseason has shifted back by a week, as the NFL has added an extra week to its regular season. That means that the playoffs will start in mid-January instead of early in the month and the Super Bowl will be on the second Sunday in February instead of the first.
NFL playoff bracket
Here's a look at the complete NFL playoff bracket for 2022:
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (bye)
2. New England Patriots vs. 7. Buffalo Bills
3. Tennessee Titans vs. 6. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Cincinnati Bengals vs. 5. Indianapolis Colts
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (bye)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 7. Washington Football Team
3. Dallas Cowboys vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
4. Arizona Cardinals vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams
NFL playoff schedule 2022
Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 4:35 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 1:05 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 4:40 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | ESPN App, fuboTV |
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 22
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 23
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
