The NFL playoff field is finally set, and an exciting wild-card slate lies ahead. Here’s your guide to everything you need to know about the 14 teams vying to win Super Bowl LVII.
The 2022 NFL season came down to the end once again, as the Lions‘ victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday night sent the Seahawks to the playoffs. Seattle was in that position thanks to its overtime win against the Rams. The Dolphins also earned their way into the postseason tournament (breaking a six-year drought) with a last-minute triumph over the Jets coupled with the Patriots‘ loss to the Bills. So now it’s time for the really fun part: the 2022 NFL playoffs.
The No. 1 seeds in each conference — the Chiefs in the AFC and the Eagles in the NFC — will receive first-round byes. The remaining 12 teams will play in next week’s three-day wild-card extravaganza: two games on Saturday, three on Sunday and a Monday night finale to be broadcast by ABC/ESPN. Last season’s top seeds were upset in the divisional round, and the No. 4 seeds, the Rams and the Bengals, went to the Super Bowl. The Rams won, but they didn’t make it back to the postseason. Everything is on the table. It’s time to buckle up for some unexpected twists and turns.
Our playoff primer will preview the wild-card matchups and take a broader look at what each team must do to reach Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, along with their updated chances via ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI). Odds are via Caesars Sportsbook.
AFC:
1. Chiefs
2. Bills vs. 7. Dolphins
3. Bengals vs. 6. Ravens
4. Jaguars vs. 5. Chargers
NFC:
1. Eagles
2. 49ers vs. 7. Seahawks
3. Vikings vs. 6. Giants
4. Buccaneers vs. 5. Cowboys
Super Bowl odds: +330
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 47.7%
Reason for hope: The Chiefs don’t strike as quickly as they once did, but they are still potent offensively. They lead the league in scoring, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the favorite to win MVP. There’s room for growth, too, if they can reduce their turnovers and improve a 75% field goal percentage, which is tied for 30th in the NFL.
Reason for concern: The Chiefs have the league’s worst kicking game, which is one reason some of the league’s bottom-feeding teams have hung around in recent games. They’ve missed eight field goals and five PATs, forfeiting a total of 29 points directly with their kicking game while their opponents forfeited six (two missed field goals and zero missed PATs). This could be a fatal flaw against superior opponents they face in the playoffs. — Adam Teicher
What makes Travis Kelce the toughest tight end in the game? „Kelce is smart, beyond all he can do physically, he’s just f—ing smart. So, if he’s looking at a lot of zone looks he’ll just find the soft spots over and over and Mahomes has been around him so long he just knows how Kelce will settle in all of those looks. Even tight windows aren’t tight enough, they just know each other, done it too often. … He’s going to get catches, he’s too good, too smart, but the idea is to limit damage, make them first downs, not touchdowns.“ — AFC player
First-game outlook: The Chiefs have the No. 1 seed, so they won’t play until the divisional round on Jan. 21 or 22. Kansas City will host the lowest-seeded remaining wild card, which could be the Jaguars, Chargers, Ravens or Dolphins. The Chiefs swept the AFC West rival Chargers and defeated the Jaguars 27-17 in Week 10. A matchup with the Dolphins would be a reunion with wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who played six seasons in K.C. before being traded to Miami in the offseason.
Super Bowl odds: +420
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 29.4%
Reason for hope: Josh Allen. When the Bills quarterback is playing at his best, this team is incredibly difficult to stop. In two playoff games last season, Allen threw nine touchdown passes to zero interceptions and threw for more than 600 yards. At times this season, Allen has struggled with turnovers, including five games with two interceptions. But if Allen plays to his capabilities, the Bills should be the team to beat.
Reason for concern: While Allen gives the Bills hope, the lack of a consistent slot receiver and drop issues are concerning for a Bills offense that has been up and down at times. The Bills are second in the league in drops (31), which has not helped their turnover number (27, third most in the league). The team has tried to address the issue by adding Cole Beasley and John Brown to the practice squad, but the former Bills might not be enough to help Allen in the postseason. — Alaina Getzenberg
What’s the best way to keep Allen from beating you? „That’s the same thing as Lamar [Jackson]. The D-line has got to lock it in. We can’t have him rolling out and just throwing the ball anywhere. They’ve got a lot of weapons with [Stefon] Diggs and guys like that.“ — AFC defensive player
First-game outlook: The Bills will host the Dolphins in the wild-card round on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). The AFC East rivals split their games this season, with Miami prevailing 21-19 at home in Week 3 and the Bills winning 32-29 in walk-off fashion in snowy Buffalo in Week 15.
Super Bowl odds: +800
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 10.4%
Reason for hope: Cincinnati is playing better than it did last season, when the Bengals won the AFC North and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years. Quarterback Joe Burrow is playing at a high level. The offense, which was inconsistent last postseason, has displayed improved efficiency throughout the season and has been able to find different ways to score points. Overall, the Bengals are in a stronger position to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy.
Jessie Bates is wide open for an interception and the Bengals defense gets creative with a roller coaster ride celebration.
Reason for concern: The Bengals‘ offense hasn’t strung two good halves together the past three games. It scored three first-half points in Week 15, zero second-half points in Week 16 and three points in the second half Sunday against the Ravens. Offensive line woes are a reason for that, as right guard Alex Cappa suffered a left ankle injury in the Week 18 win. Cincinnati is already without right tackle La’el Collins for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn left ACL. — Ben Baby
Where does Burrow rank among QBs in the fourth quarter? „I would say he’s the best. He’s ‚Joe Cool.‘ He doesn’t get flustered at all. Honestly, if that left guard doesn’t get beat [by Aaron Donald in the final minute] in the Super Bowl, I think they win. … As far as having the confidence to put it out there and give his guys a chance, and the ability to put it where it’s supposed to be, I think he’s at the very top.“ — AFC player
First-game outlook: The Bengals get a rematch with the Ravens, whom they just vanquished, as Cincinnati will host Baltimore in the wild-card round on Sunday (8:15 p.m. ET, NBC). The Bengals and Ravens split their two meetings, with Cincinnati winning 27-16 on Sunday and the Ravens prevailing 19-17 at home in Week 5. This marks the first playoff matchup between the AFC North rivals.
Super Bowl odds: +5000
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 4.1%
Reason for hope: Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback. Since November began, he is second in the NFL in completion percentage (69.7%), third in passer rating (104.6) and eighth in Total QBR (63.5). Lawrence is running coach Doug Pederson’s offense at a high level and spreading the ball around, which makes them hard to stop because defenses can’t concentrate on one player. Despite the fact he’s only in his second season, Lawrence has plenty of big-game experience from his time at Clemson, where he led the Tigers to a national title as a freshman.
Reason for concern: The Jaguars‘ pass rush has been one of the worst in the league, and they are without one of their best pass-rushers in Dawuane Smoot (torn right Achilles). The pass rush has been better down the stretch, but here’s the list of QBs the team faced in the final three games: Zach Wilson, Chris Streveler, Davis Mills, Jeff Driskel and Joshua Dobbs. They’ll be dealing with much better quarterbacks and offensive lines in the postseason. — Michael DiRocco
What’s the most difficult thing about facing Lawrence? „He’s showing more poise. He’s a very accurate quarterback, but he would make one of those ‚Why did he throw that?‘ passes each game if he got pressure on him. He’s not doing that anymore. The other part of his game that doesn’t get much attention is his athleticism. He can hurt you with his legs.“ — AFC defensive player
First-game outlook: The Jaguars will host the Chargers in the wild-card round on Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET, NBC). Jacksonville, which is making its first playoff appearance since 2017, demolished the Chargers 38-10 at SoFi Stadium in Week 3. This is the first playoff meeting between the teams.
Super Bowl odds: +2200
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 3.1%
Reason for hope: The Chargers are getting healthy and peaking at the perfect time. After spending most of the season dealing with significant injuries, several key playmakers — including edge rusher Joey Bosa — have returned. The defense, despite playing without Bosa and safety Derwin James Jr.
