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NFL playoff schedule for road to Super Bowl 57: What to know on format, teams

steve gardner, usa today
·3 min read

For the 18th consecutive season, the NFL will not crown a repeat Super Bowl champion. Sure, there's still a mathematical chance the injury-riddled defending champion Los Angeles Rams (3-8, last in NFC West) could make the playoffs, but it's an extremely small one.

In fact, since the New England Patriots won back-to-back titles following the 2003 and 2004 seasons, only three teams have won multiple times. The Pats alternated victories in Super Bowls 49, 51 and 53; the Pittsburgh Steelers prevailed in Super Bowl 40 and 43; and the New York Giants came out on top in Super Bowls 42 and 46.

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Who's next? Let's chart the path 14 fortunate franchises will need to navigate to end up playing for the title in Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023.

Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke receives the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of Super Bowl 56 after the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke receives the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of Super Bowl 56 after the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

How many teams make the NFL playoffs?

A total of 14 teams qualify for the postseason – the four division winners, plus three wild card teams in each conference.

NFL playoffs format

The wild card matchups are: No. 7 seed at No. 2 seed, No. 6 at No. 3, No. 5 at No. 4.

The teams with the best overall records in each conference (No. 1 seeds) receive a bye in the wild card round and will host the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round.

The winners within each respective conference will face each other in the conference championships with those winners battling in the Super Bowl.

What is the NFL playoff schedule?

The playoffs for the 2022 NFL regular season kick off Jan. 14-16, 2023, with three days of wild-card games on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The divisional round takes place the following weekend, followed by the conference championship games. The Super Bowl will be played two weeks after the conference title games.

WILD CARD ROUND

Saturday, Jan. 14

  • 4:30 p.m. ET

  • 8:15 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 15

  • 1 p.m ET

  • 4:30 p.m. ET

  • 8:15 p.m. ET

Monday, Jan. 16

  • 8 p.m ET (ESPN)

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

Saturday, Jan. 21

  • AFC Game 1

  • NFC Game 1

Sunday, Jan. 22

  • AFC Game 2

  • NFC Game 2

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHP 

Sunday, Jan. 29

  • AFC, 3:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

  • NFC, 6:40 p.m. ET (Fox)

SUPER BOWL 57

Sunday, Feb. 12

  • AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

When is Super Bowl 57?

Super Bowl LVII will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The Phoenix area has hosted a Super Bowl three times before – Super Bowl 30 (Jan. 28, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe) and twice at the venue in Glendale formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium, Super Bowl 42 (Feb. 3, 2008) and 49 (Feb. 1, 2015).

The last time the game was played in Glendale, the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in a game best remembered for Malcolm Butler's game-saving interception in the final seconds (... and Katy Perry's halftime performance with the infamous "Left Shark.")

Recording artist Katy Perry performs during the halftime show in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Recording artist Katy Perry performs during the halftime show in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL playoff schedule 2022-23: How many teams? When do playoffs start?