NFL Playoffs Online Betting
When the AFL and NFL merged after Super Bowl IV in 1970, the NFL Playoffs began their evolution to how we see them today. Initially, there were eight teams in the postseason, but that number expanded to 10 teams in 1978. We saw another expansion to 12 teams in 1990, yet there wasn’t another growth in the number of playoff squads until 2020 when the system grew to what it is today. That means only the best regular season team in each conference receives a first-round bye, while the Wild Card Round has six games to determine the conference semifinals.
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NFL Playoffs Wild Card Round
We saw some great football in the expanded Wild Card Round once again last season. Four of the six games were decided by one score, and the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history. The Los Angeles Chargers jumped out to a 27-0 lead on Jacksonville in the first 25 minutes of play as Trevor Lawrence was awful. Lawrence ended up throwing four interceptions, but the Jaguars ended up scoring just before halftime to give the team some life. They proceeded to outscore the Chargers 31-3 the rest of the way in order to win, capped off by a 36-yard Riley Patterson field goal as time expired. Read more
NFL Playoffs Divisional Round
While teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots have plenty of postseason wins over the last five years, there are other teams that have not won a playoff game in over 10 years. The Detroit Lions lead this list as they haven’t won a postseason tilt since all the way back in 1992 when Barry Sanders was in his 20s. The Miami Dolphins have gone 22 years without a postseason win, while the Las Vegas Raiders have now failed to win a playoff game for the last two decades. Read more
NFL Playoffs Conference Championship
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Just as we were finally saying goodbye to the New England Patriots as the conference superpower in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs have emerged to take their place. Kansas City has played host to five straight AFC Championship Games thanks to the arrival of Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs are going to be one of the favorites to win the conference in every season going forward. Cincinnati and Buffalo are in great position too with strong young quarterbacks, and the AFC has a few other signal callers that could make their impact felt. Read more
Memorable Recent NFL Playoff Games
Indianapolis nearly knocked off Buffalo in 2020 as a No. 7 seed, but Chicago could only muster three points against New Orleans until scoring a meaningless touchdown as time expired as the other No. 7 seed in that postseason. The 2021 NFL Playoffs saw the two teams from the Keystone State as the No. 7 seeds, but neither Pittsburgh nor Philadelphia was able to keep it close. The Steelers scored the first touchdown against Kansas City but proceeded to give up 35 unanswered points, while Tampa Bay took a 31-0 lead into the fourth quarter against the Eagles.
For the first time ever, there was a Monday night playoff game in 2021. The Los Angeles Rams hammered the Arizona Cardinals 34-11, and they immediately showed that it wasn’t too much of a disadvantage for a team to have one less day of rest. The Rams went on to win Super Bowl LVI, so the Monday night game in the Wild Card Round is here to stay too.
The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history in 2022. They trailed the Los Angeles Chargers 27-0 late in the first half as Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions, but the Jags scored just before halftime to give them a chance in the second half. The Chargers had trouble moving the ball after halftime, and that led to the Jags coming back to pull off one of the most improbably wins in NFL playoff history.
NFL Playoff History
The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys have been to the playoffs more often than any other team in NFL history. Green Bay has been to the postseason 35 times, and the Packers won the division with 13 wins for three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021.
That’s impressive considering there was a 25-year stretch from 1968 to 1992 where the Packers only made the playoffs twice.
Although the Dallas Cowboys haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since the mid-1990s, they have been good enough to continually make the postseason. They finished .500 or better in 21 straight seasons under Tom Landry, making the playoffs 18 times with the legendary head coach at the helm.
For nearly the first four decades of their existence, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a perennial cellar dweller in the NFL. They made the playoffs just one time from 1933 to 1971, but they have been a constant contender over the last five decades. Pittsburgh has 33 all-time playoff appearances, as the franchise has had just three coaches since 1969. It’s now been 20 years since the Steelers finished under .500 during the regular season.
The other three franchises with 30 or more playoff appearances are the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and Minnesota Vikings. As with Green Bay, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, the Giants and Rams have multiple Super Bowl titles to their credit, but the Vikings haven’t been so fortunate. They have been to the Super Bowl four times, but they came up short on four occasions.
There are currently three teams with less than 10 trips to the postseason in their history. The Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans are all relatively new teams, so it’s not a shock to see them at the bottom of the list. However, it would surprise some to see the Arizona Cardinals near the bottom with 11 postseason berths since this is the oldest franchise in the NFL.
NFL Teams
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