Why the NFL Playoffs Are the 'Most Unusual' in Years
New England's Drake Maye (left) and Chicago's Caleb Williams were top-three draft picks in 2024
A longstanding powerhouse has fallen, big names have faltered, and longshots have transformed into legitimate title threats.
Even seasoned analyst Cris Collinsworth has remarked, "this is the most unusual year I can remember in the NFL."
The playoff field is set with 14 teams, marking the first time in over a decade that the Kansas City Chiefs are not participating.
Last year's champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, have been less formidable, and teams like the Buffalo Bills, tipped for success early on, have not delivered.
Yet, showcasing the competitive balance, 11 playoff qualifiers won 11 or more games, a rarity seen just one other time in the last three-and-a-half decades.
Setting a new mark, five franchises made the postseason after dreadful prior campaigns, featuring New England and Chicago's remarkable jumps from the basement to division champions.
Collinsworth further explained, "Selecting a frontrunner is challenging because compelling arguments exist for each contender."
"Witnessing these emerging quarterbacks compete will be incredible, given their unknown ceilings. These moments are where football legends start their journeys."
How Do the NFL Playoffs Function?
Fourteen teams enter the postseason, split evenly with seven representatives from both the AFC and NFC.
A twelve-game, single-elimination bracket over three weeks keeps AFC and NFC teams apart, culminating in the conference champions facing off in Super Bowl 60.
Superior seeds host their games, and the top-ranked teams, Denver and Seattle, skip the first playoff round, known as Wildcard Weekend.
The top seeds enter in the Divisional Round. Victors in the Conference Championships, which serve as Super Bowl semifinals, advance to the championship at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium.
Seattle and Denver could potentially recreate their 2014 Super Bowl meeting, a game Seattle won handily, though Denver triumphed at Levi's Stadium in the 2016 championship.
Why the AFC Championship Race Is Completely Open
With Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes absent from the playoffs for the first time in his career, a major postseason fixture is missing.
Furthermore, this year's Super Bowl will be the first since 2019 not to include either Mahomes or Cincinnati's Joe Burrow.
The absence of recent Most Valuable Players like Mahomes and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson leaves the AFC postseason without its usual headliners, opening the door wide.
The path to the AFC title is therefore unobstructed, allowing rising talents including Bo Nix of Denver and New England's Drake Maye to pursue playoff immortality.
A mere three clubs have captured the AFC Championship since 2016, and their championship rosters have completely turned over.
Denver, despite its high seed, is a playoff novice in recent years, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the sole other AFC qualifier to have reached a Super Bowl in the past three decades.
The AFC does feature established quarterbacks such as Pittsburgh's Aaron Rodgers and Buffalo's Josh Allen, whose playoff experience might prove decisive against the influx of youth.
Who Are the Super Bowl and MVP Favorites?
The NFC boasts more recent playoff pedigree, with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, or San Francisco appearing in seven of the last eight Super Bowls.
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have essentially been in playoff mode for weeks, battling Seattle in the fiercely competitive NFC West.
The Seahawks claimed the division crown with a 14-3 mark, riding a seven-game victory streak into the postseason after besting both the Rams and 49ers late.
Winning the NFC's number one seed makes Seattle marginal Super Bowl favorites, slightly edging the 12-5 Rams, whose passer Matthew Stafford leads the MVP conversation.
The 37-year-old Stafford, a Super Bowl winner with the Rams in 2022, seeks his first MVP award and is currently favored over New England's promising second-year QB, Drake Maye.
The development of Maye, aided by head coach Mike Vrabel, has been central to the Patriots' remarkable turnaround from four wins to fourteen.
Similarly, Chicago's Caleb Williams has blossomed in his second year with new coach Ben Johnson, leading the Bears from five wins to eleven and securing the NFC's number two seed.
Wildcard Weekend: The Complete Fixture List
All times are in GMT
Saturday, 10 January
Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers (21:30)
The Packers visit the Chicago Bears (01:00 Sunday)
Sunday, 11 January
Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars (18:00)
The 49ers take on the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles (21:30)
New England Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers (01:00 Monday)
Monday, 12 January
Pittsburgh Steelers face the Houston Texans (01:00 Tuesday)
What to Watch For During the Playoff Openers
Carolina, having secured the NFC South with a poor 8-9 mark, hosts the Los Angeles Rams in the first playoff game, an unusual occurrence.
The Rams, playing as visitors, are powered by Matthew Stafford's league-leading passing numbers and a record year from wideout Puka Nacua.
Injuries late in the year halted Green Bay's surge, but the return of quarterback Jordan Love is timely for the latest chapter of the league's most historic rivalry.
Despite exceeding expectations by winning the NFC North, Chicago faces pressure to avoid a third consecutive loss and an early playoff exit.
In the NFC's other wildcard game, a banged-up San Francisco squad travels to face Philadelphia, the defending champions who rested players after locking up the NFC East.
Buffalo's Josh Allen, the reigning MVP, hopes to finally reach the Super Bowl, but the Bills must travel to Jacksonville, a team riding an eight-game winning streak.
{New England aims to avoid an upset at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, whose quarterback Justin Herbert seeks his first playoff win in his sixth season.|The Patriots hope to defend their home field against the Chargers, as LA's quarterback Justin Herbert looks for his inaugural postseason victory in year six.|At home, New England tries to stave off the Chargers, with Justin Herbert attempting to secure his first career playoff
