At the end of each NFL regular season, 14 teams participate in the playoffs to battle for a chance to play in the next Super Bowl. Although the NFL is the most popular sport in the U.S., many fans need to follow the regular season more closely. Not only begin to focus on the league once the postseason starts.
The NFL playoff bracket is a single-elimination tournament that includes the top seven teams from the AFC and the NFC. The bracket isn’t similar to the structure of the March Madness bracket, where the winner of each game moves directly to the next bracket. Instead, in the second round of the playoffs, the highest seed in each conference will be matched with the lowest remaining seed in the same conference.
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NFL Playoff Bracket Explained
Starting in the 2021-2022 season, the NFL expanded the playoff format for the first time in more than a decade to include 14 teams instead of 12, adding two more games to the playoff schedule. This also changed each round of the playoffs and how teams were seeded.
At the end of each regular season, the top four teams in each conference are seeded from one to four based on their overall records. The two teams ranked number-one in each conference (NFC and AFC) will earn a bye and automatically advance to the second round.
The remaining three seeds must play against the three Wild Card teams in the first round. Wild Card teams are the top three teams from each conference that failed to win their divisions based on their win-loss record in the regular season.
Wild Card Round
The top-seeded team in each conference will enjoy a week off during the Wild Card round, which features three games in each conference. The matchups are always the second seed versus the seventh seed, the third seed versus the sixth seed, and the fifth seed against the fourth seed. These six games take place on Saturday and Sunday during Wild Card Weekend.
Divisional Round
The winners of the Wild Card Round in the NFL bracket will move on to the Divisional Round, where the two top seeds will see their first playoff action. The bracket is arranged to match the top seed in each conference against the lowest remaining seed.
So, for example, if the seventh seed beats the second seed in the first round, the seventh seed must face the top seed in the Divisional Round. Also, the winners between the third vs. sixth and the fourth vs. fifth seed will match up in the other game.
Conference Championships
The semifinals in the NFL playoff bracket are the Conference Championship games in the AFC and NFC. The winners in the Divisional Round in each conference will play to determine which team will represent the conference in the Super Bowl. One game is scheduled on Saturday of that week, with the second conference championship scheduled for Sunday.
Super Bowl
The NFL’s league championship game is known as the Super Bowl and is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. The AFC and NFC championship game winners advance to the big game that has the most NFL playoff betting than any other event. In addition, the NFL playoff prediction for the Super Bowl often features the top offensive and defensive teams during the regular season.
How To Bet on the NFL Playoffs
At the start of the NFL playoffs, when facing the NFL bracket, the stakes are at their highest, as one loss means the end of the road for any team. The types of wagers made in the playoffs are the same as those players can make during the regular season.
However, the games have a completely different atmosphere and can sometimes be very tense. Bettors should take advantage of the incredible opportunities in NFL playoffs betting. Here are some of the popular wagers bettors can make on the NFL playoffs:
Moneylines
Moneyline betting in an NFL playoff bracket is as simple as picking the team that will win the game. The team favored will be indicated with a minus (-) in front of the odds, while the underdog is shown with a plus (+). For example, if the favorite team had odds of -120, bettors need to wager $120 to see a $100 profit.
Betting on an underdog with odds of +200 means that bettors will win $200 for every $100 bet on that team. Underdogs always pay more than favorites, but with more risk involved. This is one of the most common types of betting when viewing NFL playoff prediction data.
Point Spreads
This is one of the most popular ways to bet on the NFL playoff bracket. It predicts who will win the game based on a specific number of points added or subtracted from each team’s score.
For example, the underdog will have points added that can push their total past the favored team’s final score. As a result, the underdog will always pay back more, since they pose a higher risk than the favorite.
Totals
Wagering on the total or over/under in an NFL playoff prediction doesn’t hinge on the game’s outcome for one team or another. Instead, bettors are wagering if the total number of points scored by both teams in the game, when combined, will be higher or lower than the number posted by the bookmaker. If the total number of points is the same as that number, the bet is a push, and the stake is returned to the bettor.
Best Sportsbooks For NFL Playoffs Betting
Online bookmakers will offer less variation in their odds during the NFL playoffs, as most advantages come down to understanding how specific teams match up against each other. There are many reputable and experienced online sportsbooks for NFL betting, and players need to find the one that best suits what they’re looking for in an online sportsbook.
Online sports betting is currently legal in over half of the states in the U.S., with offer access to wagering odds and NFL bracket organization from some of the world’s top online providers. These providers also offer lucrative welcome bonuses for all players new to the site, which can significantly improve a player’s betting power.
Which Team Will Reach the Super Bowl?
As the postseason fast approaches, it becomes clearer who the contenders are for Super Bowl LVII. Preseason playoff predictions had the Buffalo Bills favored to win it all this season, and they currently lead the AFC standings and the current odds to take home the Lombardi Trophy in 2023.
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NFL Playoff Bracket FAQs
About half the states in the U.S. have many licensed online sportsbooks available for wagering on the NFL and many other sports betting markets. So as long as it’s regulated in the state you live in, it should be a viable and safe option.
No. Sportsbooks typically choose their own odds and then adjust them based on the response from the betting public to keep wagering even on both sides of the line. Therefore, variations in the odds are a good thing for NFL bettors, as they can shop around for the best value.
Yes. Live wagering is one of the most popular ways to bet on the NFL and is available at all the top online bookmakers.
Making a profit on NFL betting depends on the bettor and how intelligently they choose their wagers. Those who do enough research and know how to manage their bankroll are usually the most successful NFL bettors.
NFL betting is available at all legal online sportsbooks in the U.S. market. However, with new providers constantly becoming available, there’s no way to know if offshore sports betting providers have NFL wagering.
