The 2022 NFL Playoffs are underway and Super Bowl 2022 is just hours away! NBC Sports has you covered with all you need to know about the postseason this year including the format, dates, locations, how overtime works, how to watch information, and more. Plus, watch Super Bowl LVI live on NBC and Peacock with coverage beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.
How do the 2022 NFL playoffs work? What is the format this year?
A total of 14 teams–seven from each conference–will compete in the playoffs this year. The top seed from each conference – the Green Bay Packers in the NFC and Tennessee Titans in the AFC – has a bye to the divisional round. The previous format featured 12 teams (6 from each conference) and allowed two teams in each conference to have first-round byes. As a result, there are now two extra games on Wild Card weekend.
Which teams are in the NFL Playoffs this year?
Here are the fourteen teams competing in this year’s postseason:
Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Bengals and Rams are the two teams remaining in Super Bowl LVI.
READ MORE: PFT’s NFL Wild Card 2022 picks and predictions
See below for the 2022 NFL Playoffs bracket and matchups.
And then there were TWO.#RuleTheJungle | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/ViiGO215Qb
— Super Bowl LVI on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 31, 2022
How does overtime work in the NFL playoffs?
Here are the official NFL OT rules for the NFL postseason including the Super Bowl:
- If the score is still tied at the end of an overtime period — or if the second team’s initial possession has not ended — the teams will play another overtime period. Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined.
- There will be a two-minute intermission between each overtime period. There will not be a halftime intermission after the second period.
- The captain who lost the first overtime coin toss will either choose to possess the ball or select which goal his team will defend, unless the team that won the coin toss deferred that choice.
- Each team gets three timeouts during a half.
- The same timing rules that apply at the end of the second and fourth regulation periods also apply at the end of a second or fourth overtime period.
- If there is still no winner at the end of a fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss, and play will continue until a winner is declared.
When do the 2022 NFL Playoffs start?
Wild Card Weekend will take place on Saturday, January 15, Sunday, January 16 and Monday, January 17 featuring six games total. The divisional round will take place on Saturday, January 22 and Sunday, January 23. The conference championships will take place on Sunday, January 30 with the winners advancing to the Super Bowl. Click here for a complete schedule with game times and information on how to watch.
When is Super Bowl 2022?
Super Bowl 56 will take place on Sunday, February 13 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. The game will air live on NBC and Peacock with coverage beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Check out ProFootballTalk for more on the 2022 NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl 2022 as well as game previews, picks, recaps, news, rumors and more.
