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NFL PLAYOFFS: The Seattle Seahawks advance after the Packers’ shock loss, Tom Brady faces the Cowboys next Monday, while Damar Hamlin’s Buffalo Bills take on the Miami Dolphins
We have our playoff schedule in order, but not with a late dramatic turn when the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.
There is no Aaron Rodgers, potentially forever, as the quarterback considers his future, and the Seattle Seahawks advance thanks to the surprising result at Lambeau Field.
Sportsmail explains the playoff layout from here.
The Seattle Seahawks make it to the playoffs after the Packers lost to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY JANUARY 14
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 pm ET, FOX
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
MONDAY, JANUARY 16
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys
WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE PLAYOFFS?
This is the third consecutive year of the current NFL playoff format, which includes the top seven teams from both the AFC and NFC.
The winners of all four divisions in both conferences automatically get the top four seeds, regardless of record, and then the top three teams with the best record that did not win their division are the wild card selections. That’s why it’s fairly common for a wild-card pick to have a better record, but a worse playoff berth, than a team that finished as the division winner.
The No. 1 seeded team in each conference gets a bye to the second round, which is the Chiefs and Eagles, while No. 2 hosts No. 7, No. 3 hosts No. 6, and the No. No. 4 hosts No. 5 on wild-card weekend.
The NFL has a relocation policy after each round of the playoffs. That means that no matter how the group started, the lowest ranked team will always travel to the highest ranked team.
There are four rounds to the playoffs: the wild card round is next weekend, the divisional round is January 21 and 22, the conference championship games are January 29, and the Super Bowl is scheduled for February 12 in Glendale. , arizona
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs sit out next week after finishing as the top seed in the Western Conference
WHAT CHANGED WITH THE CANCELLATION OF BILLS-BENGALS?
It has been an eventful week for the players and fans, who watched in horror on Monday night when Damar Hamlin collapsed on the pitch and had to undergo CPR before being taken away in an ambulance. A few days later, those same players and fans I have looked with joy while Hamlin recovers.
That made it a lot easier to focus on Week 18 and now the playoffs.
The Bills-Bengals game had major AFC playoff implications, so the cancellation of the game due to Hamlin’s injury could force some changes depending on the playoff results.
The AFC championship game will be played at a neutral site if the Chiefs and Bills get to that point.
Buffalo’s 35-23 win over New England on Sunday, coupled with Kansas City’s 31-13 win in Las Vegas on Saturday means the No. 1 seed Chiefs (14-3) cannot host the game. for the conference title against the Bills. (13-3) because the teams played an uneven number of games.
NFL owners passed a resolution Friday that implemented new rules for this postseason in response to the cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game.