With the NFL regular season done and dusted, the holy grail of the Super Bowl is beginning to loom large on the horizon. Those sides still in the hunt for glory must first successfully manoeuvre their way through the perilous playoff path that lies before them over the coming month before they reach the promised land that is New Orleans, where Super Bowl LIX is being held. For the first time in over a decade, every playoff side won 10 or more games during the regular season, so plenty of teams will fancy their chances of going the distance.
Unsurprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs, who reigned supreme at the previous two Super Bowls, are well-supported in lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy again this season. Andy Reid's champs will make NFL history if they go all the way, as no team has ever three-peated. Worryingly for Kansas City’s rivals, the Chiefs are having one of their best seasons ever, losing just twice during the regular season en route to grabbing the No.1 slot in the AFC.
The No.1 seeds in the NFC, the Detroit Lions, have been purring themselves all season long and finished the regular season with an identically impressive 15-2 record. While the Chiefs strolled into the postseason, the Lions demolished the highly-regarded Vikings to finish top of the NFC and are now vying for Super Bowl favouritism with Kansas City. While the Chiefs and Lions received a bye to the Divisional Round of the playoffs as a result of them topping their respective conferences, the other sides still dreaming of Super Bowl stardom had to take part in the 6-game Super Wild card weekend, with the six losing teams having to sign off and ship out.
Let GOAL show you all the vital NFL postseason information you require, including the upcoming playoff schedule and how you can watch every single game live.
2024/25 NFL playoff schedule
Following the 2024 NFL regular season, the NFL playoff seeding was as follows:
AFC
- No. 1 seed: Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West winners)
- No. 2 seed: Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East winners)
- No. 3 seed: Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners)
- No. 4 seed: Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South winners)
- No. 5 seed: Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 1)
- No. 6 seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2)
- No. 7 seed: Denver Broncos (10-7, wild card No. 3)
NFC
- No. 1 seed: Detroit Lions (15-2, NFC North winners)
- No. 2 seed: Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East winners)
- No. 3 seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winners)
- No. 4 seed: Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West winners)
- No. 5 seed: Minnesota Vikings (14-3, wild card No. 1)
- No. 6 seed: Washington Commanders (12-5, wild card No. 2)
- No. 7 seed: Green Bay Packers (11-6, wild card No. 3)
The NFL playoffs have four rounds: wild card, divisional, conference championship and Super Bowl. The first three rounds happen in consecutive weeks before a two-week break ahead of the Super Bowl. The AFC & NFC regular season winners (Chiefs & Lions), who sat out the Wild Card Round, play at home for as long as they remain in the playoffs. The pair host the lowest remaining seeds from their respective conferences in the Divisional Round, with the next highest seed hosting the fourth and final team in the other game. That is repeated in the following round, with the highest remaining seed playing at home in the Conference Championships. The No. 1 seeds can only play teams seeded Nos. 4-7 in the Divisional Round, while the remaining seeds can play anyone bar the No. 7 seed, which would automatically draw the No. 1 seed with a victory.
2024/25 NFL playoffs Wild card round
Getty ImagesThe opening round of the NFL playoffs is known as Wild Card Weekend (or Super Wild Card Weekend these days). Six games are played during this phase (three games from each conference), featuring the teams seeded from 2 through to 7. So all teams bar the No. 1 seeded sides.
NFL Wild Card Round format
- No. 1 seeds have a bye
- No. 2 seeds host No. 7 seeds
- No. 3 seeds host No. 6 seeds
- No. 4 seeds host No. 5 seeds
Wild Card Weekend Recap
Getty ImagesSaturday, 11 January
AFC - Los Angeles Chargers (5) 12-32 Houston Texans (4)
Sunday, 12 January
AFC - Pittsburgh Steelers (6) 14-28 Baltimore Ravens (3)
AFC - Denver Broncos (7) 7-31 Buffalo Bills (2)
NFC - Green Bay Packers (7) 10-22 Philadelphia Eagles (2)
Monday, 13 January
NFC - Washington Commanders (6) 23-20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3)
Tuesday, 14 January
NFC - Los Angeles Rams (4) 27-10 Minnesota Vikings (5)
Five of the six home sides (higher-seeded outfits) were victorious and moved on to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Washington Commanders upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however Washington did have a better regular season record than the Bucs. The LA Rams had to host their match against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium in Arizona instead of their usual SoFi Stadium home, due to the recent Los Angeles wildfires. The Rams side still ran out comfortable winners.
2024/25 NFL Divisional playoffs round
Getty imagesFollowing the Wild card cull, eight sides remain and take part in the Divisional Round. The No.1 seeds in the AFC and NFC host the lowest remaining seeds from their respective conferences, and the second-highest remaining seeds host the second-lowest remaining seeds.
2024/25 NFL Championship round
The Divisional Round winners in the AFC and NFC face off with the higher-seeded side hosting each game - those who reign victorious head to the Super Bowl as conference champions.
Sunday, January 26
- NFC Championship game (20:00 GMT)
- AFC Championship game (23:30 GMT)
Super Bowl LIX
Getty ImagesThe Conference Championship winners face off at a neutral venue. This year’s Super Bowl (59 or LIX) is being held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, home of the Saints, on Sunday, February 9 and will kick off at 23:30 GMT. The stadium has the record for hosting the Super Bowl seven times, and this will be the eighth.
2024/25 NFL Divisional playoffs schedule
| Date | Game | Kick Off (GMT) | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Jan 18 | Texans at Chiefs | 9:30 PM | DAZN NFL Pass/Sky Sports |
| Sun Jan 19 | Commanders at Lions | 1:15 AM | DAZN NFL Pass/Sky Sports |
| Sun Jan 19 | Rams at Eagles | 8 PM | DAZN NFL Pass/Sky Sports |
| Sun Jan 19 | Ravens at Bills | 11:30 PM | DAZN NFL Pass/Sky Sports |
How to watch and live stream the NFL playoffs in the UK
Getty ImagesDAZN & Amazon Prime (NFL Game Pass)
DAZN NFL Game Pass has offered NFL enthusiasts the opportunity to watch every single NFL game live throughout the season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl LIX. NFL Game Pass is available on Prime Video in the UK, through a partnership between DAZN and Amazon. DAZN viewers also have access to NFL Network, highlights, and documentaries. Subscribers can download NFL Game Pass and watch it on the go, with the ability to stream it on multiple devices. It's ideal for catching up on games on the morning commute if you’ve missed any of the previous night’s action.
NFL Game Pass is available as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to an existing DAZN package on the DAZN app. There are various NFL packages that DAZN offer. The basic one is the ‘Weekly Pro’, which gives 7-day access (no-commitment) to all NFL games and shows during a single week, costing £14.99. A further step-up is the ‘Season Pro’ bundle, charged at £15.99 monthly, on a 12-month contract.
Sky Sports / NOW
Sky Sports is showing all the playoff encounters live too. NOW TV also offers a variety of sign-ups and memberships, allowing avid sports watchers in the UK easier access to live NFL games and shows. The Sky Sports NFL channel regularly shows NFL Network favourites, such as Good Morning Football, Pro Football Talk and NFL Fantasy each and every week.
You can add Sky Sports online or through the My Sky app anytime if you're an existing Sky customer. The package starts from £20 per month with Sky Stream. Sky Sports+ is included at no extra cost, allowing the viewer to watch many more live events across a range of sports. The Sky Sports app allows subscribers to download and watch live sports on the go and is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
NOW TV offers a variety of sign-ups for the avid sports watcher, including the ‘Sports Day Membership, which allows access to all 12 Sky Sports channels for a 24-hour period. NOW’s ‘Fully Flexible Sports Month Membership’ again gives unlimited Sky Sports access but over a 30-day period instead. That costs £34.99 a month and auto-renews unless cancelled before the end of the month. There’s also a ‘6-month Saver’ package, where you are charged £25% less and only pay £26 a month, but you need to sign up for a 6-month minimum term.
ITV
Super Bowl LIX will also be screened live for free-to-air viewers on ITV and available to stream on ITVX.