The 2025 NFL Playoff Schedule will kick off with the Wild Card round on January 11, 2025, and conclude with the NFL Championship game (Super Bowl 2025) on Sunday, February 9, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament where the top seven teams from the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference race for the Championship Trophy.
This year, the NFL playoffs promise to be more competitive than ever. Here is everything you need to know about the NFL playoff schedule, including dates, times, TV channels and options for live streaming online.
When do the NFL playoffs start in 2025?
The NFL playoffs start on Saturday, January 11, 2025.
2025 NFL Playoff Games at a Glance:
- Wild-card games: January 11-13
- Divisional games: January 18-19
- Conference championships: January 26
- Super Bowl LVIII: Sunday, February 09
How many teams make the playoffs?
The top 14 teams will compete. The top-seeded team of the AFC and NFC conferences will receive a first-round bye and home-field advantage. The lowest remaining seeds will play the number 1 seeds in the second round.
NFL Wild Card playoff games
The NFL Wild Card playoff games will be played from Saturday, January 11, to Monday, January 13. A total of six Wild Card Games will be played, with three games scheduled for Saturday, two for Sunday, and one for Monday.
| Date | Matchup | Start time | Location | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jan 11, 2025 | AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 1:00 p.m. ET | TBD | CBS or FOX |
| Sat, Jan 11, 2025 | AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 4:30 p.m. ET | TBD | NBC/Peacock |
| Sat, Jan 11, 2025 | AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:00 p.m. ET | TBD | Peacock |
| Sun, Jan 12, 2025 | AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 4:30 p.m. ET | TBD | CBS or FOX |
| Sun, Jan 12, 2025 | AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | NBC |
| 8:15 pm ET | AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | ESPN/ABC |
NFL Divisional playoff games
The 2025 NFL Divisional playoff games will take place from January 18 to January 19.
| Date | Matchup | Start time | Location | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jan 18, 2025 | AFC/NFC Divisional Round | 4:30 p.m. ET | TBD | TBA |
| Sat, Jan 18, 2025 | AFC/NFC Divisional Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | TBA |
| Sun, Jan 19, 2025 | AFC/NFC Divisional Round | 3:00 p.m. ET | TBD | TBA |
| Sun, Jan 19, 2025 | AFC/NFC Divisional Round | 6:30 p.m. ET | TBD | TBA |
NFL Conference Championship 2025
| Date | Matchup | Start time | Location | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Jan 26, 2025 | NFC Championship Game | 3:00 p.m. ET | TBD | FOX |
| Sun, Jan 26, 2025 | AFC Championship Game | 6:30 p.m. ET | TBD | CBS |
Super Bowl 2025
Super Bowl LIX is taking place on Sunday, February 9th, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
| Date | Matchup | Start time (ET) | Location | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Feb 09, 2025 | Super Bowl LIX (AFC Champ vs. NFC Champ) | 6:30 pm ET | Caesars Superdome New Orleans, LA | FOX |
Do you want to track the current progress of NFL playoff games? Follow and Download the bracket here.
How to watch the NFL Playoffs Live Stream or on TV?
The 2025 NFL Playoff games will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Peacock. If you have these channels through your cable provider, you can watch the NFL Playoffs 2025 for free using your TV provider login details on their official websites or apps.
If you do not have these channels in your TV package, are not subscribed to a TV provider, or simply prefer streaming, services like Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and FuboTV include the channels that broadcast NFL games.
These services require a subscription, but they often offer free trials. For example, FuboTV offers a 7-day free trial for new users.
How does the 2025 NFL playoff system work?
The 2025 NFL playoff system is designed to be exciting and competitive, ensuring that the best teams make it to the postseason. Under this system, a total of 14 teams qualify for the playoffs, with seven from each conference (AFC and NFC).
These include the four division winners in each conference and three wild card teams with the best records outside of the division winners. The team with the top record in each conference earns a first-round bye, advancing directly to the Divisional Round.
The remaining teams face off in the Wild Card Round, with the lowest-seeded wild card team playing the division winner with the best record, and so on. The playoffs culminate in the Conference Championships, followed by the Super Bowl, where the AFC and NFC champions face off for the ultimate NFL glory.
This system not only rewards regular-season performance but also adds an element of unpredictability and excitement to the postseason.