How many teams make the NFL playoffs? Updated standings for 2023 playoff bracket

The NFL is in the third year of its 14-team playoff field, and this year has featured some thrilling wild card races.

Starting in 2020, the NFL recalibrated its seedings to accommodate seven teams from each conference, which resulted in just one team getting a bye week on Wild Card Weekend.

As a result, No. 2 now plays No. 7, No. 3 hosts No. 6, and No. 4 welcomes No. 5. No. 1, meanwhile, gets to wait for the lowest seed.

MORE: NFL playoff tiebreaker scenarios, explained

Sporting News is breaking down the current playoff picture, along with the brackets and tiebreaker formats for the league.

How many teams make the NFL playoffs in 2022?

There will be seven teams that reach the NFL playoffs in each conference, meaning 14 teams total will end the 2023 regular season with a chance to win a Super Bowl. Here’s how those 14 slots would play out as we enter Week 18: 

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (BYE)
2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. New England Patriots
3. Cincinnati Bengals vs. 6. Baltimore Ravens
4. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. 5. Los Angeles Chargers

NFC 

1. Philadelphia Eagles (BYE)
2. San Francisco 49ers vs. 7. Seattle Seahawks
3. Minnesota Vikings vs. 6. New York Giants
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 5. Dallas Cowboys

NFL playoff picture

AFC

NFC

*Clinched playoff berth

NFL tiebreakers for playoffs

The NFL has a long system to decide how each team will get into the playoffs to avoid a potential tiebreaking game for any of the spots. They have slightly different tiebreaker formats to decide who advances between the division leaders and the wild card spots.

Here’s how the NFL will break a division lead tie between two teams. The same tiebreaker applies to three or more teams, with the only difference being that in step three, there needs to be a minimum of four common games. If only two teams remain tied after the third step, or another is eliminated, the tiebreaker goes back to the first step.

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

Here’s how the league would break a tie in the wild card between two different teams.

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.

Here’s how it would shake out for three different teams tied for a wild card spot.

1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss