Why the NFL Playoffs Are the 'Most Unusual' in Years
New England's Drake Maye (left) and Chicago's Caleb Williams were top-three draft picks in 2024
A longstanding powerhouse has fallen, big names have faltered, and longshots have transformed into legitimate title threats.
Veteran NFL commentator Cris Collinsworth stated, "this is the most unusual year I can remember in the NFL."
Fourteen teams will battle in the postseason, and notably, the Kansas City Chiefs are missing for the first time in eleven years.
Philadelphia, the reigning titleholders, have looked more vulnerable, and clubs such as Buffalo, considered favorites before the season, have underwhelmed.
Demonstrating the season's strength, an impressive 11 out of the 14 playoff entrants notched 11-plus wins, something that has happened merely twice since the late 1980s.
Setting a new mark, five franchises made the postseason after dreadful prior campaigns, featuring New England and Chicago's remarkable jumps from the basement to division champions.
"If you ask me to pick a favourite, I don't know, because you can put something on all of them," Collinsworth added.
"The clash of these young quarterbacks will be fascinating to observe, as their potential is unpredictable. This is the stage where legendary statuses are forged."
How Do the NFL Playoffs Function?
Fourteen teams enter the postseason, split evenly with seven representatives from both the AFC and NFC.
The conferences remain separate throughout a three-week, 12-game knockout tournament that determines each conference's representative in Super Bowl 60 on February 8.
The highest-seeded team in each matchup enjoys home-field advantage, with the top seeds—Denver and Seattle—receiving a first-round bye during Wildcard Weekend.
These top seeds debut in the Divisional Round. The winners of the subsequent Conference Championships—the de facto Super Bowl semifinals—will clash in the title game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
Seattle and Denver could potentially recreate their 2014 Super Bowl meeting, a game Seattle won handily, though Denver triumphed at Levi's Stadium in the 2016 championship.
The AFC Championship Picture: A Field of Opportunity
The postseason will proceed without Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, a playoff constant until now, marking a significant shift.
Furthermore, this year's Super Bowl will be the first since 2019 not to include either Mahomes or Cincinnati's Joe Burrow.
Powerhouse franchises like Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Baltimore all missed the playoffs, removing the AFC's customary frontrunners and clearing the stage.
Consequently, the competition for the AFC crown is remarkably open, presenting a golden opportunity for new quarterbacks such as Denver's Bo Nix and New England's Drake Maye to achieve postseason fame.
Since 2016, only three franchises have won the AFC Championship, and none of those teams' players from their last title remain.
Top seed Denver has minimal recent playoff experience, and besides the Broncos and Patriots, Pittsburgh is the only other AFC playoff team with a Super Bowl appearance since 1995.
Yet, seasoned passers like Pittsburgh's Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen of Buffalo remain, possessing the know-how to potentially outduel the younger generation.
Identifying the Frontrunners for the Super Bowl and MVP
Teams from the NFC have dominated Super Bowl appearances lately, with the Eagles, Rams, or 49ers featuring in nearly every title game for eight years.
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have essentially been in playoff mode for weeks, battling Seattle in the fiercely competitive NFC West.
The Seahawks claimed the division crown with a 14-3 mark, riding a seven-game victory streak into the postseason after besting both the Rams and 49ers late.
This earned Seattle the NFC's top seed, making them slight Super Bowl favorites, just ahead of the 12-5 Rams, whose quarterback Matthew Stafford is the MVP frontrunner.
Stafford, who won a Super Bowl in his first season with the Rams in 2022, has never won the MVP but is rated just ahead of New England's second-year quarterback, Drake Maye.
The development of Maye, aided by head coach Mike Vrabel, has been central to the Patriots' remarkable turnaround from four wins to fourteen.
In Chicago, quarterback Caleb Williams has also prospered with a new head coach, Ben Johnson, transforming the Bears into an 11-win team and the NFC's second seed.
Wildcard Weekend: The Complete Fixture List
All times are in GMT
Saturday, 10 January
Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers (21:30)
Chicago Bears welcome the Green Bay Packers (01:00 Sunday)
Sunday, 11 January
The Bills are on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars (18:00)
Philadelphia Eagles face the San Francisco 49ers (21:30)
New England Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers (01:00 Monday)
Monday, 12 January
The Texans meet the Pittsburgh Steelers (01:00 Tuesday)
What to Watch For During the Playoff Openers
Wildcard Weekend opens with the Rams at Carolina, a Panthers squad that historically qualified for the postseason despite a sub-.500 8-9 finish as division champions.
Although on the road, the Rams feature Matthew Stafford, the regular-season leader in passing yards and TDs, and receiver Puka Nacua, who amassed 1,715 receiving yards.
Green Bay's momentum was stalled by late-season injuries, but they will have quarterback Jordan Love back for just the third playoff game in the NFL's oldest rivalry.
Chicago, which surpassed preseason forecasts to win the NFC North, is under pressure to avert a three-game skid and a quick postseason departure.
San Francisco, dealing with numerous injuries, must challenge the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia, a team that enters well-rested.
Josh Allen and the Bills, often thwarted in recent playoffs, must go on the road to confront a surging Jacksonville squad that has won eight straight.
{New England aims to avoid an upset at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, whose quarterback Justin Herbert seeks his first playoff win in his sixth season.|The Patriots hope to defend their home field against the Chargers, as LA's quarterback Justin Herbert looks for his inaugural postseason victory in year six.|At home, New England tries to stave off the Chargers, with Justin Herbert attempting to secure his first career playoff
