GRAPHICS
The final pieces of the NFL’s playoff picture came together Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers securing their fifth consecutive playoff berth. On the other end of the spectrum, the Denver Broncos return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they won the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at quarterback.
The Broncos join three other teams newly qualifying for the postseason: the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings. All four will be back on the field Jan. 11-13 with eight other teams in what the NFL calls “Super Wild Card Weekend.”
How the NFL bracket sets up for Super Wild Card Weekend
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How NFL playoff format works
After next weekend’s games, the records of the remaining four teams in each conference determine how the divisional championships set up Jan. 18 or 19:
◾ No. 1 seed hosts the lowest remaining seed.
◾ The next highest remaining seed hosts the other wild-card winner.
How odds differ in this weekend’s wild-card games
BetMGM, as of Monday morning, set these opening betting lines for the six wild card games. A plus before the number signifies the amount a bettor would win on a $100 bet. A minus signifies the amount a bettor must bet to win $100.
NFC wild card games
Packers (+185) at Eagles (-225) favored by 4.5 points
Commanders (+150) at Buccaneers (-185) favored by 3 points
Vikings (-135) favored by 1.5 points at Rams (+110)
AFC wild card games
Broncos (+400) at Bills (-550) favored by 8.5 points
Steelers (+425) at Ravens (-600) favored by 9.5 points
Chargers (-160) favored by 3 points at Texans (+135)
Best offenses and defenses of the 2024 NFL season
The Chiefs finished the regular season with the league’s best record, but did so with the lowest scoring differential among the top playoff teams. They outscored their opponents by just 59 points. Sunday’s 38-0 loss didn’t help, but less than a third of the NFC-leading Detroit Lions. Both the Lions and the Buffalo Bills scored more than 500 points this season – a milestone only the Dallas Cowboys hit in 2023.
In his first season back in the NFL, Jim Harbaugh turned up the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense, cutting their “points against” to 301 – almost than 100 points fewer than 2023 and leading the league in the category. The five-seed Chargers and Houston Texans will open Wild Card Weekend on Saturday afternoon. Interestingly, the underdog 10-7 Texans scored exactly as many points as they gave up this season.
Final NFL standings for the 2024 season
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