Each year 32 teams think they have what it takes to reach the top, while only 14 of them will actually get a shot. About halfway through the season we have a decent idea of who will be realistically competing for a Super Bowl but we’ve learned in years past that anything can happen once January hits.
Of course, the first step is getting there, which is a lot easier said than done.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no strangers to those tides. Outside of a few good seasons, most of the last quarter century has been miserable for the Bucs. Two Super Bowls are hard to argue with, but a hefty tax was paid in between by fans who watched the team miss the playoffs 12 straight seasons after the Jon Gruden era ended.
Even that era was a bit grim, as the Bucs missed the playoffs in back-to-back years after winning the Super Bowl in 2002 and only made it twice more between then and when Tom Brady arrived in 2020.
Hopefully nobody was holding their breath waiting for a playoff appearance.
Bucs fans know how hard it is to make something of the playoffs once you make it there. The vaunted Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch teams consistently made the playoffs only to lose in the Wild Card round before eventually making it to the Super Bowl — once.
It’s not easy to win in the NFL but it’s even harder to do it in the playoffs.
NFL Playoff Bracket if the season ended today (Updated)
Note: Playoff picture is updated as of Sunday Night Football on January 7, 2024.
2024 NFC Playoff Picture and Wild Card Standings
1. San Francisco 49ers (12-5) -- Clinched No. 1 Seed
2. Dallas Cowboys (12-5) -- Clinched Playoff Berth
3. Detroit Lions (12-5) -- Clinched NFC North
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8) -- Clinched NFC South
5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) -- Clinched Playoff Berth
6. Los Angeles Rams (10-7) -- Clinched Playoff Berth
7. Green Bay Packers (9-8) -- Clinched Playoff Bert
Eliminated
Carolina Panthers (2-15)
Arizona Cardinals (4-11)
New York Giants (5-10)
Chicago Bears (7-9)
Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Minnesota Vikings (7-10)
Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
New Orleans Saints (9-8)
NFC Wild Card Matchups
- (2) Cowboys vs. (7) Packers - Jan 14th, 4:30 pm ET on FOX
- (3) Lions vs. (6) Rams - Jan 14th, 8 pm ET on NBC
- (4) Buccaneers vs. (5) Eagles - Jan 15th, 8 pm ET on ABC/ESPN
2024 AFC Playoff Picture and Wild Card Standings
1. Baltimore Ravens (13-3) -- Clinched No. 1 seed
2. Buffalo Bill (11-6) -- Clinched Playoff Berth
3. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6) -- Clinched AFC West
4. Houston Texans (10-7) -- Clinched AFC South
5. Cleveland Browns (11-5) -- Clinched Playoff Berth
6. Miami Dolphins (11-6) -- Clinched Playoff Berth
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) - Clinched Playoff Berth
Eliminated
New England Patriots (4-12)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-11)
Tennessee Titans (5-11)
New York Jets (6-10)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-9)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
Denver Broncos (8-8)
Indianapolis Colts (9-8)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
AFC Wild Card Matchups
- (2) Bills vs. (7) Steelers - Jan 14th, 1 pm ET on CBS
- (3) Chiefs vs. (6) Dolphins - Jan 13th, 8 pm ET on Peacock
- (4) Texans vs. (5) Browns - Jan 13th, 4:30 pm ET on NBC
When do the NFL Playoffs begin?
This year the NFL Playoffs will start on January 13th with Super Wild Card Weekend. Games kickoff on Saturday with five games scheduled to be played over the course of the weekend and one single game on ABC and ESPN in primetime on Monday night.
It used to be that three games were played per day on Saturday and Sunday but the new TV rights deal changed all of that. CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN will air at least one playoff game in the first round with ABC also getting the simulcast of the Monday night game.
NFL Playoffs TV schedule 2024
Wild Card Round
Date | Game | TV Channel | Start Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, Jan. 13th | Texans 45, Browns 14 | NBC | 4:30pm |
Saturday, Jan. 13th | Chiefs 26, Dolphins 7 | Peacock | 8:15pm |
Monday, Jan 15th | Bills 31, Steelers 17 | CBS | 4:30pm |
Sunday, Jan. 14th | Cowboys 32, Packers 48 | FOX | 4:30pm |
Sunday, Jan 14th | Lions 24, Rams 23 | NBC | 8:15pm |
Monday, Jan 15th | Buccaneers vs. Eagles | ESPN/ABC | 8:15pm ET |
Divisional Round
Date | Game | TV Channel | Start Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, Jan. 20th | Ravens vs. Texans | ESPN | 4:30pm |
Saturday, Jan. 20th | 49ers vs. Packers | FOX | 8 pm |
Sunday, Jan. 21st | Lions vs. Bucs/Eagles | NBC | 3 pm |
Sunday, Jan. 21st | Bills vs. Chiefs | CBS | 6:30 pm |
Championship Round
Date | Game | TV Channel | Start Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
Sunday, Jan. 28th | TBD vs. TBD | 2pm | |
Sunday, Jan. 28th | TBD vs. TBD | 5:30pm |
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