2 wild card teams made the nfl playoffs.
2 wild card teams made the nfl playoffs.
how many wild card teams make the nfl playoffs?
2
this is (as of 2018) the last time wild card teams have met in the nfl postseason and, by extension, the last time a wild card team has hosted an nfl playoff game. the addition of the houston texans to the league in 2002 led to a realignment to eight divisions. the number of playoff berths remained six per conference, meaning one wild card berth per conference was eliminated and there would be no more meetings between wild card teams in the first round. as was the case prior to 2002, division champions retain priority for higher seeding and home field advantage regardless of records. since the 2002 re-alignment, the only way two wild card teams in the same conference can meet in the playoffs would be for both teams to win two consecutive road games in the playoffs, which would result in a meeting in the conference championship game hosted by the fifth seed. as of 2019, this scenario has not yet occurred.
2001–02 nfl playoffs
following the conclusion of the regular season, the nfl playoffs, a twelve-team single elimination tournament, is then held. six teams are selected from each conference: the winners of each of the four divisions as well as two wild card teams (the two remaining teams with the best overall record). these teams are seeded according to overall record, with the division champions always ranking higher than either of the wild card teams. the top two teams (seeded one and two) from each conference are awarded a bye week, while the remaining four teams (seeded 3–6) from each conference compete in the first round of the playoffs, the wild card round, with the third seed competing against the sixth seed and the fourth seed competing against the fifth seed. the winners of the wild card round advance to the divisional round, which matches the lower seeded team against the first seed and the higher seeded team against the second seed. the winners of those games then compete in the conference championships, with the higher remaining seed hosting the lower remaining seed. the afc and nfc champions then compete in the super bowl to determine the league champion.
national football league