The NFL playoff bracket for 2021 has taken its final form.
While the NFC East Champion in “Sunday Night Football” has yet to be determined, everyone who is will be locked in No. 4 of the NFC and receive the Buccaneers in the wild card round. Otherwise everything is set in stone. The Chiefs and Packers bid farewell to each conference. The Dolphins, Cardinals and Cowboys had costly losses in Week 17. And the Bills and Rams have shown that they can win without their best players on the field.
Starting January 9, the NFL will show its expanded playoff bracket with 14 teams (of the usual 12 for the first time this season). Of these 14, 12 will play in the first round thanks to a necessarily changed bye structure to end with the same number of playoff rounds. Additional teams mean two additional games, with three games played on Saturday and Sunday on the wildcard weekend.
Below is everything you need to know about the NFL playoff bracket in 2021, including a full postseason schedule, TV channels for all playoff games, and results / results as they come.
MORE: NFL’s Extended Playoff Bracket Explained
NFL playoff bracket 2021
Here’s a look at the full NFL playoff bracket for 2021, updated prior to Sunday Night Football.
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (bye)
2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts
3. Pittsburgh Steelers versus 6. Cleveland Browns
4. Tennessee Titans vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (bye)
2. New Orleans Saints versus 7. Chicago Bears
3rd Seattle Seahawks versus 6. Los Angeles Rams
4th Washington Football Team / New York Giants versus 5th Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFL playoff schedule 2021
This section will be updated when the NFL playoff schedule is released.
Wildcard round
Saturday January 9th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD at TBD | 1:05 p.m. ET | TBD | TBD |
| TBD at TBD | 4:40 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| TBD at TBD | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday January 10th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD at TBD | 1:05 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| TBD at TBD | 4:40 p.m. ET | CBS | fuboTV |
| TBD at TBD | 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC | fuboTV |
Divisional round
Saturday 16th January
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday 17th January
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
Conference championships
Sunday January 24th
| Match | Visiting team | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| NFC versus NFC | NFC TBD | 3:05 p.m. ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| AFC versus AFC | AFC TBD | 6:40 p.m. ET | CBS | fuboTV |
Super Bowl 55
Sunday February 7th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC champion versus NFC champion | 6:30 p.m. ET | CBS | fuboTV |
TV channels, live streams for NFL playoff games
Starting with the wildcard round, NFL playoff games will be shown each week on NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN nationwide. CBS has exclusive broadcast rights to the AFC championship game, while Fox broadcast the NFC championship. CBS is home to Super Bowl 55.
In Canada, you can live stream on DAZN, which offers a free trial.
Details of national and local television coverage for each playoff game are included in the tables below and will be updated when the NFL playoff schedule is published.
Wildcard round
Saturday January 9th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD at TBD | 1:05 p.m. ET | TBD | TBD |
| TBD at TBD | 4:40 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| TBD at TBD | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday January 10th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| TBD at TBD | 1:05 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| TBD at TBD | 4:40 p.m. ET | CBS | fuboTV |
| TBD at TBD | 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC | fuboTV |
Divisional round
Saturday 16th January
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday 17th January
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round (TBD at TBD) | TBD | TBD | fuboTV |
Conference championships
Sunday January 24th
| Match | Visiting team | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| NFC versus NFC | NFC TBD | 3:05 p.m. ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| AFC versus AFC | AFC TBD | 6:40 p.m. ET | CBS | fuboTV |
Super Bowl 55
Sunday February 7th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live broadcast |
| AFC champion versus NFC champion | 6:30 p.m. ET | CBS | fuboTV |
When will the NFL playoffs end in 2021?
- Start date: Saturday January 9th
- Deadline: Sunday February 7th
The NFL playoffs last about a month and begin with the wild card round, divisional round, and conference championships before culminating in the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida on February 7th.
As is so often the case, there is a week off between the conference title games and the Super Bowl. Usually the Pro Bowl is played in this void, although no physical Pro Bowl game will be played in 2021.
