What NFL teams have a bye for week 1 of the NFL playoffs?
The NFL playoff picture remained murky heading into Week 18, but the last postseason slots have been determined, and the seeding has finally been set.
The NFL regular season went down to the wire, with the playoff picture still up in the air heading into Week 18. The last games have been played and finally it is all clear; the Kansas City Chiefs end with the best win percentage in the AFC and earn the bye week, while the Philadelphia Eagles clinch the top spot in the NFC.
What determines who gets a bye week for the playoffs?
When it comes to the NFL postseason, the No. 1 seed in each of the conferences gets a bye week for the first round - the Wild Card round - of the playoffs. They would normally also get to enjoy home field advantage. However, the canceled Bills-Bengals game has changed the guidelines regarding who are to potentially host some games.
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Since Kansas City and Buffalo both won their last games in Week 17, an AFC Championship Game between them would be played at a neutral site, since the Bills won a head-to-head game with the Chiefs in Week 6 even as Patrick Mahomes’ squad has a better win-loss record. Had the Bills won the canceled game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17, they would have hosted the conference championship.
The bye week is extremely important because it allows the players a week of rest and recovery, both physically and mentally, after five grueling weeks of play. It also gives the seeded teams an opportunity to watch and plan for their next opponents.
Here is the list of the teams that made it to the playoffs.
| AFC | NFC |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs, 14-3 (AFC West winner) | Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3 (NFC East winner) |
| Buffalo Bills, 13-3 (AFC East winner) | San Francisco 49ers, 13-4 (NFC West winner) |
| Cincinnati Bengals, 12-4 (AFC North winner) | Minnesota Vikings, 13-4 (NFC North winner) |
| Jacksonville Jaguars, 9-8 (AFC South winner) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8-9 (NFC South winner) |
| Los Angeles Chargers, 10-7 (First wild card) | Dallas Cowboys, 12-5 (First wild card) |
| Baltimore Ravens, 10-7 (Second wild card) | New York Giants, 9-7-1 (Second wild card) |
| Miami Dolphins, 9-8 (Third wild card) | Seattle Seahawks, 9-8 (Third wild card) |