The 2022 NFL playoffs are here and the NFL will soon crown another champion in Super Bowl 55. That is, if Tom Brady and the Buccaneers don’t repeat as champions.
Brady and the Bucs are hoping to be the first repeat Super Bowl winners since Brady’s Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004. This year, Tampa Bay will enter the postseason as the NFC South winner — they were a Wild Card team last year — but they won’t have the advantage of playing the Super Bowl on home soil.
Instead, it will be the Rams and Chargers who can rely on home turf to, potentially, put them over the top. Of course, neither is the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences — those belong to the Titans and Packers respectively — but if either team does make it that far, they get to play in front of a friendly crowd at SoFi Stadium.
MORE: Watch NFL playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial)
Having that bye has become so much more critical under the NFL’s new 14-team postseason format. The No. 1 seeds in each conference are the only teams to get a week off, so they have a significant rest (and usually, health) advantage over other squads. That doesn’t mean a team playing on Wild Card weekend can’t win; the Buccaneers proved that last year. But it makes being the No. 1 seed that much better.
The NFL playoffs are wide open this year, as there isn’t a truly dominant team league-wide. The Packers have been the most consistent, but they haven’t made a Super Bowl since 2011. Until they get over the hump, it’s too early to crown them the team to beat, especially with Brady’s Bucs and a few other rock-solid teams lurking.
NFL PLAYOFFS: How playoff bracket, seeding works after 17-game season
Here’s a look at the full playoff field and bracket for 2022:
NFL playoff bracket 2022
Here’s a look at the complete NFL playoff bracket for 2022:
AFC
1. Tennessee Titans (bye)
2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 7. Los Angeles Chargers
3. Cincinnati Bengals vs. 6. Indianapolis Colts
4. Buffalo Bills vs. 5. New England Patriots
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (bye)
2. Los Angeles Rams vs. 7. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
4. Dallas Cowboys vs. 5. Arizona Cardinals
When do the NFL playoffs start 2022?
- Start date: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022
Wild Card weekend will begin on Saturday, Jan. 15 with two games. There will be three games on Sunday afternoon while the sixth — and final — Wild Card game will take place on Monday night. It will mark the first “Monday Night Football” playoff game under the NFL’s expanded 14-game postseason format.
How to watch NFL playoff games on TV, live stream
- TV networks: ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox
- Live stream: ESPN+, Paramount+, fuboTV, DAZN (Canada)
The NFL playoff games will air on the same networks that show the regular season games. CBS, Fox and NBC will broadcast most of them, with NBC having the rights to the Super Bowl in 2022, while ESPN and ABC will combine to broadcast a couple of Wild Card games, including the first “Monday Night Football” Wild Card game of all time.
Streamers will be able to catch the games in a variety of ways. ESPN+ will carry the ESPN games, Paramount+ will have the CBS games, Peacock will live stream the NBC games and the aptly-named Fox Sports app will make Fox’s games available for all.
NFL playoff games can also be streamed live online with a subscription to fuboTV, which comes with a free trial.
DAZN will be carrying NFL playoff games in Canada.
NFL playoff schedule 2022
Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 4:35 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 1:05 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 4:40 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | TBD | fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC/NFC Wild-Card Round | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | ESPN App, fuboTV |
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 22
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 23
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
| NFC Divisional Round | TBA | TBA | fuboTV |
Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 30
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC Championship Game | 3:05 p.m. ET | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
| NFC Championship Game | 6:40 p.m. ET | Fox | Fox Sports app, fuboTV |
Super Bowl 56
Sunday, Feb. 13
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Super Bowl 56 | 6:30 p.m. ET | NBC | NBC Sports app, fuboTV |
When is Super Bowl 56 in 2022?
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 13
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
Super Bowl 56 will be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the first time in the stadium’s brief history. The arena opened its doors on Sept. 8, 2020, though no fans attended the first game due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Super Bowl 55 was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla. last year. The Buccaneers became the first team to win the Super Bowl on their home turf; the Rams and Chargers will hope to make it happen for the second time in as many years.
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