The playoffs are fewer games than the regular season, but each game is valuable and worth watching, especially if it is a big favorite like the Buccaneers or Chiefs playing in the Wild Card round. Most of the games will be played on weekends, which is much easier for people who work on weekdays, the playoffs officially start on January 15, 2022.
The first round of the playoffs is the wild card round, which will define the teams that will play in the divisional round. The wild cards for the 2022 playoffs are the Raiders, Patriots, Steelers, Cardinals, 49ers, and Eagles. Two of them lost the top seeded (from No. 2 to No. 4 are non-wildcard spots) but in the end they made the playoffs, and that's what counts.
The first weekend from January 15 to Monday January 17 starts the wild card round, the day with the most games in that round is January 16 with three games. The following weekend the next round, divisional, begins with eight teams.
When do the 2022 NFL Playoffs start?
Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raigers will open the playoffs with a game on January 15, 2022 at Paul Brown Stadium, that will be the official start of the postseason. That same day, the Bills and Patriots play in a Saturday Night Football game at 9:15 PM (ET). A day later, on January 16, the wild card playoff round continues with three games and ends on January 17 with a game between Arizona and the Rams in California.
The next two rounds after the wild card games will be played between January 22/23 and January 30. The 2021-22 National Football League season ends with Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Who are the big favorites to win in the NFL playoffs in 2022?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady are top favorites as defending champs, but the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs are sitting in the top 3 favorites list as well. Other teams looking for a shot at the playoffs are the Bengals, 49ers and Cardinals. The Cowboys are definitely not favorites, but we'll see what they can do during the playoffs.
