How To Prepare For The NFL Playoffs

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The holiday season is over, and your checking account may be as low as the credit card balance is high. The dismal months of January and February lay ahead of us, so what is there to look forward to?

The answer, of course, is that glittering jewel in the crown of US sport, the Super Bowl. This is the event that lights up February for hundreds of millions of people all over the world every year. 

There’s the excitement of the game itself as the two teams battle it out for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. There’s also the half-time spectacular to enjoy, plus it’s when the biggest companies in the US pull out all the stops with spectacular ads to fill up all the breaks in the action, paying around $7 million for just 30 seconds of airtime.

But before we reach this sporting entertainment pinnacle, we first need to have the playoffs. In their way, these can be just as exciting as the main event, as long as you’re ready.

So here are three ways to do just that.

Understand the Structure

The playoffs have been the traditional end to the NFL season ever since 1966 when the first Super Bowl was played. Over the years, they have involved different teams; today, there are 14. These are the four divisional champions from each of the two conferences and three so-called wild cards from each one.

Each of the conference’s teams is seeded from one to seven.

Throughout three rounds, the 14 teams are reduced to just two who meet in the Super Bowl.

The rounds for this year are as follows:

Wild Card Round, Played from January 11-13

This first round sees wild card teams play the seeds two to four in their respective conference. The number one seeds don’t play in this round.

It’s arranged so the lower seeds play the higher ones, so the number seven seed takes on number two, number six plays three, and five is drawn against four.

Because weaker teams play stronger ones, it can be a good time to study the NFL playoff odds, as so-called giant killings frequently occur and can be a good money-making opportunity.

Divisional Round, Played from January 18-19

Six teams are knocked out by now, leaving eight, with four from each conference. The second-lowest seed in the qualifiers plays the second-highest, and the lowest seed plays the remaining team in the draw. This round sees the number of teams still in the playoffs cut to four.

Conference Championship, Played on January 26

The two remaining teams in the playoffs for each conference compete to see which will become the overall conference champions. The next round is the Super Bowl, in which the remaining team from each conference takes on the other to establish an overall winner.

Check Out the Schedules

You don’t want to miss out on any of the action. That’s going to mean keeping on top of the broadcasters’ schedules. The action is shared between several of them, and this year is no different.

Fox will be showing the actual Super Bowl because it’s their turn in 2025, but other games will be on CBS, NBC, ESPN, and Amazon Prime. It’s very much open to last-minute negotiation about which network gets which specific game, so it pays to keep a close eye on things until the official announcements are made.

Get Your Friends Involved

Sports are so much better when you enjoy them in the company of others. In fact, without the communal element, it would not be fascinating.

So make sure you get as many like-minded friends involved as possible and set up a dedicated WhatsApp group to share news, score predictions, and even engage in good-natured banter about other people’s teams.

Ideas to Amp Up the Fun:

• You might even want to set up a sweepstakes to inject a little more friendly competition and make it more interesting.

• As for the game days, you have two choices about where to watch. You could head out to a sports bar to enjoy the action in the company of others.

Hosting a Playoff Party

Or you could put on a playoff party at home. Decorate your place in the teams’ colors and lay on food like beer nuts, nachos, wings, and hot dogs. But please, for the sake of the neighbors, no air horns!

Wrap Up

So, hopefully, this has set you up to get into this year’s playoffs. And soon, it’ll be time for the big one on Sunday, February 9. We’re sure we don’t need to tell you how to turn the Super Bowl into a significant event!