We are four weeks away from the end of the regular season in the NFL, and for now we already have four teams qualified for the playoffs, of the 14 franchises that will make up the playoffs, ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

In addition, there are seven teams officially eliminated from postseason contention, so there are still 21 teams fighting and trying to make it to the NFL playoffs.

Once the 14 tickets have a name, the battle begins for a ticket to the title match in one of the most powerful leagues on the planet.

What are the Playoffs?

The NFL is made up of 32 teams, which are divided into two conferences of 16 franchises each: American Conference (AFC) and National Conference (NFC).

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Each of these two conferences has four divisions of four teams each: East, North, West and South.

Each team plays 17 games in the regular season, which consists of 18 weeks, as each team is entitled to a bye week.

Once the regular season is over, seven teams qualify for the playoffs in each conference: the four division leaders plus the three best marks in each conference.

The playoffs will be played throughout January, while Super Bowl LIX will take place on February 9 at the Caesars Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints.

During the playoffs, teams will have to eliminate each other over several rounds including the wild card round, the divisional games and the championship games to give the two available tickets to New Orleans.

The postseason is played in a single game at the stadium of the team with the best record in the regular season standings; the two teams with the best record in each conference rest the first week in the wild card games, to enter action until the divisional round.

In the postseason, as well as in the Super Bowl, things are different, as playoff games must determine a winner.

In the event of a tie in regulation time, a 15-minute overtime period will be played, with the first team to score in the diagonals, commit a safety or score a field goal (as long as there has been an offensive opportunity) winning.

There have been two occasions when the best teams in the NFL’s NFC and AFC have had to go into overtime to determine the season’s champion of professional football in the United States, and interestingly, both occasions have been in the last 10 years.

The first was in Super Bowl LI (2017), when the Atlanta Falcons had a humiliating moment as they blew a 28-9 lead in the fourth quarter against a spirited New England Patriots.

The second time was in Super Bowl LVIII, which was held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11, 2024, and featured the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

• Duration: Overtime periods last 15 minutes each, continuing until a winner is determined.
• Coin Toss: Conducted similarly to the regular season, with the visiting team calling the toss.
• Possession: Both teams are guaranteed at least one possession, regardless of whether the first team scores a touchdown. If the score remains tied after each team has had the ball, play continues, and the next score wins.
• Timeouts: Each team receives three timeouts per overtime period.
• Intermissions: There is a two-minute intermission between overtime periods; no halftime intermission occurs after the second period.
• Challenges: As in the regular season, coaches’ challenges are not allowed; all reviews are initiated by the replay official.