How Many Games Are in the Wild Card Round?

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By Valerie Becker

When it comes to the NFL playoffs, the Wild Card Round is one of the most exciting and unpredictable stages of the postseason. But how many games are actually played during this round?

Well, to answer that question, we need to take a closer look at how the Wild Card Round is structured.

Firstly, let’s start with a quick overview of how teams qualify for the playoffs. At the end of the regular season, six teams from each conference (AFC and NFC) advance to the playoffs based on their win-loss records. The top two teams from each conference earn a bye in the first round and automatically advance to the Divisional Round.

That leaves four Wild Card teams from each conference competing in two games during Wild Card Weekend. So, in total, there are four games played during this round – two in the AFC and two in the NFC.

Now let’s dive deeper into how these games are scheduled and played.

The matchups for the Wild Card Round are determined based on seeding. The team with the best record in each conference that did not win their division gets seeded as #5 while team with second-best record gets seeded as #6.

The #3 and #4 seeds from each conference host these games. This means that if you’re a fan of a team that has qualified for the playoffs but didn’t win its division or secure a bye week, your team will either be playing on Saturday or Sunday during Wild Card Weekend.

Each game is a single-elimination contest, meaning whichever team loses is eliminated from playoff contention. The winners move on to face either of their conference’s top two seeds in next week’s Divisional Round.

So if you’re tuning into Wild Card Weekend hoping to catch some intense playoff football action, you’ll be treated to four exciting games spread across Saturday and Sunday.

In conclusion, there are four games played during NFL’s Wild Card Round – two in each conference. Each game is a single-elimination contest with the winners advancing to the Divisional Round and the losers going home. Now that you know how many games are in this round, get ready to enjoy some thrilling football action!