SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND KICKS OFF SATURDAY The NFL’s playoff table is ready. Get ready for a six-course meal. The addition of a third Wild Card team in each conference this season and the subsequent expansion of the playoffs has resulted in a Super Wild Card Weekend of NFL action. For the first time ever, there will be three games on Saturday, January 9, and three games on Sunday, January 10, to be played at 1:05 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET on each day.
The postseason kicks off Saturday on the heels of the highest-scoring regular season in NFL history, packed with more points (12,692) and touchdowns (1,473) than any of the league’s previous 100 years. All told, 179 of 256 games – 70 percent – were within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter, more games than all but one season in league annals (184 in 2016). And no lead was safe, as winning teams combined to erase deficits of 10-or-more points in 43 games, tying a single-season league record. Steady, dangerous teams led by consistent veterans, young and on-the-rise clubs guided by sensational newcomers, they all have seats at the table. The NFL Super Wild Card Weekend schedule: Saturday, January 9 | AFC | Indianapolis at Buffalo | 1:05 PM ET | CBS, CBS All Access | NFC | Los Angeles Rams at Seattle | 4:40 PM ET | FOX, FOX Deportes | NFC | Tampa Bay at Washington | 8:15 PM ET | NBC, Universo | | |
| | Sunday, January 10 | AFC | Baltimore at Tennessee | 1:05 PM ET | ESPN/ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, Freeform | NFC | Chicago at New Orleans | 4:40 PM ET | CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access | AFC | Cleveland at Pittsburgh | 8:15 PM ET | NBC, Telemundo, Peacock |
The 14 teams in contention for the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay: AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | 1. | Kansas City Chiefs (14-2), AFC West champion* | 1. | Green Bay Packers (13-3), NFC North champion* | 2. | Buffalo Bills (13-3), AFC East champion | 2. | New Orleans Saints (12-4) NFC South champion | 3. | Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4), AFC North champion | 3. | Seattle Seahawks (12-4), NFC West champion | 4. | Tennessee Titans (11-5), AFC South champion | 4. | Washington (7-9), NFC East champion | 5. | Baltimore Ravens (11-5) | 5. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) | 6. | Cleveland Browns (11-5) | 6. | Los Angeles Rams (10-6) | 7. | Indianapolis Colts (11-5) | 7. | Chicago Bears (8-8) | *Earned conference’s only first-round bye |
AFC FIELD STACKED WITH HIGH-WIN CLUBS: For just the second time since the 1970 league merger, every playoff team in one conference has at least 11 regular-season wins. It also happened in 1980, in the AFC, when the NFL expanded its playoff field with an additional Wild Card qualifier in each conference. One of those 1980 AFC teams, the 11-5 OAKLAND RAIDERS, went on to become the first Wild Card team to win a Super Bowl. WATCH OUT FOR ROAD TEAMS: The road club has won six of the last eight NFL Wild Card games over the past two seasons. Since the 2017 playoffs, road teams are 8-4. And, in seven of the past eight seasons, at least one road team has won a Wild Card game. HISTORY ON WASHINGTON’S SIDE: Since divisional play began, 438 teams have earned division championships. The WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (7-9) is the third club in league history to win its division with a record below .500. However, each of those two previous teams – the 2010 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS and the 2014 CAROLINA PANTHERS – were victorious in their first-round playoff games. WOMEN ASSISTANT COACHES WELL-REPRESENTED: There were eight women serving in assistant-coach roles this season, and six of them will be coaching during Super Wild Card Weekend. The eight women assistant coaches in the NFL this season: NAME | TEAM | Callie Brownson | Cleveland Browns | Emily Zaler | Denver Broncos | Chelsea Romero | Los Angeles Rams | Katie Sowers | San Francisco 49ers | Lori Locust | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Maral Javadifar | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Cristi Bartlett | Tennessee Titans | Jennifer King | Washington Football Team |
A look at the six games on Super Wild Card Weekend: INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (11-5) at BUFFALO BILLS (13-3) Saturday, CBS/CBS All Access, 1:05 PM ET - Buffalo secured its third playoff berth in the past four seasons, since SEAN McDERMOTT became head coach. The Bills won their division for the first time since 1995 and earned their first home playoff game since the 1996 season.
- Indianapolis clinched its second playoff berth in the past three seasons, since FRANK REICH became head coach.
- Offensively, the Bills ranked second in the league in points per game (31.3) and tied for second in total offense (396.4 yards/game) this season.
- Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN, who had 4,544 passing yards with 37 touchdown passes and eight rushing touchdowns in 2020, is the first player with at least 4,500 passing yards, 35 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns in a single season in NFL history.
- Allen (37 touchdown passes, age 24) along with Kansas City’s PATRICK MAHOMES (38 touchdown passes, age 25), Houston’s DESHAUN WATSON (33 touchdown passes, age 25) and the Chargers’ JUSTIN HERBERT (31 touchdown passes, age 22) helped make 2020 the first season in league history in which four quarterbacks under the age of 26 each threw at least 30 touchdown passes.
- Bills wide receiver STEFON DIGGS this season led the NFL with 127 receptions, the sixth-most receptions in a single season in league annals. Only MICHAEL THOMAS (149 receptions in 2019), Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (143 in 2002), JULIO JONES (136 in 2015) and ANTONIO BROWN (136 in 2015 and 129 in 2014) had more.
- Colts quarterback PHILIP RIVERS passed for 4,169 yards, his 12th-career 4,000-yard season, tied for the second most in NFL history.
- Indianapolis rookie running back JONATHAN TAYLOR rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ Week 17 win. Taylor’s 253 rushing yards were tied with DEMARCO MURRAY (253 rushing yards on Oct. 23, 2011) for the second-most rushing yards by a rookie in a single game in NFL history. Only ADRIAN PETERSON (296 rushing yards on Nov. 4, 2007) had more.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (10-6) at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-4) Saturday, FOX/FOX Deportes, 4:40 PM ET - Seattle is in the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons under head coach PETE CARROLL.
- The Rams have clinched a playoff berth in three of the past four seasons, since SEAN MCVAY became head coach.
- The clubs split their regular-season series this season, with each club winning its home game. The Rams beat Seattle, 23-16, in Week 10 while the Seahawks defeated Los Angeles, 20-9, in Week 16.
- Since selecting quarterback RUSSELL WILSON in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Seattle has earned eight postseason berths in nine years.
- Wilson threw a career-high 40 touchdown passes and, with 4,212 passing yards, registered his fourth career 4,000-yard season in 2020. He also became the third player ever with 30-or-more touchdown passes in four consecutive seasons.
- Seattle wide receiver DK METCALF had a career-high and franchise-record 1,303 receiving yards in 2020.
- Seahawks wide receiver TYLER LOCKETT registered a career-high and franchise-record 100 receptions, and with 1,054 receiving yards, posted his second straight 1,000-yard season in 2020.
- Defensively, Los Angeles allowed the fewest points per game (18.5) and fewest yards per game (281.9), and recorded the second-most sacks (53) in the NFL this season.
- Rams defensive lineman AARON DONALD tied for second in the NFL with 13.5 sacks. Since entering the NFL in 2014, he leads the league with 85.5 sacks, having surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DERRICK THOMAS (85) for the third-most sacks by a player in his first seven seasons since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
- Los Angeles wide receiver ROBERT WOODS tied his career highs in receptions (90) and receiving touchdowns (six) in 2020. In four career playoff games, he has 26 receptions for 314 yards (78.5 per game).
- In five of the previous eight seasons (2012-19), an NFC West team has represented the conference in the Super Bowl, including the Rams in 2018 and the Seahawks in 2013 and 2014.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (11-5) at WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (7-9) Saturday, NBC/Universo, 8:15 PM ET - The Buccaneers, in their second season under head coach BRUCE ARIANS, clinched their first playoff berth since 2007. At the reins of the Cardinals in 2015, Arians guided Arizona to the NFC Championship game.
- Washington, in the team’s first season under head coach RON RIVERA, secured its first division title and playoff berth since 2015. Rivera led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 five years ago.
- Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 399 yards and four touchdowns with one interception for a 117.8 rating while wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN had 11 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers’ Week 17 win.
- Brady made the 299th regular-season start of his career and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (298 starts) for the most regular-season starts by a quarterback in NFL history.
- Brady, who had 50 touchdown passes in 2007, recorded 40 touchdown passes in 2020 and became the fifth quarterback with at least 40 touchdown passes in multiple seasons in NFL history, joining AARON RODGERS (three seasons), DREW BREES (two), PEYTON MANNING (two) and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (two).
- Brady is the all-time postseason leader in completions (1,025), passing yards (11,388) and touchdown passes (73).
- Brown recorded his 22nd career game with at least 10 receptions, tied with ANDRE JOHNSON (22 games) for the most games with at least 10 receptions in NFL history. Brown also has 11 career games with at least 125 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers DON MAYNARD (11 games) and TERRELL OWENS (11) for the fifth-most such games in league annals. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (22 games), RANDY MOSS (15), MARVIN HARRISON (13) and DON HUTSON (13) have more.
- Tampa Bay wide receiver MIKE EVANS, who had 1,006 receiving yards this season, is the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons.
- Washington quarterback ALEX SMITH is expected to make his eighth-career postseason start, including five with Kansas City and two with San Francisco. Smith would become just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to start a postseason game for three-or-more franchises, joining KERRY COLLINS, JEFF GARCIA, BRAD JOHNSON and DAVE KRIEG.
- Washington running back ANTONIO GIBSON had 11 rushing touchdowns, tied with the Colts’ JONATHAN TAYLOR for the most among NFL rookies this season.
- Washington wide receiver TERRY MCLAURIN led the team with 87 receptions and 1,118 receiving yards.
- Washington defensive end CHASE YOUNG led all rookies in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (10) this season.
BALTIMORE RAVENS (11-5) at TENNESSEE TITANS (11-5) Sunday, ESPN/ABC/ESPN2/ESPN+/ESPN Deportes/Freeform, 1:05 PM ET - Baltimore is playoff bound for the third consecutive season and the ninth time in 13 years under head coach JOHN HARBAUGH.
- Tennessee captured its first division crown since 2008 and is in the postseason for a second straight year. MIKE VRABEL has guided the Titans to two playoff berths in his three seasons as head coach.
- Tennessee running back DERRICK HENRY rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans’ Week 17 victory. Henry led the NFL with 2,027 rushing yards in 2020 and is the eighth player in league annals to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season.
- Henry, who led the NFL with 1,540 rushing yards in 2019, is the first player since Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (2006-07) to lead the league in rushing yards in consecutive seasons. Henry had 3,567 combined rushing yards from 2019-20 to register the sixth-highest consecutive-season rushing total in NFL history, behind Pro Football Hall of Famers ERIC DICKERSON (3,913 from 1983-84), TERRELL DAVIS (3,758 from 1997-98), EARL CAMPBELL (3,631 from1979-80) and BARRY SANDERS (3,606 from 1996-97), as well as SHAUN ALEXANDER (3,576 from 2004-05).
- Henry is the first player in NFL history with five career regular-season games with at least 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
- Baltimore rushed for 404 yards in Week 17, the fourth-highest single-game total since 1950. Only the NEW YORK GIANTS (423 rushing yards on Nov. 19, 1950), CINCINNATI BENGALS (407 rushing yards on Oct. 22, 2000) and CHICAGO BEARS (406 rushing yards on Sept. 6, 1955) had more.
- Ravens quarterback LAMAR JACKSON, who had 36 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns last season, had 26 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns in 2020 and joined DESHAUN WATSON (2018-19) as the only quarterbacks with at least 25 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons in NFL history.
- Jackson, who rushed for 1,206 yards in 2019, had 1,005 rushing yards in 2020 and became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards in multiple seasons.
- Baltimore running back J.K. DOBBINS recorded a rushing touchdown in six consecutive games (Week 11, Week 13-17), tied for the third-longest such streak by a rookie running back in the Super Bowl era. Only MAURICE JONES-DREW (eight games in 2006) and CURTIS DICKEY (seven games in 1980) had longer streaks.
CHICAGO BEARS (8-8) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-4) Sunday, CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Video/CBS All Access, 4:40 PM ET - The Saints secured their fourth consecutive division title and their ninth playoff berth in 14 seasons under head coach SEAN PAYTON.
- Chicago clinched its second postseason berth in three years under head coach MATT NAGY.
- Bears quarterback MITCHELL TRUBISKY led Chicago to the 2020 playoffs by going 6-3 as a starter. In his only career postseason start, he passed for 303 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions (Jan. 6, 2019, vs. Philadelphia).
- Chicago running back DAVID MONTGOMERY in 2020 ranked fifth in the NFL with a career-high 1,508 scrimmage yards (1,070 rushing, 438 receiving) and scored a career-high 10 touchdowns (eight rushing, two receiving). He joined DALVIN COOK and DERRICK HENRY as the only players with at least seven games of 110-or-more scrimmage yards and one-or-more touchdowns this season.
- Bears linebacker KHALIL MACK is one of two NFL players with eight-or-more sacks in each of the past six seasons, joining AARON DONALD.
- New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES has thrown for 4,967 yards (310.4 per game) and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions for a 99.6 rating in 16 career postseason starts.
- Saints running back ALVIN KAMARA, who tied the single-game NFL record with six rushing touchdowns in his last start in Week 16, led the league with 21 touchdowns (16 rushing, five receiving). He also ranked third in scrimmage yards (1,688) and led all running backs with a career-high 83 receptions.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (11-5) at PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4) Sunday, NBC/Telemundo/Peacock, 8:15 PM ET - Pittsburgh clinched its first division title and playoff berth since 2017. Steelers head coach MIKE TOMLIN has guided his team to the postseason in nine of 14 years as head coach.
- Rookie head coach KEVIN STEFANSKI guided the Browns to their first playoff berth since 2002.
- Browns quarterback BAKER MAYFIELD threw for 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns with a career-best 95.9 rating in 2020. He joined ANDREW LUCK and PEYTON MANNING as the only players in NFL history with at least 3,500 passing yards and 20-or-more TD passes in each of their first three seasons.
- Cleveland running backs NICK CHUBB (1,217 scrimmage yards) and KAREEM HUNT (1,145) were the NFL’s only pair of running-back teammates to each eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2020.
- Steelers quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER passed for 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2020, his 10th career season with at least 3,500 passing yards. He ranks fifth in NFL history with 5,256 career postseason passing yards (250.3 per game).
- Pittsburgh wide receiver CHASE CLAYPOOL led NFL rookies with nine receiving touchdowns this season.
- Steelers linebacker T.J. WATT led the NFL in both sacks (15) and tackles for loss (23), establishing career highs in each category.
- For the first time in eight years, two teams that concluded the regular season against each other will meet in a rematch in the first round of the playoffs. Since the NFL added a Wild Card round in 1978, this marks the 15th time two teams that closed the regular season are meeting again in the first round. In each of last two instances, and in eight of the previous 14, the team that lost the regular-season finale rebounded to win in the playoffs.
| NFL AND NFLPA COVID-19 MONITORING TESTING RESULTS | The National Football League and NFL Players Association today announced the COVID-19 monitoring testing results for December 27 – January 2. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 follow the joint NFL-NFLPA Treatment Protocol. They are immediately isolated, not permitted to access club facilities, or to have direct contact with players or personnel. Club medical staff are in regular communication with individuals who test positive to monitor symptoms. Monitoring Testing results for December 27 – January 2: - 40,709 tests were administered to a total of 6,702 players and team personnel.
- 16,088 tests were administered to 2,356 players; 24,621 tests were administered to 4,346 personnel.
- There were 34 new confirmed positive tests among players and 36 new confirmed positives among other personnel.
Total test results for the entire Monitoring Testing period to-date, Aug 1 – Jan 2: - During Monitoring Testing from Aug 1 – Jan 2, 256 players and 432 other personnel were confirmed positive cases.
- Approximately 922,220 tests were administered to players and personnel during the Aug 1 – Jan 2 period.
| JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS HOLD FIRST PICK IN 2021 NFL DRAFT | The Jacksonville Jaguars own the No. 1 pick in the 2021 National Football League Draft, which is scheduled for April 29-May 1 in Cleveland, Ohio. The tentative order of the first round was announced today by the NFL, subject to the results of the playoffs. The draft order is determined by the following procedures: (A) The winner of the Super Bowl selects last and the loser selects next-to-last in all rounds, regardless of the record of the participating clubs in the regular season. (B) The losers of the Conference Championship games select 29th and 30th in all rounds, according to the reverse order of their standing.
(C) The losers of the Divisional Playoffs select 25th through 28th in all rounds, according to the reverse order of their standing.
(D) The losers of the Wild Card games select 19th through 24th in all rounds, according to the reverse order of their standing.
(E) Clubs not participating in the playoffs select in the first through 18th positions in all rounds, according to the reverse order of their standing. If, after all the foregoing procedures have been applied, ties still exist in any grouping except (A) above, such ties shall be broken by figuring the aggregate won-lost-tied percentage of each involved club’s regular-season opponents and awarding preferential selection order to the club that faced the schedule of teams with the lowest aggregate won-lost-tied percentage. If ties still exist between teams in the same division or the same conference, the divisional or conference tie-breaking method is used, whichever is applicable. If ties still exist, the procedures for breaking ties for teams of different conferences shall be applied. For interconference ties, the draft order is determined by the following procedures: - Ties involving TWO teams from different conferences will be broken by (a) head-to-head meeting; (b) best won-loss-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four, (c) strength of victory in all games, (d) best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games, (e) best net points in all games, (f) best net touchdowns in all games, and finally (g) coin toss.
- Ties involving THREE OR MORE clubs from different conferences will be broken by applying (a) divisional tie breakers to determine the lowest-ranked team in a division, (b) conference tie-breakers to determine the lowest-ranked team within a conference, and (c) interconference ties breakers to determine the lowest-ranked team in the league. The process will be repeated until the draft order has been established.
Clubs involved in two-club ties will alternate positions from round to round. In ties that involve three or more clubs, the club at the top of a tied segment in a given round will move to the bottom of the segment for the next round, while all other clubs in the segment move up one position. This rotation continues throughout the Draft. 2021 FIRST-ROUND DRAFT ORDER # | Team | Win | Loss | Tie | Winning Percentage | Opp Win | Opp Loss | Opp Tie | Strength of Schedule | 1. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 140 | 115 | 1 | .549 | | | | | | | | | | | 2. | New York Jets | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 152 | 104 | 0 | .594 | | | | | | | | | | | 3. | Houston Texans
(traded to Miami) | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 138 | 117 | 1 | .541 | 4. | Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 141 | 115 | 0 | .551 | | | | | | | | | | | 5. | Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 135 | 120 | 1 | .529 | 6. | Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 137 | 118 | 1 | .537 | | | | | | | | | | | 7. | Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 130 | 126 | 0 | .508 | 8. | Carolina Panthers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 136 | 120 | 0 | .531 | 9. | Denver Broncos | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 145 | 111 | 0 | .566 | | | | | | | | | | | 10. | Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 119 | 134 | 3 | .471 | 11. | New York Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 127 | 126 | 3 | .502 | 12. | San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 140 | 115 | 1 | .549 | | | | | | | | | | | 13. | Los Angeles Chargers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 123 | 132 | 1 | .482 | 14. | Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 129 | 127 | 0 | .504 | 15. | New England Patriots | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 135 | 121 | 0 | .527 | | | | | | | | | | | 16. | Arizona Cardinals | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 121 | 134 | 1 | .475 | 17. | Las Vegas Raiders | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 138 | 118 | 0 | .539 | | | | | | | | | | | 18. | Miami Dolphins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 119 | 136 | 1 | .467 | | | | | | | | | | | 19. | Washington Football Team* | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 116 | 137 | 3 | .459 | | | | | | | | | | | 20. | Chicago Bears* | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 125 | 131 | 0 | .488 | | | | | | | | | | | 21. | Los Angeles Rams*
(traded to Jacksonville) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 126 | 129 | 1 | .494 | | | | | | | | | | | 22. | Indianapolis Colts* | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 113 | 142 | 1 | .443 | 23. | Cleveland Browns* | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 114 | 139 | 3 | .451 | 24. | Tennessee Titans* | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 121 | 134 | 1 | .475 | 25. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers* | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 125 | 131 | 0 | .488 | 26. | Baltimore Ravens* | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 125 | 128 | 3 | .494 | | | | | | | | | | | 27. | Seattle Seahawks*
(traded to New York Jets) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 114 | 141 | 1 | .447 | 28. | New Orleans Saints* | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 117 | 138 | 1 | .459 | 29. | Pittsburgh Steelers* | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 120 | 133 | 3 | .475 | | | | | | | | | | | 30. | Green Bay Packers* | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 109 | 146 | 1 | .428 | 31. | Buffalo Bills* | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 131 | 125 | 0 | .512 | | | | | | | | | | | 32. | Kansas City Chiefs* | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 119 | 137 | 0 | .465 |
| 2020 NFL Playoffs Begin Saturday | The NFL playoffs begin on Saturday and Sunday, January 9-10, with Super Wild Card Weekend. The addition of a third Wild Card team in each conference and the subsequent expansion of the playoffs has resulted in a Super Wild Card Weekend of NFL action. For the first time ever, there will be three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday to be played at 1:05 PM, 4:40 PM and 8:15 PM ET on each day.
On Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts play at the Buffalo Bills (CBS, CBS All Access, 1:05 PM ET), the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams (FOX, FOX Deportes, 4:40 PM ET) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Washington (NBC, Universo, 8:15 PM ET).
Super Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Tennessee Titans (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, Freeform, 1:05 PM ET), the New Orleans Saints welcome the Chicago Bears (CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, 4:40 PM ET) and the Cleveland Browns travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers (NBC, Telemundo, Peacock, 8:15 PM ET).
TURNAROUND TEAMS & CONSISTENT WINNERS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF FIELD Six playoff teams – the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (14-2), BUFFALO BILLS (13-3), GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-3), PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4), NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-4) and SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-4) – each won at least 12 regular-season games in 2020, tied with 2003, 2011 and 2019 for the most such teams in a single postseason in NFL history. Each of the seven playoff teams from the AFC – KANSAS CITY (14-2), BUFFALO (13-3), PITTSBURGH (12-4), TENNESSEE (11-5), BALTIMORE (11-5), CLEVELAND (11-5) and INDIANAPOLIS (11-5) – had 11-or-more wins, marking the second time since 1970 that all playoff teams from one conference each had at least 11 wins. The only other occasion was the AFC in 1980, when all five teams had 11-or-more wins. There are seven new playoff teams in 2020: CHICAGO, CLEVELAND, INDIANAPOLIS, LOS ANGELES RAMS, PITTSBURGH, TAMPA BAY and WASHINGTON. Since 1990 – a streak of 31 consecutive seasons – at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before. The teams since 1990 to make the playoffs a season after failing to qualify: SEASON | PLAYOFF TEAMS NOT IN PREVIOUS SEASON’S PLAYOFFS | 1990 | 7 (Cincinnati, Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles Raiders, Miami, New Orleans, Washington) | 1991 | 5 (Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, New York Jets) | 1992 | 6 (Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco) | 1993 | 5 (Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Los Angeles Raiders, New York Giants) | 1994 | 5 (Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New England, San Diego Chargers) | 1995 | 4 (Atlanta, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Philadelphia) | 1996 | 5 (Carolina, Denver, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England) | 1997 | 5 (Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, New York Giants, Tampa Bay) | 1998 | 5 (Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, New York Jets) | 1999 | 7 (Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis Rams, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington) | 2000 | 6 (Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia) | 2001 | 6 (Chicago, Green Bay, New England, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Francisco) | 2002 | 5 (Atlanta, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Tennessee) | 2003 | 8 (Baltimore, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New England, St. Louis Rams, Seattle) | 2004 | 5 (Atlanta, Minnesota, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Diego Chargers) | 2005 | 7 (Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Washington) | 2006 | 7 (Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego Chargers) | 2007 | 6 (Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington) | 2008 | 7 (Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia) | 2009 | 6 (Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York Jets) | 2010 | 5 (Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Seattle) | 2011 | 6 (Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Houston, New York Giants, San Francisco) | 2012 | 4 (Indianapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington) | 2013 | 5 (Carolina, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Diego Chargers) | 2014 | 5 (Arizona, Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh) | 2015 | 4 (Houston, Kansas City, Minnesota, Washington) | 2016 | 6 (Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders) | 2017 | 8 (Buffalo, Carolina, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tennessee) | 2018 | 7 (Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle) | 2019 | 5 (Buffalo, Green Bay, Minnesota, San Francisco, Tennessee) | 2020 | 7 (Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington) |
Two teams won division titles – Pittsburgh (AFC North) and Washington (NFC East) – after missing the playoffs last season. At least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 17 of the past 18 years.
Washington completed the “worst-to-first” turnaround, winning the NFC East the season after finishing in last place. At least one team has won its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 16 of the past 18 seasons. The divisions with new champions in 2020: | AFC EAST | AFC NORTH | AFC SOUTH | NFC EAST | NFC WEST | 2020 | Buffalo | Pittsburgh | Tennessee | Washington | Seattle | 2019 | New England | Baltimore | Houston | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
In the 19 seasons since realignment in 2002, 30 of the 32 NFL teams have won a division title at least once, including the Buffalo Bills, who this season won their first AFC East division title since 1995. How the 2020 playoff teams have fared in the 19 seasons since realignment in 2002 (2020 division winners in bold/italics): TEAM | DIVISION TITLES | PLAYOFF BERTHS | Green Bay | 11 | 14 | Indianapolis | 9 | 14 | Seattle | 9 | 14 | Pittsburgh | 9 | 12 | Kansas City | 7 | 10 | New Orleans | 7 | 9 | Baltimore | 6 | 11 | Chicago | 4 | 5 | Tennessee | 3 | 7 | L.A. Rams | 3 | 5 | Washington | 3 | 5 | Tampa Bay | 3 | 4 | Buffalo | 1 | 3 | Cleveland | 0 | 2 |
Nine of this season’s 14 playoff teams have won at least one Super Bowl since 1999, capturing 11 of the past 21 Vince Lombardi Trophies. Those teams are the Ravens (XXXV, XLVII), Steelers (XL, XLIII), Packers (XLV), Colts (XLI), Chiefs (LIV), Rams (XXXIV), Buccaneers (XXXVII), Saints (XLIV) and Seahawks (XLVIII).
SUPER BOWL | SEASON | WINNER | XXXIV | 1999 | St. Louis Rams* | XXXV | 2000 | Baltimore Ravens* | XXXVI | 2001 | New England Patriots | XXXVII | 2002 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers* | XXXVIII | 2003 | New England Patriots | XXXIX | 2004 | New England Patriots | XL | 2005 | Pittsburgh Steelers* | XLI | 2006 | Indianapolis Colts* | XLII | 2007 | New York Giants | XLIII | 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers* | XLIV | 2009 | New Orleans Saints* | XLV | 2010 | Green Bay Packers* | XLVI | 2011 | New York Giants | XLVII | 2012 | Baltimore Ravens* | XLVIII | 2013 | Seattle Seahawks* | XLIX | 2014 | New England Patriots | 50 | 2015 | Denver Broncos | LI | 2016 | New England Patriots | LII | 2017 | Philadelphia Eagles | LIII | 2018 | New England Patriots | LIV | 2019 | Kansas City Chiefs* | *In 2020 postseason |
The Green Bay Packers (.603) and Baltimore Ravens (.600) have the third- and fourth-highest postseason winning percentages in NFL history while the Pittsburgh Steelers have the second-most postseason wins (36) in league annals. The 14 playoff teams and their postseason records: TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | Green Bay Packers | 35 | 23 | .603 | Baltimore Ravens | 15 | 10 | .600 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 36 | 25 | .590 | Washington Football Team | 23 | 19 | .548 | Seattle Seahawks | 17 | 17 | .500 | Indianapolis Colts | 23 | 24 | .489 | Chicago Bears | 17 | 19 | .472 | Buffalo Bills | 14 | 17 | .452 | Tennessee Titans | 17 | 21 | .447 | Los Angeles Rams | 21 | 26 | .447 | New Orleans Saints | 9 | 12 | .429 | Kansas City Chiefs | 13 | 19 | .406 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 9 | .400 | Cleveland Browns | 11 | 20 | .355 |
YOUTH & CONSISTENCY HIGHLIGHT THE PLAYOFF QUARTERBACKS The 2020 postseason is filled with young stars on the rise and veterans at the top of their game at the quarterback position. Six quarterbacks under the age of 27 led their clubs to the postseason in 2020: - Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES ranked second the NFL with 4,740 passing yards and ranked fourth with 38 touchdown passes to help the Chiefs earn their third consecutive AFC West Division title. In five career postseason starts, he has 1,474 passing yards (294.8 per game) with 16 touchdowns (13 passing, three rushing) against two interceptions for a 107.1 rating. Last season, Mahomes became the youngest quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP honors as Kansas City earned the Super Bowl LIV title.
- Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN set franchise records in passing yards (4,544) and touchdown passes (37) in 2020 as the Bills earned their first division title since 1995. Allen had 372 total yards (264 passing, 92 rushing, 16 receiving) in his first postseason appearance during the 2019 Wild Card round.
- Los Angeles Rams quarterback JARED GOFF passed for 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Rams clinched a playoff berth for the second time in the past three seasons. Goff is expected to make his fifth career postseason start, including a start in Super Bowl LIII following the 2018 season.
- Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON totaled 33 touchdowns (26 passing, seven rushing) and had 1,005 rushing yards in 2020, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards in multiple seasons. Jackson will be making his third career postseason start after leading the Ravens to the postseason for the third consecutive season.
- Cleveland quarterback BAKER MAYFIELD, making his playoff debut, had 26 touchdown passes and a career-high 95.9 rating as the Browns earned their first playoff berth since 2002. Mayfield is one of three quarterbacks (ANDREW LUCK and PEYTON MANNING) to record at least 3,500 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in each of his first three career seasons.
Chicago quarterback MITCHELL TRUBISKY will be making his second career postseason start as the Bears earned a playoff berth for the second time in the past three seasons (2018). Trubisky passed for 303 yards with one touchdown in his first career playoff start during the 2018 Wild Card round.
Five of the 15 quarterbacks who have started at least 15 postseason games in NFL history are active in the 2020 postseason and have each earned at least one Super Bowl championship:
- Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY, who won six Super Bowl titles with New England, helped the Buccaneers earn their first playoff berth since 2007 and is the postseason’s all-time leader in games played (41), passing yards (11,388) and touchdown passes (73).
- Pittsburgh quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER, a veteran of 17 NFL seasons, will make his 22nd career postseason start to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY (21 starts) for the fifth-most in NFL history. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to Super Bowl titles in 2005 (XL) and 2008 (XLIII).
- Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS, a 16-year NFL veteran, will make his 19th career playoff start and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer TERRY BRADSHAW (19 starts) for the seventh-most career postseason starts among quarterbacks in NFL history. Rodgers led the NFL with 48 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 121.5 this season, the second-highest single-season passer rating in league annals. Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV championship in 2010.
- New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES, a veteran of 20 NFL seasons, will make his 17th career postseason start, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM KELLY (17 starts) and ROGER STAUBACH (17) for the 10th-most in league history. Brees led the Saints to the Super Bowl XLIV championship in 2009.
- Seattle quarterback RUSSELL WILSON, who has led Seattle to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, will make his 16th career postseason start. Wilson led Seattle to a Super Bowl XLVIII championship in 2013.
Three additional veteran quarterbacks are appearing in the postseason:
- Tennessee quarterback RYAN TANNEHILL set career highs in passing touchdowns (33) and rushing touchdowns (seven) as the Titans earned their first division title since 2008. Tannehill will be making his fourth career playoff start after helping the Titans reach the AFC Championship game last season.
- In his first season with Indianapolis, quarterback PHILIP RIVERS registered his eighth consecutive season with at least 4,000 passing yards (4,169) as the Colts clinched a playoff berth for the second time in the past three seasons (2018). Rivers will make his 12th career playoff start.
- Washington quarterback ALEX SMITH won his last five starts of the season as the Washington Football Team clinched its first division title since 2015. In seven career postseason starts, Smith has 15 touchdowns (14 passing, one rushing) against two interceptions for a 97.4 rating.
BEST NFL PLAYOFF PERFORMANCES (Single postseason) PASSING YARDS | PLAYER, TEAM | SEASON | COMP. | ATT. | YARDS | TD | INT | Eli Manning, New York Giants | 2011 | 106 | 163 | 1,219 | 9 | 1 | Kurt WarnerHOF, Arizona | 2008 | 92 | 135 | 1,147 | 11 | 3 | Joe Flacco, Baltimore | 2012 | 73 | 126 | 1,140 | 11 | 0 | Tom Brady, New England | 2016 | 93 | 142 | 1,137 | 7 | 3 | Tom Brady, New England | 2017 | 89 | 139 | 1,132 | 8 | 0 |
RUSHING YARDS | PLAYER, TEAM | SEASON | ATT. | YARDS | TD | | John RigginsHOF, Washington | 1982 | 136 | 610 | 4 | | Terrell DavisHOF, Denver | 1997 | 112 | 581 | 8 | | Terrell DavisHOF, Denver | 1998 | 78 | 468 | 3 | | Marcus AllenHOF, Los Angeles Raiders | 1983 | 58 | 466 | 4 | | Eddie George, Tennessee | 1999 | 108 | 449 | 3 | |
RECEIVING YARDS | PLAYER, TEAM | SEASON | REC. | YARDS | TD | | Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona | 2008 | 30 | 546 | 7 | | Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants | 2011 | 28 | 444 | 4 | | Jerry RiceHOF, San Francisco | 1988 | 21 | 409 | 6 | | Steve Smith, Sr., Carolina | 2003 | 18 | 404 | 3 | | Charlie Brown, Washington | 1983 | 14 | 401 | 1 | |
RECEPTIONS | PLAYER, TEAM | SEASON | REC. | YARDS | TD | | Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona | 2008 | 30 | 546 | 7 | | Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants | 2011 | 28 | 444 | 4 | | Demaryius Thomas, Denver | 2013 | 28 | 306 | 3 | | Steve Smith, Sr., Carolina | 2005 | 27 | 335 | 3 | | Wes Welker, New England | 2007 | 27 | 213 | 2 | |
SCRIMMAGE TOUCHDOWNS | PLAYER, TEAM | SEASON | TOTAL TD | RUSH TD | REC. TD | | Terrell DavisHOF, Denver | 1997 | 8 | 8 | 0 | | Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona | 2008 | 7 | 0 | 7 | | Larry CsonkaHOF, Miami | 1973 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | Franco HarrisHOF, Pittsburgh | 1974 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | Sony Michel, New England | 2018 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | John RigginsHOF, Washington | 1983 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | Jerry RiceHOF, San Francisco | 1988 | 6 | 0 | 6 | | Gerald Riggs, Washington | 1991 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | Emmitt SmithHOF, Dallas | 1995 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | Ricky Watters, San Francisco | 1993 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | Damien Williams, Kansas City | 2019 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
| | UPDATED SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE | SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR FIRST TIME EVER, WILD CARD PLAYOFFS FEATURE TWO DAYS OF TRIPLEHEADER NFL ACTION The NFL has announced the schedule of sites, dates, and times for Super Wild Card Weekend on January 9-10. The addition of a third Wild Card team in each conference and the subsequent expansion of the playoffs has resulted in a Super Wild Card Weekend of NFL action. For the first time ever, there will be three games on Saturday, January 9, and three games on Sunday, January 10, to be played at 1:05 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET on each day. SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND Saturday, January 9 AFC: 1:05 PM (ET) Indianapolis at Buffalo (CBS, CBS All Access) NFC: 4:40 PM (ET) Los Angeles Rams at Seattle (FOX, FOX Deportes) NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) Tampa Bay at Washington (NBC, Universo) Sunday, January 10 AFC: 1:05 PM (ET) Baltimore at Tennessee (ESPN/ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, Freeform) NFC: 4:40 PM (ET) Chicago at New Orleans (CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime, CBS All Access) AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) Cleveland at Pittsburgh (NBC, Telemundo, Peacock) The Divisional Playoffs schedule will be announced once all Wild Card games have been played The 2020 NFL Playoff field: American Football Conference | National Football Conference | 1. | Kansas City Chiefs (14-2), AFC West champion | 1. | Green Bay Packers (13-3), NFC North champion | 2. | Buffalo Bills (13-3), AFC East champion | 2. | New Orleans Saints (12-4) NFC South champion | 3. | Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4), AFC North champion | 3. | Seattle Seahawks (12-4), NFC West champion | 4. | Tennessee Titans (11-5), AFC South champion | 4. | Washington (7-9), NFC East champion | 5. | Baltimore Ravens (11-5) | 5. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) | 6. | Cleveland Browns (11-5) | 6. | Los Angeles Rams (10-6) | 7. | Indianapolis Colts (11-5) | 7. | Chicago Bears (8-8) |
| | SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED | FOR FIRST TIME EVER, WILD CARD PLAYOFFS FEATURE TWO DAYS OF TRIPLEHEADER NFL ACTION The NFL has announced tonight the schedule of sites, dates, and times for Super Wild Card Weekend on January 9-10. The addition of a third Wild Card team in each conference and the subsequent expansion of the playoffs has resulted in a Super Wild Card Weekend of NFL action. For the first time ever, there will be three games on Saturday, January 9, and three games on Sunday, January 10, to be played at 1:05 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET on each day. SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND Saturday, January 9 AFC: 1:05 PM (ET) Indianapolis at Buffalo (CBS) NFC: 4:40 PM (ET) Los Angeles Rams at Seattle (FOX) NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) Tampa Bay at New York Giants or Washington (NBC)
Sunday, January 10 AFC: 1:05 PM (ET) Baltimore at Tennessee (ESPN/ABC) NFC: 4:40 PM (ET) Chicago at New Orleans (CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime) AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) Cleveland at Pittsburgh (NBC, Telemundo, Peacock)
The Divisional Playoffs schedule will be announced once all Wild Card games have been played.
The 2020 NFL Playoff field: American Football Conference | National Football Conference | 1. | Kansas City Chiefs (14-2), AFC West champion | 1. | Green Bay Packers (13-3), NFC North champion | 2. | Buffalo Bills (13-3), AFC East champion | 2. | New Orleans Saints (12-4) NFC South champion | 3. | Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4), AFC North champion | 3. | Seattle Seahawks (12-4), NFC West champion | 4. | Tennessee Titans (11-5), AFC South champion | 4. | NY Giants/Washington, NFC East champion | 5. | Baltimore Ravens (11-5) | 5. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) | 6. | Cleveland Browns (11-5) | 6. | Los Angeles Rams (10-6) | 7. | Indianapolis Colts (11-5) | 7. | Chicago Bears (8-8) |
| | Seven From Sunday - Week 17 | A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 3, the 17th week of the 2020 season.
- HIGHEST SCORING SEASON: With one game remaining, the 2020 season has had the most total points (12,658) and touchdowns scored (1,469) in a single season in NFL history.
NEW PLAYOFF TEAMS: Seven of the 14 teams to qualify for the playoffs are new to the postseason in 2020, having missed the playoffs a year ago: Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, as well as either the New York Giants or Washington Football Team.
Since 1990, at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before.
NEW DIVISION WINNERS: The AFC North (Pittsburgh) and NFC East (New York Giants or Washington) will be won by teams that missed the postseason in 2019.
At least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 17 of the past 18 years, including the 2020 season.
In each of the past 43 seasons (1977-2020, excluding 1982, when divisional play did not occur), at least one team has won its division the season after missing the playoffs.
The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS won the AFC West and finished as the AFC's No. 1 seed. The Chiefs will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
The BUFFALO BILLS, who won the AFC East, finished as the AFC's No. 2 seed and will host the No. 7 seed INDIANAPOLIS COLTS on Super Wild Card Weekend. Indianapolis clinched its second playoff berth in the past three seasons.
The PITTSBURGH STEELERS, who won the AFC North, finished as the AFC's No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 seed CLEVELAND BROWNS in the Wild Card round. Cleveland clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.
The TENNESSEE TITANS, who won the AFC South, finished as the AFC's No. 4 seed and will host the No. 5 seed BALTIMORE RAVENS in the Wild Card round. Baltimore clinched a playoff berth for the third-consecutive season.
The GREEN BAY PACKERS won the NFC North and finished as the NFC's No. 1 seed. The Packers will have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
The NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, who won the NFC South, finished as the NFC's No. 2 seed and will host the No. 7 seed CHICAGO BEARS in the Wild Card round. Chicago clinched its second playoff berth in the past three seasons.
The SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, who won the NFC West, finished as the NFC's No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 seed LOS ANGELES RAMS in the Wild Card round. The Rams have clinched a playoff berth in three of the past four seasons.
The WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM visits the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES on Sunday Night Football. With a Washington win, it would earn the No. 4 seed and the franchise's first NFC East division title since 2015. With a Washington loss, the NEW YORK GIANTS would win their first division title since 2011 and be the No. 4 seed in the NFC.
The winner of the NFC East will host the NFC's No. 5 seed, the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, on Super Wild Card Weekend.
- Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS passed for 240 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 147.9 rating and wide receiver DAVANTE ADAMS had a touchdown reception in the Packers' 35-16 win at Chicago.
Rodgers led the NFL with a career-high 48 touchdown passes this season, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (48 touchdown passes in 1984) for the fifth-most touchdown passes in a single season in NFL history.
Rodgers led the NFL with a 121.5 passer rating, the second-highest single-season mark by a quarterback in NFL history, trailing only his 122.5 rating in 2011.
Rodgers is the first quarterback in NFL history with a passer rating of 100-or-higher in 14 games within a single season in NFL history.
Rodgers had 12 games with at least three touchdown passes this season, tied with TOM BRADY (12 games in 2007) for the most such games in a single season in NFL history.
Adams led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions, tied for the third-most touchdowns by a wide receiver in a single-season in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers RANDY MOSS (23 touchdowns in 2007) and JERRY RICE (23 touchdowns in 1987) had more.
- Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN passed for 224 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a 122.3 rating while wide receiver STEFON DIGGS had seven receptions for 76 yards in the Bills' 56-26 win over Miami.
Allen, who had 4,544 passing yards with 37 touchdown passes and eight rushing touchdowns in 2020, is the first player with at least 4,500 passing, yards, 35 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns in a single season in NFL history.
Diggs led the NFL with 127 receptions this season, the sixth-most receptions in a single season in league annals. Only MICHAEL THOMAS (149 receptions in 2019), Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (143 in 2002), JULIO JONES (136 in 2015) and ANTONIO BROWN (136 in 2015 and 129 in 2014) had more.
- Los Angeles Chargers rookie quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 302 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 134.1 rating and added one rushing touchdown in the Chargers' 38-21 win at Kansas City.
Herbert recorded the most touchdown passes (31), most completions (396) and second-most passing yards (4,336) by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.
At 22 years and 299 days old, Herbert surpassed LAMAR JACKSON (22 years, 356 days in 2019) as the youngest quarterback with at least 30 touchdown passes in a single season in NFL history.
With Kansas City's PATRICK MAHOMES (38 touchdown passes, age 25), Buffalo's JOSH ALLEN (37 touchdown passes, age 24), Houston's DESHAUN WATSON (33 touchdown passes, age 25) and Herbert (31 touchdown passes, age 22), 2020 is the first season in league history with four quarterbacks under the age of 26 to each throw at least 30 touchdown passes in the same season.
- Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON had three touchdown passes and rushed for 97 yards while rookie running back J.K. DOBBINS rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' 38-3 win over Cincinnati.
The Ravens rushed for a franchise-record 404 yards on Sunday, the fourth-highest single-game total since 1950. Only the NEW YORK GIANTS (423 rushing yards on November 19, 1950), CINCINNATI BENGALS (407 rushing yards on October 22, 2000) and CHICAGO BEARS (406 rushing yards on September 6, 1955) had more.
Jackson, who had 36 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns last season, had 26 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns in 2020 and joined DESHAUN WATSON (2018-19) as the only quarterbacks with at least 25 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons in NFL history.
Jackson, who rushed for 1,206 yards in 2019, had 1,005 rushing yards in 2020 and became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards in multiple seasons.
Dobbins recorded a rushing touchdown in six consecutive games (Week 11, Week 13-17), tied for the third-longest such streak by a rookie running back in the Super Bowl era. Only MAURICE JONES-DREW (eight games in 2006) and CURTIS DICKEY (seven games in 1980) had a longer streak.
- Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 399 yards and four touchdowns with one interception for a 117.8 rating while wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN had 11 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 44-27 win over Atlanta.
Brady made the 299th regular-season start of his career and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (298 starts) for the most regular-season starts by a quarterback in NFL history.
Brady, who had 50 touchdown passes in 2007, recorded 40 touchdown passes in 2020 and became the fifth quarterback with at least 40 touchdown passes in multiple seasons in NFL history, joining AARON RODGERS (three seasons), DREW BREES (two), PEYTON MANNING (two) and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (two).
Brown recorded his 22nd career game with at least 10 receptions, tied with ANDRE JOHNSON (22 games) for the most games with at least 10 receptions in NFL history.
Brown has 11 career games with at least 125 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers DON MAYNARD (11 games) and TERRELL OWENS (11) for the fifth-most such games in league annals. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (22 games), RANDY MOSS (15), MARVIN HARRISON (13) and DON HUTSON (13) have more.
Tampa Bay wide receiver MIKE EVANS registered 46 receiving yards on Sunday. Evans, who had 1,006 receiving yards this season, is the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons.
- Tennessee running back DERRICK HENRY rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans' 41-38 win at Houston.
Henry led the NFL with 2,027 rushing yards in 2020 and is the eighth player in league annals to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season.
Henry, who led the NFL with 1,540 rushing yards in 2019, is the first player since Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (2006-07) to lead the league in rushing yards in consecutive seasons.
Henry is the first player in NFL history with five career games with at least 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
- Other notable performances from Sunday include:
- Minnesota rookie wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON had nine receptions for 133 yards in the Vikings' 37-35 win at Detroit.
Jefferson had 1,400 receiving yards in 2020 and surpassed ANQUAN BOLDIN (1,377 receiving yards in 2003) for the most receiving yards by a rookie in the Super Bowl era.
Jefferson is the fourth rookie with at least seven games of 100-or-more receiving yards in history, joining BILL GROMAN (nine games in 1960), ODELL BECKHAM JR. (seven games in 2014) and HARLON HILL (seven games in 1954).
- Indianapolis rookie running back JONATHAN TAYLOR rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts' 28-14 win over Jacksonville.
Taylor's 253 rushing yards were tied with DEMARCO MURRAY (253 rushing yards on October 23, 2011) for the second-most rushing yards by a rookie in a single game in NFL history. Only ADRIAN PETERSON (296 rushing yards on November 4, 2007) had more.
- New England quarterback CAM NEWTON passed for 242 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 127.4 rating and had his first-career touchdown reception in the Patriots' Week 17 win.
Newton is the fifth quarterback with at least three touchdown passes and a receiving touchdown in a single game in NFL history, joining RAY BUIVID (December 5, 1937), JIM MCMAHON (September 29, 1985), FRANK RYAN (October 30, 1960) and DESHAUN WATSON (December 1, 2019).
- New England wide receiver JAKOBI MEYERS had a 19-yard touchdown pass in the Patriots' 28-14 win over the New York Jets.
Meyers, who also had a touchdown pass in Week 10, is the fourth wide receiver with two touchdown passes in a single season in the Super Bowl era, joining ODELL BECKHAM JR. (2018), ROD GARDNER (2003) and ANTWAAN RANDLE EL (2010).
- Miami cornerback XAVIEN HOWARD led the NFL with 10 interceptions this season and became the first player with at least 10 interceptions in a single season since ANTONIO CROMARTIE (10 interceptions) in 2007.
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