NFL Playoff Bracket 2020: Wild Card Weekend dates, times set

After a wild Week 17, the 2020 NFL Playoff bracket is now set and this is what the postseason will now look like entering Wild Card Weekend.

Taking into account the fact that the Oakland Raiders still had a shot to make the NFL Playoffs entering Week 17, anything was on the table in the regular-season finales. And while Jon Gruden’s club may have fallen short, there was still plenty of calamity throughout the rest of the league, some of which affected the postseason and some of which did not.

For instance, Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns fell to the previous-one-win Cincinnati Bengals, leading to Freddie Kitchens getting the ax. Also in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a win over the Baltimore Ravens as they rested Lamar Jackson and many other starters to have a shot at the NFL Playoffs yet couldn’t make that happen.

And, of course, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys did their part to topple the Washington Redskins but still didn’t get the help they needed to win the NFC East. With all of Week 17 now in the books, the 2020 NFL Playoff bracket is now set, as are the dates and times for Wild Card Weekend.

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Starting with the AFC and making our way to the NFC, let’s make our way through the 2020 NFL Playoff bracket to see how things have shaken out.

AFC Playoff Bracket – Wild Card Round

6 Tennessee Titans (9-7) at 3 New England Patriots (12-4) – Sat., Jan. 4, 4:35 p.m. ET
5 Buffalo Bills (10-6) at 4 Houston Texans (10-6) – Sat., Jan. 4, 8:15 p.m. ET

First-Round Byes: 1 Baltimore Ravens (14-2), 2 Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)

In terms of positioning for the 2020 NFL Playoffs, there were two big outcomes in Week 17. For one, the Tennessee Titans — albeit against a resting Houston Texans club — rode a monster game from Derrick Henry to victory to clinch the second Wild Card spot in the AFC. They now face the New England Patriots in Foxborough to kick off the postseason on Saturday after the Pats could not take care of business.

New England appeared to be in great position to earn a first-round bye, needing only to beat the draft-minded Miami Dolphins. Instead, they let Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Fins throw it all over them and suffer a 27-24 loss. With that and the Kansas City Chiefs taking care of business against the Los Angeles Chargers, Patrick Mahomes and Co. secured the No. 2 seed behind the Ravens, who won despite starting Robert Griffin III.

Both AFC playoff games will go down on Saturday and should offer plenty of drama as the Buffalo Bills seem upset-minded against a rollercoaster Houston club and with the Titans looking more dangerous than almost any other team in the postseason.

NFC Playoff Bracket – Wild Card Round

6 Minnesota Vikings (10-6) at 3 New Orleans Saints (13-3) – Sun., Jan. 5, 1:05 p.m. ET
5 Seattle Seahawks (11-5) at 4 Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) – Sun., Jan. 5, 4:40 p.m. ET

First-Round Byes: 1 San Francisco 49ers (13-3), 2 Green Bay Packers (13-3)

Going into the titanic Sunday Night Football matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, there was a chance that the Green Bay Packers would be the No. 1 seed in the NFC if the Seahawks could pick up the win at home. Instead, Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners got it done to take the top seed but the Packers still get to rest on Wild Card Weekend with a bye.

Beyond the Cheeseheads and 49ers, Seattle settled into the No. 5 seed and will, unfortunately, have to go on the road to Philadelphia to face an Eagles club that did just enough to win the division, namely beating the lowly New York Giants on Sunday to hold back the Cowboys.

And, of course, the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings will meet again in the NFL Playoffs, the Minneapolis Miracle still very much in everyone’s memory. With the way these two teams have been trending, however, Drew Brees and Who Dat Nation might not be the most welcoming hosts on Sunday afternoon.