<P> The playoffs were also notable for the Patriots reaching a seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game, extending their own NFL record . </P> <P> Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs . The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won - lost - tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6 . The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round . In the first round, dubbed the wild - card playoffs or wild - card weekend, the third - seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth . The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round . In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5 or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4 or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed . Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> Playoff seeds </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Seed </Th> <Th> AFC </Th> <Th> NFC </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> New England Patriots (East winner) </Td> <Td> Philadelphia Eagles (East winner) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Pittsburgh Steelers (North winner) </Td> <Td> Minnesota Vikings (North winner) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Jacksonville Jaguars (South winner) </Td> <Td> Los Angeles Rams (West winner) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Kansas City Chiefs (West winner) </Td> <Td> New Orleans Saints (South winner) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 </Td> <Td> Tennessee Titans (wild card) </Td> <Td> Carolina Panthers (wild card) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Buffalo Bills (wild card) </Td> <Td> Atlanta Falcons (wild card) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> Playoff seeds </Td> </Tr>

Who plays in the nfl wild card games