<P> The names of the first two playoff rounds date back to the postseason format that was first used in 1978 , when the league added a second wild - card team to each conference . The first round of the playoffs is dubbed the wild - card playoffs ( or wild - card weekend ) . In this round , the third - seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card , and the fourth seed hosts the fifth . There are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round . The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference receive a bye in the first round , which entitles these teams to automatic advancement to the second round , the divisional playoffs , where they face the wild - card weekend survivors . The 1 seed has home - field advantage throughout the playoffs . The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system . The number 1 seed will host 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 ) , with the winners of those contests going on to face one another in the Super Bowl . Only twice since 1990 has neither a number one - seeded team nor a number two - seeded team hosted a conference championship game ( in the 2006 AFC Championship the # 3 seeded Indianapolis Colts hosted the # 4 seeded New England Patriots with the Colts winning 38 -- 34 and the 2008 NFC Championship the # 4 seeded Arizona Cardinals hosting the # 6 seeded Philadelphia Eagles with the Cardinals winning 32 -- 25 ) . </P>
<P> The names of the first two playoff rounds date back to the postseason format that was first used in 1978 , when the league added a second wild - card team to each conference . The first round of the playoffs is dubbed the wild - card playoffs ( or wild - card weekend ) . In this round , the third - seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card , and the fourth seed hosts the fifth . There are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round . The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference receive a bye in the first round , which entitles these teams to automatic advancement to the second round , the divisional playoffs , where they face the wild - card weekend survivors . The 1 seed has home - field advantage throughout the playoffs . The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system . The number 1 seed will host 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 ) , with the winners of those contests going on to face one another in the Super Bowl . Only twice since 1990 has neither a number one - seeded team nor a number two - seeded team hosted a conference championship game ( in the 2006 AFC Championship the # 3 seeded Indianapolis Colts hosted the # 4 seeded New England Patriots with the Colts winning 38 -- 34 and the 2008 NFC Championship the # 4 seeded Arizona Cardinals hosting the # 6 seeded Philadelphia Eagles with the Cardinals winning 32 -- 25 ) . </P>
who does the number one seed play in the nfl playoffs
who does the number one seed play in the nfl playoffs
the worst surviving seed from the first round ( seed 4 , 5 or 6 )
the worst surviving seed from the first round ( seed 4 , 5 or 6 )