It came all the way down to the last snap of the regular season, but the 2023 NFL playoff field finally is set.
Despite being eliminated just four minutes before kickoff of their season-capping matchup with the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions knocked off Aaron Rodgers and company in Week 18 to hand the final playoff spot in the NFC to the Seattle Seahawks. The upset victory finalized the field of 14 that will vie for Super Bowl LVII. Here is a look at the field in each conference:
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-3, .824 winning percentage)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-3, .813)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (12-4, .750)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8, .529)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-7, .588)
6. Baltimore Ravens (10-7, .588)
7. Miami Dolphins (9-8, .529)
Wild Card Matchups
— Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, Jan. 15 — 1 p.m. ET on CBS)
— Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, Jan. 15 — 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC)
— Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars (Saturday, Jan. 14 — 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC)
NFC
1. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, .824 winning percentage)
2. San Francisco 49ers (13-4, .765)
3. Minnesota Vikings (13-4, .765)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9, .471)
5. Dallas Cowboys (12-5, .706)
6. New York Giants (9-7-1, .559)
7. Seattle Seahawks (9-8, .529)
Wild Card Matchups
— Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (Saturday, Jan. 14 — 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX)
— New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings (Sunday, Jan. 15 — 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX)
— Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Monday, Jan. 16 — 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN)
Here’s what transpired in Week 18 to finalize the field.
In the AFC, the Patriots entered Week 18 with a win-and-in situation but will miss the playoffs after falling to the Buffalo Bills. That opened up a path for the Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers — who both earned a victory Sunday, but the spot will go to Miami for owning the tiebreaker.
The Bengals eliminated the chance of a coin flip effectively deciding the AFC North, defeating the Ravens to spark a rematch next week in Cincinnati. That decision also locked the Chargers into the No. 5 seed.
The Chiefs and Jaguars cemented their spots with wins on Saturday.
In the NFC, the Eagles, 49ers and Vikings all took home victories to fill out the field. The seventh and final spot came down to the Packers, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. A Seattle victory eliminated Detroit before its game with Green Bay kicked off, leaving the fate of that seed in the hands of the Packers. A win would send Rodgers back to the postseason. A loss would send ninth-year QB Geno Smith to the postseason for the first time.
In defeating the Packers in one of the season’s best games, the Lions played spoiler to an NFC North rival and made plenty of fans in the Pacific Northwest very happy.
The road to Super Bowl LVII starts now.
