Everything you need to know about the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (right) celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Dak Prescott. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire)
January 11th, 2022
It required a back-and-forth, backbreaking battle on Sunday Night Football in the NFL's first Week 18 to ultimately decide the final team that would earn a bid in this weekend's Wild Card Round, set for kickoff on Jan. 15.
Wildest game ever.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2022
The #Raiders are in. The #Steelers are in. The #Chargers are out.
Six teams will square up in the first round of the playoffs, otherwise known as Super Wild Card Weekend, and seek to advance to the Divisional Round, where one AFC team will meet the No. 1 seed in the conference, the Tennessee Titans, and one NFC squad will face top-seeded Green Bay, the favorite to win Super Bowl LVI.
To get you ready for the start of the 2022 NFL postseason, read below to learn everything you need to know about Super Wild Card Weekend.
When is Super Wild Card Weekend?
NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend will kick off on January 15, with two games on Saturday, three games on Sunday, Jan. 16, and one on Monday, Jan. 17. The final matchup of Super Wild Card Weekend will mark the first Monday Night Football game in NFL playoff history.
Which teams will compete in the Wild Card Round?
The Wild Card Round will feature six teams (three division winners and three non-division winners) from each conference, as was the case last year, when the NFL expanded the postseason for the first time since 1990 by adding a third Wild Card team from each conference.
The No. 1 seeds from the AFC and NFC receive a bye during the first round of the playoffs and will face the lowest-remaining seed from their respective conference in the second round, or Divisional Round, of the postseason.
Division winners who did not earn a No. 1 seed will receive the No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4 seed based on record and any necessary tiebreaking procedures. The next three teams in the conference with the best records are seeded No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7.
Wild Card seeding matchups are as follows:
- No. 7 seed at No. 2 seed
- No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed
- No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and will go head-to-head with the Philadelphia Eagles, the last franchise to beat Brady in a Super Bowl.
NFL Super Wild Card Weekend schedule
| Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
|---|
Saturday, Jan. 15 | 4:30 p.m. ET | No. 5 Las Vegas Raiders vs. No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals | NBC |
Saturday, Jan. 15 | 8:15 p.m. ET | No. 6 New England Patriots vs. No. 3 Buffalo Bills | CBS |
Sunday, Jan. 16 | 1 p.m. ET | No. 7 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers | FOX |
Sunday, Jan. 16 | 4:30 p.m. ET | No. 6 San Francisco 49ers vs. No. 3 Dallas Cowboys | CBS |
Sunday, Jan. 16 | 8:15 p.m. ET | No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs | NBC |
Monday, Jan. 17 | 8:15 p.m. ET | No. 5 Arizona Cardinals vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams | ESPN/ABC |
How are the Wild Card teams decided?
Playoff seeding is determined by regular-season record and requisite tiebreaking procedures, such as head-to-head record, conference record, or record in common games.
In each conference, the second-through-fourth seeds are granted to three division winners, as decided by regular-season record. These three teams will secure home-field advantage during Super Wild Card Weekend. Non-division winners with the best regular-season records are considered the wild cards and receive the No. 5, 6, or 7 seed.
Updated lines for the Wild Card round of the @NFL Playoffs at @TS_Sportsbook.
— Darin Zoccali (@atTheTrack7) January 10, 2022
Bengals moved from 6 to 6.5.
Bills moved from 4 to 4.5
Bucs, Cowboys, Chiefs and Rams all holding at their open. pic.twitter.com/5vFjUFxKup
How do I watch Wild Card Weekend?
FOX, CBS, and NBC will broadcast the Saturday and Sunday games during Super Wild Card Weekend.
ESPN/ABC will air the Monday night Wild Card matchup between the Cardinals and Rams, with the popular Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli broadcast available on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Can I bet on NFL Wild Card games?
Throughout the entire 2022 postseason, TwinSpires Sports will offer a wide variety of betting markets, including moneyline, point spread, and totals markets, game and player props, as well as Super Odds specials and promos.
You can also find NFL futures on the Super Bowl LVI champion, AFC and NFC Championship Game winners, plus the Super Bowl MVP award, and more.
When did the NFL first start playing Wild Card games?
In 1970, the NFL expanded the playoffs from a four-team format to an eight-team tournament, which included three division winners and one Wild Card team in each conference.
The official Wild Card Round did not begin until 1978, when a second wild card was added to each conference. The two wild cards in each conference faced each other in the first round of the playoffs, and the winner moved on to the Divisional Round.
What are some Wild Card Game betting trends to know?
- Underdogs are 15-3 against the spread in the last 18 Wild Card games, including 4-2 in the 2021 postseason
- The Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their past six playoff games
- The Cowboys are 3-10 ATS in their past 13 playoff games
- The Steelers have allowed 129 points across their past three playoff games, all of which were losses
What is the full 2022 NFL playoff schedule?
Following the Wild Card Round on Jan. 15-17, the second round of the playoffs, or the Divisional Round, will consist of four games played across Saturday, Jan. 22, and Sunday, Jan. 23. The two No. 1 seeds will compete in this round, along with the six winners from the Wild Card Round.
The conference championship round will be played Jan. 30, 2022, and Super Bowl LVI will occur two weeks later, on Feb. 13, 2022 at SoFi Stadium.
ADVERTISEMENT
