Understanding the Wild Card in the National Football League (NFL) is essential for fans trying to make sense of the playoff picture. The term comes up every season—especially late in the year—when teams are battling for postseason spots.
What Is a Wild Card in the NFL?
In the NFL, a Wild Card team is a playoff team that did not win its division but still qualified for the postseason based on its regular-season record.
Each NFL conference (AFC and NFC) sends:
- 4 division winners
- 3 Wild Card teams
That makes 7 playoff teams per conference and 14 total playoff teams league-wide.
How Do Teams Earn a Wild Card Spot?
Wild Card teams are determined by win-loss record, not division titles. After division winners are locked in, the next three best teams in each conference—based on record—earn Wild Card berths.
If teams have the same record, the NFL uses tiebreakers such as:
- Head-to-head results
- Conference record
- Common opponents
- Strength of victory and strength of schedule
What Is Wild Card Weekend?
Wild Card Weekend is the first round of the NFL playoffs. During this round:
- The #2 seed plays the #7 seed
- The #3 seed plays the #6 seed
- The #4 seed plays the #5 seed
- The #1 seed in each conference gets a bye
Wild Card teams must play—and win—this extra game to advance.
Can a Wild Card Team Win the Super Bowl?
Yes. Several teams have proven that you don’t need a division title to become champions. Wild Card teams can (and have) gone on to win the Super Bowl, making the Wild Card path one of the toughest—but most exciting—routes to a title.
Why the Wild Card Matters
The Wild Card system:
- Keeps more teams in playoff contention late in the season
- Rewards strong teams stuck in competitive divisions
- Creates high-stakes games early in the playoffs
It’s a big reason why the NFL’s postseason is one of the most unpredictable and watched in sports.
Simple Wild Card Definition (Quick Answer)
Wild Card (NFL):
A playoff team that did not win its division but qualified based on having one of the best remaining records in its conference.