The 2020 NFL Playoffs: Who Made the Cut?
The wait is over, and we now know the final teams for the 2020 NFL playoffs. Although the season posed many difficulties, teams across the league worked hard to secure their respective playoff spots. Let’s take a look at who made the cut.
AFC Playoff Teams
The Kansas City Chiefs were the first seed and clinched the top spot in the AFC weeks ago. They accumulated an impressive 14-2 record and will be looking to repeat their success from last season when they won the Super Bowl. Joining the Chiefs at the top are the Buffalo Bills, who make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Bills finished with a 13-3 record, an impressive jump from their 10-6 finish in 2019.
Filling out the rest of the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers come in as the third seed, followed by the Tennessee Titans in fourth. The Steelers are making their second-straight playoff appearance, though their 12-4 record was slightly down from last season’s 8-5. The Titans, however, had a huge surge this season and went from 9-7 in 2019 to 11-5 in 2020.
The Baltimore Ravens come in as the fifth seed and end the regular season with an 11-5 record. The Indianapolis Colts made the playoffs by clinching the AFC’s sixth spot. The Colts ended up with an 11-5 record, breaking their 10-4 record from 2019. Finally, the Cleveland Browns round out the AFC playoff teams, securing the seventh and final spot with an 11-5 performance and their first playoff berth since 2002.
NFC Playoff Teams
The Green Bay Packers are the top seed in the NFC and bring a 13-3 record into the playoffs. Their season was also impressive compared to their 13-3 finish in 2019. The New Orleans Saints snag the second spot this year with a 12-4 record and continue their streak of playoff berths in the past five consecutive years.
The Seattle Seahawks occupy the third seed in the NFC, holding on to an 11-5 performance despite their 10-6 record from the 2019 campaign. The Los Angeles Rams come in as the fourth seed, nabbing the spot for the first time since 2018 and ending the regular season with an 11-5 record.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers make a playoff return in 2020 with an 11-5 performance and sit at the fifth seed. The Washington Football Team, fresh off their NFC East crown, comes in at sixth with an 11-5 record, an impressive jump from their 3-13 showing in 2019. The Chicago Bears end their final regular season with a 8-8 record and snag the seventh spot for a 2020 playoff berth.
Conclusion
2020 has been an incredible year for the NFL, and despite the uncertainty surrounding the league earlier this year, teams have managed to fight their way into the playoffs. Whether these teams can keep it up into the postseason remains to be seen, and we’ll all be waiting to see who brings home the Lombardi Trophy in 2021.