Bye or no bye, that is the question.
There are 14 teams that qualify for the NFL playoffs every year, since the bracket expanded during the 2020 season. In other words, making the playoffs is no longer some grand achievement when nearly half the league is involved. However, there is one coveted spot in each conference that remains exclusive.
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A total of two teams, one from the AFC and one from the NFC, receive a first-round bye for finishing with the best overall record in the conference.
It was a key change with the bracket expansion, removing a bye in each conference and forcing the No. 2 seed to play on wild-card weekend. While that week off is typically seen as a positive, that isn’t always the case in the playoffs.
Based on the early returns, it might actually be a detriment to the top seed’s chances of winning the Super Bowl – the classic debate of rest vs rust.
With the top-seeded Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks returning to action in the divisional round this week, let’s take a look at how the teams before them have fared since the playoffs expanded.
NFL playoffs No. 1 seed bye week history
There have been 10 teams to receive a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs since the field expanded in 2020. Only five of them advanced to the Super Bowl
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The 2022 season was the one time that both top seeds reached the big game, when the Kansas City Chiefs became the only No. 1 seed to hoist the Lombardi Trophy since playoff expansion, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57.
Since the expansion, three of the 10 top-seeded teams failed to win a game in the playoffs.
Here’s a year-by-by breakdown of how No. 1 seeds have fared in the NFL playoffs:
2020
-
Kansas City Chiefs (advanced to Super Bowl)
2021
-
Green Bay Packers (lost in division round)
2022
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Kansas City Chiefs (won Super Bowl)
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Philadelphia Eagles (lost Super Bowl)
2023
2024
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Kansas City Chiefs (lost Super Bowl)
How many teams get a bye in the NFL playoffs?
Two teams, one in each conference, received a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs.
Those teams have home-field advantage on the road to the Super Bowl and will host the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL playoffs No. 1 seed bye week history
