# 2010–11 NFL playoffs
The 2010–11 [NFL playoffs](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-playoffs) were the postseason tournament of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league)'s 2010 season, in which twelve teams played a four-round single-elimination bracket from January 8 to February 6, 2011, ending with the [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers) defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in North Texas.[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s) • [2](https://fbschedules.com/2010-nfl-playoff-schedule/) The tournament was the first played under a new overtime rule adopted for playoff games, and it featured the first postseason win in NFL history by a team with a losing regular-season record, the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/proposal-to-change-ot-rules-in-playoff-games-passed-by-28-4-vot-09000d5d8171b356)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field and format | 12 teams, four rounds (wild card, divisional, conference championships, Super Bowl XLV)[4](https://standingschart.com/nfl/2010/playoffs/) |
| Champion | Green Bay Packers, 10-6 in the regular season, beat Pittsburgh 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s) • [4](https://standingschart.com/nfl/2010/playoffs/) |
| Top seeds | New England 14-2 (AFC) and Atlanta 13-3 (NFC); Pittsburgh 12-4 and Chicago 11-5 held the No. 2 seeds[5](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2010) |
| Overtime change | A rule adopted March 23, 2010 by a 28-4 owner vote guaranteed the team losing the opening overtime possession a series unless the first possession scored a touchdown[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/proposal-to-change-ot-rules-in-playoff-games-passed-by-28-4-vot-09000d5d8171b356) |
| Notable upset | The sixth-seeded Jets beat the 14-2 Patriots 28-21 in the divisional round[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s) |
## Format and qualification
The 2010 postseason used the format in place from 2002 through 2019: four division winners in each conference received the top four seeds regardless of record, two wild-card teams per conference filled seeds five and six, and the No. 1 seed in each conference received a first-round bye.[6](https://apnews.com/article/0d43755647751441420c063b5db9feef) Twelve teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran four rounds.[4](https://standingschart.com/nfl/2010/playoffs/)
In the AFC, New England (14-2) and [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) (12-4) took the byes, with Baltimore, Kansas City, the [New York Jets](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-jets), and [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) filling the remaining spots. In the NFC, Atlanta (13-3) and Chicago (11-5) earned the byes, joined by Philadelphia, Green Bay, New Orleans, and Seattle.[5](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2010) Philadelphia won the NFC East over the New York Giants on head-to-head record.[7](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2010/playoffs.htm)
The seeding rules produced the tournament's most discussed matchup. New Orleans, the defending [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) champion, finished 11-5 but did not win the [NFC South](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-south), so it had to visit Seattle, which won the [NFC West](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-west) at 7-9 and had one of the league's strongest home-field advantages.[8](https://apnews.com/article/a79c1249628c41d8add8b9b2c0929051)
## Wild-card round
The playoffs opened on Saturday, January 8, 2011, with two wild-card games.[2](https://fbschedules.com/2010-nfl-playoff-schedule/) In the AFC, the Jets edged Indianapolis 17-16 and Baltimore beat Kansas City 30-7. In the NFC, Seattle defeated New Orleans 41-36 and Green Bay won at Philadelphia 21-16.[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s)
The result put a 7-9 division champion into the divisional round with home field while an 11-5 wild-card team traveled, an outcome later cited in league discussions about whether division champions should automatically receive top-four seeds.[8](https://apnews.com/article/a79c1249628c41d8add8b9b2c0929051)
## Divisional round
The top seeds hosted in the divisional round, and three of the four games were won by visitors. Pittsburgh held off Baltimore 31-24, but the Jets upset New England 28-21, ending the Patriots' season as the AFC's top seed. In the NFC, Green Bay routed Atlanta 48-21, while Chicago beat Seattle 35-24.[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s)
New England had entered the playoffs as the league's best regular-season team at 14-2.[5](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2010)
## Conference championships
Both championship games were won by the visiting team's opponent's division rival at home, and both were close. Pittsburgh beat the Jets 24-19 for the AFC title, and Green Bay won at Chicago 21-14 for the NFC title, a matchup of the [NFC North](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-north)'s two entries.[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s) Green Bay had finished the regular season behind Chicago in the NFC North at 10-6, making the Packers the last team to date to win a Super Bowl after losing its own division.[4](https://standingschart.com/nfl/2010/playoffs/) • [9](https://as.com/us/us/2021/01/31/nfl/1612114266_944847.html)
## Super Bowl XLV
Green Bay met Pittsburgh in [Super Bowl XLV](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlv) at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011, and won 31-25, the Packers' fourth Super Bowl title.[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s) • [10](https://www.nfl.com/news/packers-down-steelers-for-fourth-super-bowl-title-09000d5d81e2d612) The Steelers reached their own 33-yard line with 1:08 to play, but [Ben Roethlisberger](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-roethlisberger)'s final three pass attempts fell incomplete, and the Packers clinched their first Super Bowl title in 14 years.[11](https://operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf) Green Bay's run through the bracket went 21-16 at Philadelphia, 48-21 at Atlanta, 21-14 at Chicago, and 31-25 over Pittsburgh, all as a visitor or neutral-site team.[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s)
## The new overtime rule
The 2010 playoffs were the first played under an overtime rule change adopted by NFL owners on March 23, 2010, by a 28-4 vote, applying to playoff games only. Under the new procedure, if the team with the first overtime possession scored only a field goal, the other team would receive a possession; if the game became tied again after that next series, play would continue under the existing sudden-death rules.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/proposal-to-change-ot-rules-in-playoff-games-passed-by-28-4-vot-09000d5d8171b356) The change followed criticism of sudden-death overtime, in which a team could lose on a field goal without ever possessing the ball, and discussion soon turned to extending the rule to the regular season for consistency between the regular season and the postseason.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/proposal-to-change-ot-rules-in-playoff-games-passed-by-28-4-vot-09000d5d8171b356)
## Seeding and the losing-record qualifier
The tournament became a reference point in later debates over playoff structure. Detroit's proposals to reseed teams by record rather than fixed division-champion slots were framed against cases like 2010, when the 11-5 defending champion Saints had to play on the road at the 7-9 NFC West champion Seahawks.[8](https://apnews.com/article/a79c1249628c41d8add8b9b2c0929051)
## References
1. [Playoff Results: 2010s, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/playoff-results-2010s)
2. [2010 NFL Playoff Schedule, FBSchedules.com](https://fbschedules.com/2010-nfl-playoff-schedule/)
3. [Proposal to change OT rules in playoff games passed by 28-4 vote, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/proposal-to-change-ot-rules-in-playoff-games-passed-by-28-4-vot-09000d5d8171b356)
4. [2010 NFL playoffs, bracket and race charts, standingschart.com](https://standingschart.com/nfl/2010/playoffs/)
5. [2010 Playoff Bracket, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2010)
6. [NFL Playoff Guide: How to watch the games and betting favorites, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/0d43755647751441420c063b5db9feef)
7. [2010 NFL Playoff Standings, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2010/playoffs.htm)
8. [NFL owners set to discuss tush push again, along with playoff and flag football proposals, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a79c1249628c41d8add8b9b2c0929051)
9. [Super Bowl: ¿cuántos equipos han sido campeones como Wild Card?, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2021/01/31/nfl/1612114266_944847.html)
10. [Packers down Steelers for fourth Super Bowl title, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/packers-down-steelers-for-fourth-super-bowl-title-09000d5d81e2d612)
11. [Super Bowl Summaries, NFL Record & Fact Book, NFL Football Operations](https://operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf)
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