# 2020–21 NFL playoffs
The 2020–21 [NFL playoffs](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-playoffs) were the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league)'s postseason tournament for the 2020 season, the first played under a 14-team format after league owners and the players' union expanded the field from 12 teams. Seven teams from each conference qualified, only the No. 1 seeds received first-round byes, and the [Tampa Bay Buccaneers](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay-buccaneers) won Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs on February 7, 2021.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/owners-approve-expanding-postseason-to-14-teams-0ap3000001107961) • [2](https://www.buccaneers.com/schedule/2020/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field size | 14 teams, seven per conference, up from 12; the first playoff expansion since 1990[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/owners-approve-expanding-postseason-to-14-teams-0ap3000001107961) |
| Byes | Only the No. 1 seed in each conference earned a first-round bye[3](https://www.axios.com/2020/09/10/nfl-season-preview) |
| Wild Card round | Six games, January 9–10, 2021, three on Saturday and three on Sunday[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596831314/league/p8fpvf8dkjfj5dngklk3.pdf) |
| New qualifiers | Seven of the 14 playoff teams in 2020 had missed the postseason the year before[5](https://operations.nfl.com/media/5668/2021-nfl-kickoff-guide.pdf) |
| Notable qualifier | Tampa Bay went 11-5 as a wild card, ending a 12-year playoff drought in Tom Brady's first season with the team[6](https://www.buccaneers.com/team/history/2020) |
| NFC Championship | Buccaneers 31, Packers 26, at Lambeau Field[7](https://www.buccaneers.com/news/bucs-win-nfc-championship-super-bowl-lv-packers-31-26) |
| Super Bowl LV | February 7, 2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs[2](https://www.buccaneers.com/schedule/2020/) |
## Expansion to 14 teams
The larger field came out of the collective bargaining agreement ratified in March 2020, which added a seventh playoff team in each conference effective immediately for the 2020 season, raising total playoff bids from 12 to 14.[8](https://amp.nfl.com/news/new-cba-includes-playoff-expansion-to-14-teams-0ap3000001106259) Owners then voted to approve the expanded postseason format.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/owners-approve-expanding-postseason-to-14-teams-0ap3000001107961) It was the league's first playoff expansion since 1990, when the field grew from 10 teams to 12.[8](https://amp.nfl.com/news/new-cba-includes-playoff-expansion-to-14-teams-0ap3000001106259)
**Format changes.** Each conference sent three wild card teams instead of two, and the bye structure changed: only the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC earned a first-round bye, where previously the top two seeds in each conference had byes.[3](https://www.axios.com/2020/09/10/nfl-season-preview) Wild Card Weekend grew from four games to six, three on Saturday and three on Sunday.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596831314/league/p8fpvf8dkjfj5dngklk3.pdf) Unlike some pandemic-era changes in other sports, the expansion was not a temporary measure devised for the COVID-19 season; the 14-team format was set to continue going forward.[3](https://www.axios.com/2020/09/10/nfl-season-preview)
League data cited when the change was approved showed what the seventh seeds would have looked like historically: of the 60 teams that would have claimed the seventh seeds since 1990, 44 had winning records, including 10 different 10-win teams.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/owners-approve-expanding-postseason-to-14-teams-0ap3000001107961) In the first year under the new format, seven of the 14 playoff teams had missed the postseason the year before, continuing a streak of at least four new playoff teams per season that had run since 1990.[5](https://operations.nfl.com/media/5668/2021-nfl-kickoff-guide.pdf)
## Playing during the COVID-19 pandemic
The league outlined postseason protocols in late December 2020: daily testing and intensive protocols would continue throughout the playoffs, and clubs could not require players and staff to stay at a hotel during the playoffs beyond the night before a game, meaning there were no local playoff bubbles.[9](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-outlines-postseason-offseason-covid-19-guidelines) • [10](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-tells-all-clubs-there-will-be-no-local-playoff-bubbles) Teams also gained flexibility to sign players from other practice squads without waiting six days of negative tests, a measure adopted after the [Denver Broncos](https://www.edgepedia.org/denver-broncos) had to start a practice-squad wide receiver at quarterback earlier in the season.[11](https://as.com/us/us/2020/12/19/nfl/1608418569_062599.html)
Despite outbreaks that forced numerous regular-season games to be postponed to Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays, the league's guidelines held: all 269 scheduled games, regular season and playoffs, were ultimately played.[12](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/CIN.pdf)
## Wild Card round
Wild Card Weekend ran January 9–10, 2021.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596831314/league/p8fpvf8dkjfj5dngklk3.pdf) In the NFC, the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 31-23 on the road against the Washington Football Team, and the second-seeded [New Orleans Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-orleans-saints) beat the [Chicago Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bears) 21-9.[13](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/) In the AFC, the [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens) won 20-13 on the road against the Tennessee Titans on January 10.[14](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2020/gamelog)
[Tampa Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay)'s appearance itself was a product of an unusual season. [The Buccaneers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-buccaneers) signed six-time [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) winner Tom Brady in free agency, finished 11-5 with wins over Atlanta in the final three weeks, and claimed a wild card spot that ended a 12-year postseason drought.[6](https://www.buccaneers.com/team/history/2020)
## Divisional round and conference championships
The Buccaneers' run continued through the divisional round and into the [NFC Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-championship-game), where they defeated the [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers) 31-26 at [Lambeau Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/lambeau-field) to advance to Super Bowl LV, which was to be played in their own home stadium in Tampa.[7](https://www.buccaneers.com/news/bucs-win-nfc-championship-super-bowl-lv-packers-31-26) Along the way they eliminated New Orleans 30-20; Saints quarterback Drew Brees, widely expected to retire after the season, threw three interceptions in a playoff game for the first time in his career.[15](https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/30679987/2020-nfl-season-review-went-wrong-next-eliminated-playoff-teams)
In the AFC, the [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs) reached the Super Bowl, setting up a February 7, 2021 meeting with Tampa Bay.[15](https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/30679987/2020-nfl-season-review-went-wrong-next-eliminated-playoff-teams) • [2](https://www.buccaneers.com/schedule/2020/) The Buccaneers won [Super Bowl LV](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lv), capping the first postseason of the 14-team era with a championship by a wild card team playing its home stadium.[6](https://www.buccaneers.com/team/history/2020) • [7](https://www.buccaneers.com/news/bucs-win-nfc-championship-super-bowl-lv-packers-31-26)
## References
1. [Owners approve expanding postseason to 14 teams, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/owners-approve-expanding-postseason-to-14-teams-0ap3000001107961)
2. [Buccaneers Historical 2020 Schedule, buccaneers.com](https://www.buccaneers.com/schedule/2020/)
3. [Special report: The NFL is back and weirder than ever, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2020/09/10/nfl-season-preview)
4. [2020 Schedule, NFL.com (PDF)](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1596831314/league/p8fpvf8dkjfj5dngklk3.pdf)
5. [NFL Kickoff Guide 2021, NFL Football Operations (PDF)](https://operations.nfl.com/media/5668/2021-nfl-kickoff-guide.pdf)
6. [2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season: Super Bowl LV Champions, buccaneers.com](https://www.buccaneers.com/team/history/2020)
7. [Tampa Bay Beats Green Bay 31-26 in NFC Title Game to Advance to Super Bowl LV, buccaneers.com](https://www.buccaneers.com/news/bucs-win-nfc-championship-super-bowl-lv-packers-31-26)
8. [New CBA includes playoff expansion to 14 teams, NFL.com](https://amp.nfl.com/news/new-cba-includes-playoff-expansion-to-14-teams-0ap3000001106259)
9. [NFL outlines postseason, offseason COVID-19 guidelines, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-outlines-postseason-offseason-covid-19-guidelines)
10. [NFL notifies clubs there will be no local playoff bubbles, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-tells-all-clubs-there-will-be-no-local-playoff-bubbles)
11. [NFL actualiza protocolos COVID rumbo a la postemporada, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2020/12/19/nfl/1608418569_062599.html)
12. [The NFL and COVID-19 in 2020 and '21, NFL media guide (PDF)](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/CIN.pdf)
13. [2020 NFL Standings & Playoff Results, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/)
14. [Baltimore Ravens 2020 Games and Schedule, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2020/gamelog)
15. [2020 NFL season in review, ESPN](https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/30679987/2020-nfl-season-review-went-wrong-next-eliminated-playoff-teams)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL playoffs and championship games › Titles symbols to N*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license