2020 PLAYOFF PREVIEW

1. FOR USE AS DESIRED
1/4/21
http://twitter.com/NFL345
2020 NFL PLAYOFFS BEGIN SATURDAY
The NFL playoffs begin on Saturday and Sunday, January 9-10, with Super Wild Card Weekend. The addition of a third
Wild Card team in each conference and the subsequent expansion of the playoffs has resulted in a Super Wild Card
Weekend of NFL action. For the first time ever, there will be three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday to be
played at 1:05 PM, 4:40 PM and 8:15 PM ET on each day.
On Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts play at the Buffalo Bills (CBS, CBS All Access, 1:05 PM ET), the Seattle Seahawks
host the Los Angeles Rams (FOX, FOX Deportes, 4:40 PM ET) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Washington (NBC,
Universo, 8:15 PM ET).
Super Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Tennessee Titans (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2,
ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, Freeform, 1:05 PM ET), the New Orleans Saints welcome the Chicago Bears (CBS,
Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, 4:40 PM ET) and the Cleveland Browns travel to face the Pittsburgh
Steelers (NBC, Telemundo, Peacock, 8:15 PM ET).
TURNAROUND TEAMS & CONSISTENT WINNERS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF FIELD
Six playoff teams – the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (14-2), BUFFALO BILLS (13-3), GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-3),
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4), NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-4) and SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-4) – each won at
least 12 regular-season games in 2020, tied with 2003, 2011 and 2019 for the most such teams in a single postseason in
NFL history.
Each of the seven playoff teams from the AFC – KANSAS CITY (14-2), BUFFALO (13-3), PITTSBURGH (12-4),
TENNESSEE (11-5), BALTIMORE (11-5), CLEVELAND (11-5) and INDIANAPOLIS (11-5) – had 11-or-more wins,
marking the second time since 1970 that all playoff teams from one conference each had at least 11 wins. The only other
occasion was the AFC in 1980, when all five teams had 11-or-more wins.
There are seven new playoff teams in 2020: CHICAGO, CLEVELAND, INDIANAPOLIS, LOS ANGELES RAMS,
PITTSBURGH, TAMPA BAY and WASHINGTON.
Since 1990 – a streak of 31 consecutive seasons – at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that
were not in the postseason the year before.
The teams since 1990 to make the playoffs a season after failing to qualify:
SEASON PLAYOFF TEAMS NOT IN PREVIOUS SEASON’S PLAYOFFS
1990 7 (Cincinnati, Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles Raiders, Miami, New Orleans, Washington)
1991 5 (Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, New York Jets)
1992 6 (Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco)
1993 5 (Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Los Angeles Raiders, New York Giants)
1994 5 (Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New England, San Diego Chargers)
1995 4 (Atlanta, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Philadelphia)
1996 5 (Carolina, Denver, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England)
1997 5 (Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, New York Giants, Tampa Bay)
1998 5 (Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, New York Jets)
1999 7 (Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis Rams, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington)
2000 6 (Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia)
2001 6 (Chicago, Green Bay, New England, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Francisco)

2. 2002 5 (Atlanta, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Tennessee)
2003 8 (Baltimore, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New England, St. Louis Rams, Seattle)
2004 5 (Atlanta, Minnesota, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Diego Chargers)
2005 7 (Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Washington)
2006 7 (Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego Chargers)
2007 6 (Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington)
2008 7 (Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia)
2009 6 (Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York Jets)
2010 5 (Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Seattle)
2011 6 (Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Houston, New York Giants, San Francisco)
2012 4 (Indianapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington)
2013 5 (Carolina, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Diego Chargers)
2014 5 (Arizona, Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh)
2015 4 (Houston, Kansas City, Minnesota, Washington)
2016 6 (Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders)
2017 8 (Buffalo, Carolina, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tennessee)
2018 7 (Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle)
2019 5 (Buffalo, Green Bay, Minnesota, San Francisco, Tennessee)
2020 7 (Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington)
Two teams won division titles – Pittsburgh (AFC North) and Washington (NFC East) – after missing the playoffs last
season. At least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 17 of the past 18 years.
Washington completed the “worst-to-first” turnaround, winning the NFC East the season after finishing in last place. At
least one team has won its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 16 of the past 18 seasons.
The divisions with new champions in 2020:
AFC EAST AFC NORTH AFC SOUTH NFC EAST NFC WEST
2020 Buffalo Pittsburgh Tennessee Washington Seattle
2019 New England Baltimore Houston Philadelphia San Francisco
In the 19 seasons since realignment in 2002, 30 of the 32 NFL teams have won a division title at least once, including the
Buffalo Bills, who this season won their first AFC East division title since 1995.
How the 2020 playoff teams have fared in the 19 seasons since realignment in 2002 (2020 division winners in bold/italics):
TEAM DIVISION TITLES PLAYOFF BERTHS
Green Bay 11 14
Indianapolis 9 14
Seattle 9 14
Pittsburgh 9 12
Kansas City 7 10
New Orleans 7 9
Baltimore 6 11
Chicago 4 5
Tennessee 3 7
L.A. Rams 3 5
Washington 3 5
Tampa Bay 3 4
Buffalo 1 3
Cleveland 0 2
Nine of this season’s 14 playoff teams have won at least one Super Bowl since 1999, capturing 11 of the past 21 Vince
Lombardi Trophies. Those teams are the Ravens (XXXV, XLVII), Steelers (XL, XLIII), Packers (XLV), Colts (XLI), Chiefs
(LIV), Rams (XXXIV), Buccaneers (XXXVII), Saints (XLIV) and Seahawks (XLVIII).
SUPER BOWL SEASON WINNER
XXXIV 1999 St. Louis Rams*
XXXV 2000 Baltimore Ravens*

3. XXXVI 2001 New England Patriots
XXXVII 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
XXXVIII 2003 New England Patriots
XXXIX 2004 New England Patriots
XL 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers*
XLI 2006 Indianapolis Colts*
XLII 2007 New York Giants
XLIII 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers*
XLIV 2009 New Orleans Saints*
XLV 2010 Green Bay Packers*
XLVI 2011 New York Giants
XLVII 2012 Baltimore Ravens*
XLVIII 2013 Seattle Seahawks*
XLIX 2014 New England Patriots
50 2015 Denver Broncos
LI 2016 New England Patriots
LII 2017 Philadelphia Eagles
LIII 2018 New England Patriots
LIV 2019 Kansas City Chiefs*
*In 2020 postseason
The Green Bay Packers (.603) and Baltimore Ravens (.600) have the third- and fourth-highest postseason winning
percentages in NFL history while the Pittsburgh Steelers have the second-most postseason wins (36) in league annals.
The 14 playoff teams and their postseason records:
TEAM WINS LOSSES PCT.
Green Bay Packers 35 23 .603
Baltimore Ravens 15 10 .600
Pittsburgh Steelers 36 25 .590
Washington Football Team 23 19 .548
Seattle Seahawks 17 17 .500
Indianapolis Colts 23 24 .489
Chicago Bears 17 19 .472
Buffalo Bills 14 17 .452
Tennessee Titans 17 21 .447
Los Angeles Rams 21 26 .447
New Orleans Saints 9 12 .429
Kansas City Chiefs 13 19 .406
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 9 .400
Cleveland Browns 11 20 .355

4. YOUTH & CONSISTENCY HIGHLIGHT THE PLAYOFF QUARTERBACKS
The 2020 postseason is filled with young stars on the rise and veterans at the top of their game at the quarterback
position.
Six quarterbacks under the age of 27 led their clubs to the postseason in 2020:
• Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES ranked second the NFL with 4,740 passing yards and ranked
fourth with 38 touchdown passes to help the Chiefs earn their third consecutive AFC West Division title. In five
career postseason starts, he has 1,474 passing yards (294.8 per game) with 16 touchdowns (13 passing,
three rushing) against two interceptions for a 107.1 rating. Last season, Mahomes became the youngest
quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP honors as Kansas City earned the Super Bowl LIV title.
• Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN set franchise records in passing yards (4,544) and touchdown passes (37)
in 2020 as the Bills earned their first division title since 1995. Allen had 372 total yards (264 passing, 92
rushing, 16 receiving) in his first postseason appearance during the 2019 Wild Card round.
• Los Angeles Rams quarterback JARED GOFF passed for 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Rams
clinched a playoff berth for the second time in the past three seasons. Goff is expected to make his fifth
career postseason start, including a start in Super Bowl LIII following the 2018 season.
• Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON totaled 33 touchdowns (26 passing, seven rushing) and had 1,005
rushing yards in 2020, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards in
multiple seasons. Jackson will be making his third career postseason start after leading the Ravens to the
postseason for the third consecutive season.
• Cleveland quarterback BAKER MAYFIELD, making his playoff debut, had 26 touchdown passes and a
career-high 95.9 rating as the Browns earned their first playoff berth since 2002. Mayfield is one of three
quarterbacks (ANDREW LUCK and PEYTON MANNING) to record at least 3,500 passing yards and 20
touchdown passes in each of his first three career seasons.
• Chicago quarterback MITCHELL TRUBISKY will be making his second career postseason start as the Bears
earned a playoff berth for the second time in the past three seasons (2018). Trubisky passed for 303 yards
with one touchdown in his first career playoff start during the 2018 Wild Card round.
Five of the 15 quarterbacks who have started at least 15 postseason games in NFL history are active in the 2020
postseason and have each earned at least one Super Bowl championship:
• Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY, who won six Super Bowl titles with New England, helped the
Buccaneers earn their first playoff berth since 2007 and is the postseason’s all-time leader in games played
(41), passing yards (11,388) and touchdown passes (73).
• Pittsburgh quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER, a veteran of 17 NFL seasons, will make his 22nd career
postseason start to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY (21 starts) for the fifth-most in NFL
history. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to Super Bowl titles in 2005 (XL) and 2008 (XLIII).
• Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS, a 16-year NFL veteran, will make his 19th career playoff start
and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer TERRY BRADSHAW (19 starts) for the seventh-most career postseason
starts among quarterbacks in NFL history. Rodgers led the NFL with 48 touchdown passes and a passer
rating of 121.5 this season, the second-highest single-season passer rating in league annals. Rodgers led the
Packers to a Super Bowl XLV championship in 2010.
• New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES, a veteran of 20 NFL seasons, will make his 17th career
postseason start, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM KELLY (17 starts) and ROGER STAUBACH (17)
for the 10th-most in league history. Brees led the Saints to the Super Bowl XLIV championship in 2009.
• Seattle quarterback RUSSELL WILSON, who has led Seattle to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, will
make his 16th career postseason start. Wilson led Seattle to a Super Bowl XLVIII championship in 2013.
Three additional veteran quarterbacks are appearing in the postseason:

5. • Tennessee quarterback RYAN TANNEHILL set career highs in passing touchdowns (33) and rushing
touchdowns (seven) as the Titans earned their first division title since 2008. Tannehill will be making his fourth
career playoff start after helping the Titans reach the AFC Championship game last season.
• In his first season with Indianapolis, quarterback PHILIP RIVERS registered his eighth consecutive season
with at least 4,000 passing yards (4,169) as the Colts clinched a playoff berth for the second time in the past
three seasons (2018). Rivers will make his 12th career playoff start.
• Washington quarterback ALEX SMITH won his last five starts of the season as the Washington Football
Team clinched its first division title since 2015. In seven career postseason starts, Smith has 15 touchdowns
(14 passing, one rushing) against two interceptions for a 97.4 rating.

6. BEST NFL PLAYOFF PERFORMANCES
(Single postseason)
PASSING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM SEASON COMP. ATT. YARDS TD INT
Eli Manning, New York Giants 2011 106 163 1,219 9 1
Kurt WarnerHOF, Arizona 2008 92 135 1,147 11 3
Joe Flacco, Baltimore 2012 73 126 1,140 11 0
Tom Brady, New England 2016 93 142 1,137 7 3
Tom Brady, New England 2017 89 139 1,132 8 0
RUSHING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM SEASON ATT. YARDS TD
John RigginsHOF, Washington 1982 136 610 4
Terrell DavisHOF, Denver 1997 112 581 8
Terrell DavisHOF, Denver 1998 78 468 3
Marcus AllenHOF, Los Angeles Raiders 1983 58 466 4
Eddie George, Tennessee 1999 108 449 3
RECEIVING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM SEASON REC. YARDS TD
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona 2008 30 546 7
Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants 2011 28 444 4
Jerry RiceHOF, San Francisco 1988 21 409 6
Steve Smith, Sr., Carolina 2003 18 404 3
Charlie Brown, Washington 1983 14 401 1
RECEPTIONS
PLAYER, TEAM SEASON REC. YARDS TD
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona 2008 30 546 7
Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants 2011 28 444 4
Demaryius Thomas, Denver 2013 28 306 3
Steve Smith, Sr., Carolina 2005 27 335 3
Wes Welker, New England 2007 27 213 2
SCRIMMAGE TOUCHDOWNS
PLAYER, TEAM SEASON TOTAL TD RUSH TD REC. TD
Terrell DavisHOF, Denver 1997 8 8 0
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona 2008 7 0 7
Larry CsonkaHOF, Miami 1973 6 6 0
Franco HarrisHOF, Pittsburgh 1974 6 6 0
Sony Michel, New England 2018 6 6 0
John RigginsHOF, Washington 1983 6 6 0
Jerry RiceHOF, San Francisco 1988 6 0 6
Gerald Riggs, Washington 1991 6 6 0
Emmitt SmithHOF, Dallas 1995 6 6 0
Ricky Watters, San Francisco 1993 6 6 0
Damien Williams, Kansas City 2019 6 4 2