When and where do the 3-6 seeds play in the playoffs?

• A. Conference Championship January 30
• B. Divisional January 22-23
• C. Super Bowl February 13
• D. Wildcard slots January 15-16

Answer: (D)

In the NFL playoffs, seeds 3 through 6 meet in the opening round, known as the Wild Card Round. This is the first knockout stage after the regular season, and it happens on the first weekend of January in most years. The top seed in each conference gets a bye and does not play in this round, while the 2, 3, 4, and 5, 6 seeds pair up in three matchups (2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5). Because these games are the wild-card contests, the dates shown for the Wild Card Round—typically mid-January—fit the option described as wildcard slots January 15-16. The other options correspond to later rounds: the Divisional Round comes after the Wild Card Round, the Conference Championship occurs after the Divisional Round, and the Super Bowl is the final game of the season.