We built each season's playoff field from the postseason games in the nflverse games file, which starts with the 1999 season; every playoff team plays at least one postseason game, byes included. A new playoff team is one that was in the field in a season but not in the one before, so the count runs from 2000, and a relocated franchise such as the Raiders, Chargers or Rams counts as one team. Seeds and division finishes since 2002 come from nflverse's standings file.
How many new teams make the NFL playoffs each year
The number barely moves. In the 26 seasons from 2000 to 2025 there were six new playoff teams eight times, seven in seven seasons, five in six, four in three (2012, 2015 and 2024) and eight in two (2003 and 2017). In 2025 there were six: the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
The bigger field has not added many newcomers. From 2000 to 2019, with 12 playoff teams, there were 5.9 new ones a season, 49 percent of the field. Since 2020, with seven teams from each conference, the average is 6.2 out of 14, or 44 percent: the two extra spots added only 0.3 new teams a season.
The NFL tracks the same number. Its 2026 schedule release says at least four new teams have qualified in each of the 36 seasons since 1990, when the 12-team playoff format began. Our count agrees for every season from 2000 to 2025, the years both cover, and the minimum of four came in 2012, 2015 and 2024.
| Season | New | New playoff teams |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6 | Broncos, Eagles, Giants, Raiders, Ravens, Saints |
| 2001 | 6 | 49ers, Bears, Jets, Packers, Patriots, Steelers |
| 2002 | 5 | Browns, Colts, Falcons, Giants, Titans |
| 2003 | 8 | Broncos, Chiefs, Cowboys, Panthers, Patriots, Rams, Ravens, Seahawks |
| 2004 | 5 | Chargers, Falcons, Jets, Steelers, Vikings |
| 2005 | 7 | Bears, Bengals, Buccaneers, Giants, Jaguars, Panthers, Washington |
| 2006 | 7 | Chargers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Eagles, Jets, Ravens, Saints |
| 2007 | 6 | Buccaneers, Jaguars, Packers, Steelers, Titans, Washington |
| 2008 | 7 | Cardinals, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Panthers, Ravens, Vikings |
| 2009 | 6 | Bengals, Cowboys, Jets, Packers, Patriots, Saints |
| 2010 | 5 | Bears, Chiefs, Falcons, Seahawks, Steelers |
| 2011 | 6 | 49ers, Bengals, Broncos, Giants, Lions, Texans |
| 2012 | 4 | Colts, Seahawks, Vikings, Washington |
| 2013 | 5 | Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles, Panthers, Saints |
| 2014 | 5 | Cardinals, Cowboys, Lions, Ravens, Steelers |
| 2015 | 4 | Chiefs, Texans, Vikings, Washington |
| 2016 | 6 | Cowboys, Dolphins, Falcons, Giants, Lions, Raiders |
| 2017 | 8 | Bills, Eagles, Jaguars, Panthers, Rams, Saints, Titans, Vikings |
| 2018 | 7 | Bears, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Ravens, Seahawks, Texans |
| 2019 | 5 | 49ers, Bills, Packers, Titans, Vikings |
| 2020 | 7 | Bears, Browns, Buccaneers, Colts, Rams, Steelers, Washington |
| 2021 | 7 | 49ers, Bengals, Cardinals, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, Raiders |
| 2022 | 7 | Chargers, Dolphins, Giants, Jaguars, Ravens, Seahawks, Vikings |
| 2023 | 6 | Browns, Lions, Packers, Rams, Steelers, Texans |
| 2024 | 4 | Broncos, Chargers, Vikings, Washington |
| 2025 | 6 | 49ers, Bears, Jaguars, Panthers, Patriots, Seahawks |
How many NFL playoff teams return the next season
Slightly more than half. Of the 322 playoff teams from 1999 to 2024, 169 made it again the next season, 52 percent. Of the 507 teams that missed the playoffs, 155 got in the following year, 31 percent.
Division champions return only a little more often than other playoff teams. Of the 184 division champions from 2002 to 2024, 101 were back in the playoffs the next season, 55 percent, and 79 won the division again, the 43 percent repeat rate in our look at worst-to-first teams. Wild cards returned 48 percent of the time, 49 of 102.
Last season was hard on champions. Only four of the eight 2024 division winners made the 2025 playoffs, the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, and only the Eagles won their division again; the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers missed. Since 2002 the fewest champions to return was two, after 2015, when only the Patriots and the Texans made it back; the most was seven, after 2013.
How often No. 1 seeds make the playoffs the next season
Even the best team in a conference drops out regularly. Of the 46 No. 1 seeds from 2002 to 2024, 29 made the playoffs the next season, 63 percent; 22 won their division again and seven were the No. 1 seed again, most recently the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and 2021. Both No. 1 seeds missed the next postseason five times: after the 2007, 2008, 2015, 2021 and 2024 seasons.
The 2024 pair fell hardest: the Chiefs went from 15-2 to 6-11 in 2025 and the Lions from 15-2 to 9-8. The 2007 Patriots, 16-0 in the regular season, went 11-5 the next year and still missed. How top seeds do in the playoffs themselves is in our No. 1 seed study. The 2025 No. 1 seeds were the Denver Broncos and the Seahawks, who won Super Bowl LX.
What last season's record says about making the playoffs
Something, but less than the gap between a 13-4 team and a 4-13 team suggests. From 2002 to 2024, teams that won 13 or more games made the playoffs the next season 59 percent of the time, and teams with three wins or fewer 18 percent. Teams that won eight games made it 36 percent of the time, and those that won nine or 10, 46 percent.
Missing the playoffs with a winning record was worth almost as much as a wild card: those teams made it the next season 45 percent of the time, 29 of 64. Most newcomers come from further down, though. Of the 155 new playoff teams since 2000, 102 had a losing record the season before, 21 were at .500 and 32 had a winning record.
- The biggest climbs: the 2008 Miami Dolphins made the playoffs a year after going 1-15, the fewest wins the season before by any playoff team since 2000. The 2012 Indianapolis Colts and the 2013 Chiefs got in after going 2-14.
- The 2025 class: five of the six new playoff teams had losing records in 2024, among them the Patriots and the Jaguars at 4-13. Seattle, at 10-7, was the exception.
- Why it happens: our Super Bowl loser study found that a team's winning percentage keeps only about a third of its distance from .500 into the next season.
Longest active NFL playoff streaks and droughts
After the 2025 season, the Bills hold the longest active playoff streak, seven seasons in a row since 2019, ahead of the Eagles with five. The New York Jets have the longest drought: they last made the playoffs in the 2010 season and have now missed 15 in a row. NFL.com put it at 14 seasons before last season, double any other team's; the Atlanta Falcons, with none since 2017, are next at eight.
- Longest streaks since 1999: the Patriots made 11 straight playoffs from 2009 to 2019 and the Chiefs 10 from 2015 to 2024. The Colts had nine, from 2002 to 2010.
- Longest droughts since 1999: the Bills missed 17 straight from 2000 to 2016 and the Cleveland Browns 17 from 2003 to 2019. The Jets' is the longest still running.
- Most appearances: the Packers and the Patriots made 19 of the 27 playoffs from 1999 to 2025; the Browns made three, the fewest. Every franchise has made it at least once.
Last season's NFL playoff teams in 2026 so far
Through Week 5, which ended with the Monday night game on Oct. 12, nine of the 14 teams from last season's playoff field have winning records, according to NFL.com's standings. The 49ers are 5-0. The Los Angeles Chargers, the AFC's No. 7 seed last season, are 0-5, and the Texans are 1-4.
| Team | 2025 seed | 2025 record | 2026 so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | AFC No. 1 | 14-3 | 3-2 |
| New England Patriots | AFC No. 2 | 14-3 | 3-2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | AFC No. 3 | 13-4 | 4-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | AFC No. 4 | 10-7 | 3-2 |
| Houston Texans | AFC No. 5 | 12-5 | 1-4 |
| Buffalo Bills | AFC No. 6 | 12-5 | 4-1 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | AFC No. 7 | 11-6 | 0-5 |
| Seattle Seahawks | NFC No. 1 | 14-3 | 3-2 |
| Chicago Bears | NFC No. 2 | 11-6 | 3-2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | NFC No. 3 | 11-6 | 2-3 |
| Carolina Panthers | NFC No. 4 | 8-9 | 2-2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | NFC No. 5 | 12-5 | 2-3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | NFC No. 6 | 12-5 | 5-0 |
| Green Bay Packers | NFC No. 7 | 9-7-1 | 3-2 |
Among the 18 teams that missed last season's playoffs, the Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 and the Chiefs 4-0, with the 49ers the league's only unbeaten teams; the Ravens are 4-1 and the New York Giants 3-1-1. All four lead their divisions, so half of the eight division leaders were out of the playoffs a year ago.
Five weeks are less than a third of the regular season, and our look at NFL starts shows how often early records held up in past seasons. Week 6 starts on Thursday, Oct. 15: the NFL schedule has every result so far, and the Vertize NFL simulator lets you play out the rest of the season from the real standings.
New NFL playoff teams: frequently asked questions
How many new teams make the NFL playoffs each year? About six. From 2000 to 2025 the number ranged from four to eight and averaged 6.0, and the NFL counts at least four in every season since 1990.
How many NFL playoff teams make it again the next year? About half: 52 percent of the playoff teams from 1999 to 2024 were back the next season, against 31 percent of the teams that missed.
Which NFL team has the longest playoff drought? The New York Jets, who have not made the playoffs since the 2010 season, 15 straight misses through 2025.
Which NFL team has the longest playoff streak? The Buffalo Bills, with seven straight appearances from 2019 to 2025. The longest since 1999 is the Patriots' 11, from 2009 to 2019.
How this was built: the playoff field of every NFL season from 1999 to 2025 comes from the postseason games in the nflverse games file, 12 teams a season through 2019 and 14 since 2020. Seeds and division finishes from 2002 come from nflverse's standings file, whose records match the games file for every team and season. The Raiders, Chargers and Rams each count as one franchise across their moves. Streaks and droughts are counted within the 1999 to 2025 seasons. Seasons had 16 games through 2020 and 17 since 2021. The 2026 records cover the 79 games of Weeks 1 to 5, through Oct. 12, 2026, and match NFL.com's standings.