:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71862430/1455181067.0.jpg "NFL playoff bracket 2023: Which teams have bye in first round?")
With the NFL's regular season come and gone, the playoffs are just around the corner with 14 teams having moved onto the postseason. As part of the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend, six games will be played from Saturday, January 14 through Monday, January 16. 12 teams will go head-to-head this weekend with the hope of moving onto the Divisional Round.
The respective number-one seeds in the NFC and AFC will enjoy a bye this weekend, as they await the lowest remaining seeds to host in next week's divisional playoff games.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles (14-3) secured the top seed in the NFC and a respective bye in the Wild Card round, though the road to clinch the number one spot was bumpy down the road. As Jalen Hurts suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15, Philadelphia was forced to start backup quarterback Gardner Minshew in Weeks 16 and 17, with the goal of clinching the top seed in the NFC playoff bracket.
After back-to-back losses to the Cowboys and Saints, Hurts returned in the regular-season finale and led the Eagles to a 22-16 win over the Giants, clinching the number one seed. The bye week should give Hurts and the rest of the Eagles a much-welcomed rest week to get healthy and prepare for a hopeful deep playoff run.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City (14-3) cruised to an easy AFC West crown and enter the 2023 postseason as the number-one seed in the AFC. Their seeding was not official until their regular-season finale win over the Raiders, as the Bills (13-3) and Bengals (12-4) both had statistical odds of securing the number one seed, albeit needing a number of factors to go their way. While Kansas City will play host to a divisional home game, it is not certain that they will play at Arrowhead Stadium for a potential AFC Championship game.
After the Bills-Bengals Week 17 game was dismissed in light of Damar Hamlin's injury, the effect on the AFC standings resulted in the decision for a neutral site to host the AFC Championship game if necessary. Were the Chiefs to meet either the Bills or Bengals in the AFC title game, then Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium would play host to determine the AFC champion, according to an announcement released by the NFL on Thursday.