Honestly, looking back at the football playoff schedule 2024, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher if you don't follow the league's weird calendar. People get confused because the "2023 Season" actually crowns its champion in February of 2024. If you were searching for games that happened in the calendar year 2024, you're looking at the climax of the 2023-24 season. It was a wild ride.
The path to Las Vegas was brutal.
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It all kicked off in mid-January with Super Wild Card Weekend. We saw some absolute lopsided blowouts and a few heart-stoppers that set the stage for one of the most-watched postseason runs in NFL history.
The NFL Playoff Schedule 2024 Breakdown
If we're being real, the Wild Card round is usually where the pretenders get exposed. January 13 through January 15, 2024, was no different. The Houston Texans basically dismantled the Cleveland Browns 45–14. It wasn't even close. Then you had the Kansas City Chiefs braving the "Ice Bowl" conditions at Arrowhead to take down the Dolphins 26–7.
Sunday was even weirder.
The Green Bay Packers went into Dallas and absolutely stunned the Cowboys 48–32. I remember thinking the Cowboys might actually make a run that year, but Jordan Love had other plans. Later that night, the Lions finally got their playoff monkey off their back by edging out the Rams 24–23 in a game that felt more like a heavyweight fight than a football game.
The Divisional Round followed on January 20–21. This is where things got serious.
- Baltimore Ravens took care of business against Houston (34–10).
- San Francisco 49ers barely escaped a hungry Packers squad (24–21).
- Detroit Lions kept the dream alive by beating Tampa Bay (31–23).
- Kansas City Chiefs survived a classic "Wide Right" moment in Buffalo to win 27–24.
That Bills game? Man. Watching Tyler Bass miss that 44-yard field goal was soul-crushing for Western New York. It felt like the same old story for Josh Allen—incredible talent, but just couldn't get past the Mahomes hurdle when it mattered most.
Championship Sunday and the Road to Vegas
By January 28, 2024, we were down to the final four. The AFC Championship saw the Chiefs travel to Baltimore. Most experts—myself included, if I'm being honest—thought Lamar Jackson and that Ravens defense would finally end the Chiefs' dynasty.
Nope.
Kansas City’s defense played lights out, and Travis Kelce had one of those games where he just seemed uncoverable. The Chiefs took it 17–10. Over in the NFC, the Lions had a massive lead on the 49ers at halftime. It looked like Detroit was going to their first Super Bowl. Then, the wheels just fell off. San Francisco roared back to win 34–31, setting up a rematch of Super Bowl LIV.
What Happened in the 2024 College Football Playoff?
We can't talk about the football playoff schedule 2024 without mentioning the college side of the house. This was the final year of the four-team format before things got blown up into the 12-team madness we see now.
The National Championship happened on January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston. Michigan and Washington. Two undefeated teams. It was supposed to be a battle of the trenches versus the high-flying aerial attack of Michael Penix Jr.
Michigan just ran the ball down their throats.
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Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combined for four touchdowns, and the Wolverines' defense made life miserable for Washington. The final score was 34–13. Jim Harbaugh finally got his ring before bolting back to the NFL. It was a fitting end to a season defined by "Michigan vs. Everybody" after all the sign-stealing drama that dominated the headlines for months.
Super Bowl LVIII: The 2024 Finale
Everything led to February 11, 2024. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The game itself was a bit of a slog early on. Defenses were dominating, and it was 10–3 San Francisco at the half. But you can never count out Mahomes. Never. The game went into overtime—only the second time in Super Bowl history that’s happened.
San Francisco took the ball first, which turned out to be a controversial decision given the new playoff overtime rules. They settled for a field goal. Mahomes then marched the Chiefs down the field and found Mecole Hardman for the game-winning touchdown.
25–22. Back-to-back titles.
People talk about the "Taylor Swift effect" and the ratings, but at the end of the day, it was just a legendary quarterback doing legendary things. The Chiefs became the first team to repeat as champions since the Patriots did it in 2003-04.
Why the 2024 Schedule Matters Now
If you're looking at these dates to plan for future seasons, keep in mind that the NFL likes to stay consistent. The Wild Card round almost always starts the second weekend of January. The Super Bowl is cemented on that second Sunday in February.
For the college side, the old January 1st semifinal tradition is back, but with 12 teams, the schedule is way more spread out now. You've got games on campus in mid-December followed by the bowl sites.
Basically, the football playoff schedule 2024 was the end of an era for college ball and the solidification of a dynasty for the NFL. If you're trying to track down specific scores or refise your memory on who played when, just remember that "2024 playoffs" refers to the postseason that concluded in early 2024.
To stay ahead of the curve for the upcoming season, you should look at the NFL's official calendar release in May. That’s when the specific dates for the following year's postseason are usually soft-confirmed. For college, the CFP selection committee usually drops the final bracket in early December. Mark your calendars for those windows if you're planning a trip or a watch party.
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Double-check your local listings for kickoff times as they often shift by 15–30 minutes depending on which network (CBS, FOX, NBC, or ESPN) has the primary broadcast rights for that specific window. Generally, the late-afternoon window is 4:30 PM ET and the prime-time slot is 8:15 PM ET.
Getting the dates right is half the battle when you're a die-hard fan. Hopefully, this cleared up the confusion between the season year and the calendar year.