NFL 2009 Playoffs: Super Season Kicks Off

The NFL playoffs begin on Saturday and Sunday, January 9-10, with Wild Card Weekend. On Saturday, the New York Jets play at the Cincinnati Bengals (NBC, 4:30 PM ET) and the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys (NBC, 8:00 PM ET). Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday with the Baltimore Ravens at the New England Patriots (CBS, 1:00 PM ET) and the Green Bay Packers traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals (FOX, 4:40 PM ET).

The following week (January 16-17), the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers in the AFC and New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC host the Divisional Playoffs. The Colts and Saints own homefield advantage for the Conference Championship Games (January 24) if they win their Divisional contests.

The postseason will conclude with the 2010 Pro Bowl on Sunday, January 31 and Super Bowl XLIV on February 7. Both games will take place at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida.

"I don't know of anything that has the live drama that NFL football games have," says NBC analyst CRIS COLLINSWORTH. "The thing that gets us all going is to expect the unexpected."

Fresh Faces and Consistent Winners

For the 14th consecutive season, at least five teams qualified for the playoffs that were not in the postseason the year before. Six clubs -- Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans and the New York Jets -- did not make the playoffs in 2008 but have done so this season.

The teams since 1996 to make the playoffs a season after failing to qualify:

 

Five of the NFL's eight divisions featured new division champions from last season. Only Arizona (NFC West), Minnesota (NFC North) and San Diego (AFC West) were repeat division champions.

The five new division winners in 2009:

 

The 2009 field also showcases teams that have enjoyed recent postseason success. Since the start of the 2000 season, the Indianapolis Colts have been to the playoffs an NFL-best nine times. The Philadelphia Eagles are second in the category with eight postseason appearances in that span. Five of the top seven teams with the most playoff berths since 2000 are in this year's playoff field.

Following are the teams with the most playoff appearances since 2000 (includes 2009):

 

 

NFL All-Time Playoff Appearances

The NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys will participate in the playoffs for the 30th time, tying the New York Giants for the most playoff appearances by a team in NFL history. The NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings will appear in the postseason for the 26th time, the fourth-most playoff berths in league annals.

Following are the teams with the most seasons participating in the playoffs (includes 2009):

 

 

Following is a list of this year's 12 playoff teams and their postseason records:

 

Home Sweet Home ... Maybe

While homefield advantage throughout the playoffs is a coveted prize, it has been no guarantee of a trip to the Super Bowl. And like so much about the NFL, an unpredictable result is seemingly the only predictable outcome.

Since the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format in 1990, only 18 of the 38 (47.4 percent) No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Super Bowl, with eight No. 1s being crowned champions (21.1 percent).

A look at how the No. 1 seeds have fared since 1990:

 

Winning Feelings

The Green Bay Packers have won 12 NFL championships, the most in league history. Of the 12 2009 playoff teams, eight have won at least one championship.

NFL championships won by the 2009 playoff teams:

 

NFL Playoff Success

The Dallas Cowboys have won 32 playoff games, the most in NFL history. The Green Bay Packers have 25 postseason victories, the second-most among 2009 playoff teams and tied for the third-most in league annals. Following are the teams with the most playoff victories in NFL history:

 

NFL Division Dominance

The New England Patriots have won the AFC East seven times during the decade, the most division titles since 2000. The Indianapolis Colts rank second with six division titles during the decade. In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles top the conference with five division crowns.

Following are the teams with the most division titles in the decade:

 

Streaking Chargers

The San Diego Chargers enter the postseason with 11 consecutive victories, the NFL's longest current win streak. San Diego has clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC and is tied for the fifth-longest win streak to enter the playoffs since 1970.

Quick Turnaround

The New Orleans Saints won the NFC South this season, one year after a last place finish in their division. This marks the sixth time in the past seven seasons that the last place team in the NFC South has gone from "worst to first." Three of the previous five teams played in the NFC Championship Game, with the 2003 Carolina Panthers advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Super Bowl Encore

Last season, the Arizona Cardinals advanced to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. The Cardinals, who have won back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1974-75, are just the 10th Super Bowl runner-up since 1990 to qualify for the playoffs the following year.

Saints Alive!

The New Orleans Saints scored an NFL-high 510 points this year, the ninth-most points scored by a team in a single season in NFL history.

Undefeated at Home

The New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings both finished the 2009 regular season undefeated at home.

Since 2000, only 15 teams have posted a perfect regular-season record at home. Of the previous 13 teams, five have gone to the Super Bowl (38.5 percent).

Patriot Games

The New England Patriots have won 11 consecutive postseason games at home and aim to extend that mark in a Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Patriots trail only the Green Bay Packers (1939-2002) for the most consecutive postseason home wins in NFL history. Following are teams with most consecutive postseason wins at home:

Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY is 8-0 at home during the postseason. With a win against the Ravens, Brady can become the first quarterback to win his first nine postseason home games in the Super Bowl era. Pro Football Hall of Famer JIM KELLY is the only other quarterback to win his first eight playoff games at home.

Versatile Jets

The New York Jets led the NFL with 172.3 rushing yards per game on offense and allowed an NFL-low 252.3 yards per game on defense. The Jets became the eighth team since 1970 to lead the NFL in both rushing offense and total defense.

Road Tested

This Sunday marks the 12th playoff game in Ravens' history and the club's eighth on the road. Baltimore holds a 5-2 playoff record away from home, which stands as the top road winning percentage (.714) in NFL playoff history (minimum five games).

Division Dominance

The Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) and the Indianapolis Colts (6-0) finished the season undefeated in their respective divisions. Since 2000, a team has posted a perfect record in their division 10 times.

OT and Playoffs

Overtime games and the NFL playoffs have gone hand-in-hand for several years, with thrilling football the certain conclusion. The playoffs have featured at least one overtime game in eight of the past nine postseasons. A look at NFL overtime playoff games since 2000 -- in eight of the 11 OT games since 2000, both teams had at least one possession

 

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