Playoff Bracket Guide
How NFL Playoff Bracket Works
Join a public or private pool, make your playoff picks, and follow automatic scoring and standings from Wild Card weekend to the Super Bowl. Everything you need to know is on this page.
Getting Started
From sign-up to game day
- 01
Join or create a pool
Jump into the free public pool, join a private pool through your commissioner's invite, or purchase a commissioner plan and create pools of your own.
- 02
Fill out your playoff bracket
Pick the winner of every playoff game, from Wild Card weekend to the Super Bowl, and enter your predicted total score for each game.
- 03
Picks lock when the playoffs begin
You can edit your bracket any time before the playoffs start. Once the playoffs begin, all brackets lock and everyone's picks become visible to the pool.
- 04
Follow scoring and standings
As real playoff games finish, scoring and standings update automatically. No spreadsheets and no manual math.
Scoring & Rules
How points work
Every correctly picked winner earns points, and later rounds are worth more. Total points is always the primary ranking. Tiebreakers only come into play between players with the same total.
Quick reference
Points decide the standings first. Tiebreakers only separate players with the same total.
Points per round
- Wild Card5
- Divisional10
- Conference Championship15
- Super Bowl25
Standard tiebreakers
- Super Bowl Prediction Accuracy
- Overall Prediction Accuracy
Closest predicted game totals win. Commissioners can customize the tiebreaker order for their pool.
You also predict the total combined score of each game when you make your picks. Those predictions never earn points on their own. They power the prediction-accuracy tiebreakers below.
Tiebreakers
Breaking ties, your commissioner's way
When players finish with the same total points, the pool's tiebreakers decide the order. Tiebreakers are configurable: each commissioner chooses which of the criteria below apply to their pool, and in what order.
What “prediction accuracy” means
For every game you predict the total combined score. Your accuracy is simply how far your prediction was from the actual total. Predict 40 when the game ends with 30 points, and you're 10 off. The closer you are, the better: the player who is fewer points off wins the tiebreaker.
Available tiebreakers
- Higher wins
Total Correct Picks
The player who picked more winners correctly ranks ahead.
- Lower wins
Wild Card Prediction Accuracy
Closest predicted game totals across the Wild Card round rank ahead.
- Lower wins
Divisional Prediction Accuracy
Closest predicted game totals across the Divisional round rank ahead.
- Lower wins
Conference Prediction Accuracy
Closest predicted game totals across the Conference Championships rank ahead.
- Lower wins
Super Bowl Prediction Accuracy
The closest predicted Super Bowl total ranks ahead.
- Lower wins
Overall Prediction Accuracy
The closest predicted totals added up across every playoff game rank ahead.
The standard setup
If a commissioner hasn't changed the pool's tiebreaker settings, ties are broken by Super Bowl Prediction Accuracy, then Overall Prediction Accuracy. The free public pool uses this standard setup too.
Points-only pools & exact ties
Commissioners can also run a pool with no tiebreakers at all, ranked purely on total points. And in any pool, players who remain completely tied after every enabled criterion share the same place in the standings.
NFL Reseeding
Why the bracket re-shuffles
After Wild Card weekend, the NFL doesn't follow a fixed tournament bracket. Instead, each conference re-seeds: the No. 1 seed plays the lowest remaining seed, and the other two remaining teams play each other.
You don't have to manage any of that. The bracket handles playoff advancement and reseeding automatically, so the matchups you pick always reflect how the real playoffs unfold.
Playoff Analysis
See what every outcome means
Once the playoffs begin and brackets unlock, a set of analysis tools shows exactly where your pool stands and where it can still go.
What-If Simulator
Flip the winner of any remaining game and watch the simulated standings update instantly. It's a sandbox; official results and everyone's saved brackets stay untouched.
Best Case Scenario
One tap inside the What-If Simulator finds the combination of remaining results that gives your bracket its highest possible finish, and loads it into the bracket so you can see exactly what needs to happen. Completed games stay fixed at their real results.
Win Chance
Shown in the What-If Simulator and View All Brackets: each bracket's share of all remaining playoff outcomes that end in first place. Every possible winner is weighted equally, and outcomes with a tie for first split their share evenly, so it measures paths to first place, not predictive NFL odds.
Best Finish
Alongside Win Chance, every bracket shows the highest place it can still reach. Even a bracket with no remaining path to first can see exactly how high it can climb.
While browsing View All Brackets you'll also see each participant's submitted bracket path, showing their picked winners, round by round, all the way to their champion.
Commissioner Pools
Run the pool your way
A commissioner plan turns your group into a private bracket room with everything managed for you:
- Create private pools for your group
- Invite members with a link
- Select and order your tiebreakers
- Manage members and brackets
- Increase participant capacity as you grow
- Automatic scoring and standings
Just want to play?
Skip the commissioner side entirely. The free public pool is open to everyone.
FAQs & Support
Common questions
- Can I play for free?
- Yes. The free public pool is open to everyone. Sign in, fill out your bracket, and compete on the public leaderboard. No commissioner or payment required.
- Can I create my own private pool?
- Yes. Commissioner plans let you create private pools, invite your group, choose tiebreaker settings, and manage members, all with the same automatic scoring.
- When do picks lock?
- Brackets stay editable until the playoffs begin. Once the playoffs start, every bracket locks and all picks in your pool become visible.
- How is scoring calculated?
- Each correct winner pick earns points by round: Wild Card 5, Divisional 10, Conference Championship 15, Super Bowl 25. Total points is always the primary ranking.
- What happens if players tie?
- The pool's ordered tiebreakers decide the order. If players are still completely tied after every enabled tiebreaker, they share the same place in the standings.
- Can commissioners change tiebreakers?
- Yes. Commissioners choose which tiebreakers apply and in what order, or run a points-only pool with no tiebreakers at all.
Still need help?
This page covers how the product works. For account issues or anything else, our support page has you covered.