The NFL playoff bracket will take its final shape on Sunday.
It's the final day of the regular season, Week 18, a chance for teams to clinch final spots or solidify their seeding in the playoff picture.
There is still plenty to play for, with 10 different games having a chance to change the look of the postseason.
There's one key detail that is important to remember, though: The first-round byes work differently than they used to.
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How many teams get a first-round bye in the NFL?
Just two teams total get a first-round bye in the current NFL playoff bracket, one from the AFC and one from the NFC.
Only the No. 1 seed in each conference gets a bye.
That's because in the current system, where seven teams (four division winners, three wild cards) make the field from each conference, the only way to have four teams alive in each conference in the second round is to give just one team a first-round bye.
It's different than the previous system. When six teams made the playoffs in each league, the best setup for a bracket is to have two first-round byes on each side.
Now, it's just one.
If the NFL ever chose to expand further to eight teams in each conference, that would create a system where no one got a bye.
For now, that No. 1 seed in each league is crucial because it's the only bye available.
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