1970–71 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 1970 season began on December 26, 1970. The postseason tournament concluded with the Baltimore Colts defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V, 16–13, on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

1970–71 NFL playoffs
The Baltimore Colts playing against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V.
DatesDecember 26, 1970 – January 17, 1971
Season1970
Teams8
Games played7
Super Bowl V site
  • Orange Bowl
  • Miami, Florida
Defending champions
1969 Pre-merger
ChampionsBaltimore Colts
Runners-upDallas Cowboys
Conference
runners-up

This was the first playoff tournament after the AFL–NFL merger. An eight-team playoff tournament was designed, with four clubs from each conference qualifying. Along with the three division winners in each conference, one wild card team, the second place team with the best record from each conference, was added to the tournament. The first round was named the Divisional Playoffs, while the Conference Championship games were moved to the second playoff round and the Super Bowl became the league's championship game.

However, the home teams in the playoffs were still decided based on a yearly divisional rotation, excluding the wild card teams, who would always play on the road. Also, a rule was made that two teams from the same division could not meet in the Divisional Playoffs. In the rotation system, teams who hosted and won against the wild card team in the Divisional playoffs never could host the Conference Championship game. Conversely, this meant that the winner of Divisional playoff games that were exclusively between division winners always hosted the Conference Championship game.

This is the most recent year in which all playoff games matched up two teams that had yet to meet in the postseason in a previous year.

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