1969 NFL playoffs
| Dates | December 27, 1968–January 4, 1970 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 4 | ||||
| Champions | Minnesota Vikings | ||||
| Runners-up | Cleveland Browns | ||||
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The NFL playoffs following the 1969 NFL season determined the league's representative in Super Bowl IV.
This was the last NFL playoff tournament before the AFL–NFL merger and the last awarding of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy to the NFL champion, which was introduced in 1934.
The four-team postseason format was introduced for the 1967 season, when the NFL expanded to 16 teams and realigned into four division with four teams each.
Within each conference, the two division winners qualified for the playoffs. In the first round, the Capitol winner met the Century winner in the Eastern Conference game, while the Coastal and Central played for the Western Conference title. The winners of the two conference games advanced to the NFL Championship Game to compete for the NFL league title and the right to face the American Football League champion in Super Bowl IV. The losers of the conference championship games played in the Playoff Bowl, a third place game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida; the Playoff Bowl of January 1970 was its tenth and final edition.
Prior to 1975, the playoff sites rotated and were known prior to the start of the season. In 1969, the hosts were the Capitol and Central division winners for the conference championships (first round), and the Western Conference for the championship game. This gave home field advantage to the Central Division winner, the Minnesota Vikings (12–2), which had the league's best record. The previous year's playoff hosts were Century, Coastal, and Eastern, respectively, and 1967 was like 1969. All three playoff games in 1969 were hosted by the team with the better regular season record.
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