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2000–01 NFL playoffs
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2000–01 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 2000 season began on December 30, 2000. The postseason tournament concluded with the Baltimore Ravens defeating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, 34–7, on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

This would be the final season where the playoffs began in December. The following year, the league pushed the start of the season forward one week (to the weekend after Labor Day), which effectively pushed the start of the playoffs one week later (into January).

Within each conference, the three division winners and the three non-division winners with the best overall regular season records qualified for the playoffs. The three division winners were seeded 1–3 based on the overall won-lost-tied record, and the three wild card teams were seeded 4–6. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there were no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosted the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosted the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received a first-round bye. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosted the worst-remaining seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed played the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two winning teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.

This would be the last time that all playoff games during the first three rounds would normally be played at the accustomed times of 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST. The following season, the NFL scheduled prime time playoff games for the first two rounds in an attempt to attract more television viewers.

In the United States, ABC broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games. Fox then televised the rest of the NFC games. CBS broadcast the rest of the AFC playoff games and Super Bowl XXXV (their first Super Bowl broadcast since Super Bowl XXVI at the end of the 1991–92 playoffs).

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

The Dolphins overcame three first half turnovers as running back Lamar Smith set a playoff record with 40 carries for 209 yards, including the game-winning 17-yard touchdown run in overtime. He also caught 3 passes for 18 yards.

After the Dolphins threw an incomplete pass on 4th and 6 from the Colts 39-yard line, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's 25-yard completion to tight end Jerome Pathon set up the first score of the game on a 32-yard field goal by kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Miami threatened to score late in the first quarter, but quarterback Jay Fiedler's pass in the end zone was intercepted by Indianapolis safety Chad Cota. On the next play, running back Edgerrin James broke off a 34-yard run, but the drive stalled and the Colts had to punt. After that, Colts defensive end Chad Bratzke gave his team another great scoring opportunity when he intercepted Fiedler's screen pass at the Dolphins 25-yard line. But Indianapolis failed to reach the end zone and had to settle for another field goal from Vanderjagt. On Miami's ensuing drive, they committed their third consecutive turnover when Cota picked off another pass and returned it 23 yards to the Dolphins 18-yard line. This time, the Colts made it into the end zone with Manning's 17-yard touchdown pass to Pathon with 7:47 left in the second quarter. He followed it up with a successful two-point conversion pass to tight end Ken Dilger. Miami responded with a drive to the Colts 20-yard line, only to have Olindo Mare miss a 38-yard field goal attempt with 31 seconds left in the half. Despite their sluggish start, Indianapolis had complete control of the game by the end of the first half, leading 14–0. Meanwhile, Fiedler completed only five of 14 passes for 42 yards.

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