Within both the NFC and AFC conferences of the 1985 NFL Season….the three division winners and the two wild card teams….which were the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records….all qualified for the 1985 Playoffs….as the three division winners were seeded 1 through 3 based on their overall won-lost-tied record (NFC – Bears, Rams and Cowboys / AFC – Raiders, Dolphins and Browns….while the wild card teams were seeded 4 and 5 (NFC – Giants and 49’ers / AFC – Jets and Patriots).
The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system….for in the first round….dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend….the 4th seed wild card (Giants and Jets) hosted the 5th seed (49’ers and Patriots)….as all 3 division winners from each conference received a bye in the 1st round. The second round was called the divisional playoffs….which had a restriction where two teams from the same division could not meet….insuring that the surviving wild card team visited the division champion outside its own division that had the higher seed (NFC – Bear vs Giants and Cowboys vs Rams / AFC – Patriots vs Raiders and Dolphins vs Browns) ….meaning the remaining two teams from that conference played each other. The two surviving teams from each conference’s divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC (Patriots vs Dolphins) and NFC (Rams vs Bears) Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although in the Super Bowl….which was the fourth and final round of the playoffs….was played at a neutral site….as the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.
