National Football League

2025-26 NFL Playoff Picture, Bracket, Schedule: How Field Looks Entering Week 18

Updated Jan. 2, 2026 12:55 p.m. ET

The final week of the 2025 NFL regular season is here, and while 12 of the 14 playoff spots have been determined, there's still a lot that needs to be sorted out in the postseason picture.

Only one team knows what seed it will have in the playoffs – the Green Bay Packers in the NFC – as the No. 1 seed in both conferences is still up for grabs. More importantly, though, the NFC South and AFC North will come down to this weekend.

Here's where things stand ahead of the Week 18 slate:

NFL Playoff Picture

AFC

In the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)

* Clinched playoffs
** Clinched division

The Broncos, Patriots and Jaguars are all still in play to get the AFC's No. 1 seed. Denver controls its own destiny to get that top seed, though. The Broncos will have home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs if they beat the Chargers on Sunday. New England gets the No. 1 seed if the Chargers beat the Broncos, and Jacksonville gets it with a win and losses from the Broncos and Patriots.

The Jaguars still need to clinch the AFC South, but a win over the Titans would do just that. A loss and a Texans win over the Colts would mean Houston wins the AFC South.

The Chargers and Bills already know they're playing on the road in the opening round of the playoffs. Houston, Los Angeles and Buffalo's seeding is still up in the air.

The Chargers are going to rest quarterback Justin Herbert this weekend, while Josh Allen is set to start for the Bills after returning to practice on Friday. Los Angeles plays at the Broncos, while Buffalo is home against the Jets. The Bills would move ahead of the Chargers in the standings with a win and L.A. loss. Houston holds the tiebreaker over both the Chargers and Bills thanks to head-to-head wins over both.

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Finally, Ravens vs. Steelers will determine the AFC North winner. The loser is eliminated, while Pittsburgh would advance in the case of a tie. Ravens' star QB Lamar Jackson said on Thursday that he's "100%" going to play in that game.

NFC

In the hunt: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)

* Clinched playoffs
** Clinched division

For the second straight year, a divisional battle in the regular-season finale will determine the NFC's No. 1 seed. The 49ers host the Seahawks on Saturday night, and the winner gets the NFC West crown, a first-round bye and potential home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

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The Rams will be on the road in the opening round, but there could be a drastic difference between getting the No. 5 seed and the No. 6 seed. A win over the Cardinals on Sunday and a 49ers loss on Saturday night would mean the Rams would be the No. 5 seed and play the winner of the NFC South in the opening round instead of a trip to Chicago or Philadelphia as the No. 6 seed.

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The Bears and Eagles are both playing for playoff seeding on Sunday. Chicago gets the No. 2 seed with a win over Detroit, while Philadelphia would need to beat Washington and for Chicago to lose in order to get the No. 2 seed. Quarterback Jalen Hurts and most other key starters will not feature for the Eagles against Washington on Sunday.

The Packers are locked into the No. 7 spot and will face either the Bears or Eagles on the road in the Wild Card Round. It's the third straight season that Green Bay will be the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

Finally, onto the most chaotic scenario: the NFC South.

There's a chance the Panthers vs. Buccaneers matchup on Saturday determines which team will win the South, but it will only be definitive if Carolina wins. If Tampa Bay wins, though, we won't know the division winner until Sunday.

If Tampa Bay beats Carolina and the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday, there will be a three-way tie at 8-9 atop the NFC South between the Buccaneers, Falcons and Panthers. In that scenario, the Panthers would win the division with a 3-1 record against Atlanta and Tampa Bay this season.

The Buccaneers have to win on Saturday, then have the Saints win on Sunday, in order to win the NFC South.

NFL Playoff Bracket

This is updated as of Friday.

AFC

(1) Broncos receive a bye
(2) Patriots vs. (7) Bills
(3) Jaguars vs. (6) Chargers
(4) Steelers vs. (5) Texans

NFC

(1) Seahawks receive a bye
(2) Bears vs. (7) Packers
(3) Eagles vs. (6) Rams
(4) Panthers vs. (5) 49ers

NFL Playoff Schedule

January 10-12, 2026: Wild-card round
January 17-18: Divisional round
January 25: AFC and NFC championship games
February 8: Super Bowl LX (in Santa Clara, California)

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