The NFL playoff picture is taking shape. On Saturday, the Buccaneers kept their NFC South hopes alive by beating the Panthers. Then, in the nightcap, the Seahawks clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the West division title. There is plenty to be decided on Sunday. The No. 1 seed in the AFC is up…
The NFL playoff picture is taking shape. On Saturday, the Buccaneers kept their NFC South hopes alive by beating the Panthers. Then, in the nightcap, the Seahawks clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the West division title.
There is plenty to be decided on Sunday. The No. 1 seed in the AFC is up for grabs, and two divisions are undecided. We’ll also have a winner-take-all game for the AFC North.
Here’s where things stand after the two Saturday games in Week 18:
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NFL Playoff Picture
AFC
- Denver Broncos (13-3)**
- New England Patriots (13-3)**
- Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)*
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- Houston Texans (11-5)*
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)*
- Buffalo Bills (11-5)*
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
- Seattle Seahawks (14-3)**
- Chicago Bears (11-5)**
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)**
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-5)*
- Los Angeles Rams (11-5)*
- Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)*
In the hunt: Carolina Panthers (8-9)
* Clinched playoffs
** Clinched division
The Buccaneers win means the NFC South will be decided on Sunday in a game between the two teams in the division that are eliminated from playoff contention.
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With Tampa Bay’s win on Saturday over the Panthers, those teams are tied at 8-9 and the Buccaneers have the tiebreaker over Carolina. If the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday, they will also be 8-9, creating a three-way tie atop the NFC South. In that scenario, Carolina has the tiebreaker with a 3-1 record during the regular season against Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
So, to sum this up: If the Falcons win on Sunday, the Panthers win the NFC South. If the Saints win, the Buccaneers are headed to the playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC West and the conference’s No. 1 seed with a win over the 49ers on Saturday night. The 49ers, meanwhile, will be the No. 6 seed if the Rams beat the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. The difference between the No. 5 and 6 seeds is large — it’s either a trip to face the NFC South winner or the No. 3 seed, which will be the Eagles or the Bears.
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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.
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) Buccaneers 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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