2026 NFL Playoff Bracket: Latest Update of NFL Playoffs
The NFL playoff bracket is established at the close of the 2025-26 NFL regular season to determine the eventual league champion. Under the new proposal, there would be 14 playoff teams, with one additional team in each conference.
When do the NFL playoffs begin?
The 2025-26 NFL postseason games are scheduled to start on the weekend of January 10-12 and the divisional game is scheduled on January 17-18. The AFC and NFC Championship game begins on Jan 25, 2026.
The postseason bracket includes a total of 14 teams, seven from each of the NFL’s two conferences. The four division champions in each conference, AFC, and NFC, automatically qualify for the playoffs. Those four teams are seeded No. 1 through 4 based on their overall win-loss record.
When is the Super Bowl 2026?
The 2026 Super Bowl LX will take place on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA. NBC TV channel will air the game at 6:30 p.m. ET.
AFC Playoff Bracket
1. Denver Broncos (12-3) – Bye
2. New England Patriots (12-3) – Bye
Wild Card Matchups
(3) Jacksonville Jaguars vs (6) Buffalo Bills
(4) Pittsburgh Steelers vs (5) LA Chargers
(7) Houston Texans vs (2) New England (Texans’ lowest seed vs top remaining bye team)
(Indianapolis just misses as No. 8)
NFC Playoff Bracket
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – Bye
2. Chicago Bears (11-4) – Bye
Wild Card Matchups
(3) Philadelphia Eagles vs (6) LA Rams
(4) Carolina Panthers vs (5) San Francisco 49ers
(7) Green Bay Packers vs (2) Chicago Bears (Packers lowest seed vs No. 2)
How does the NFL Playoff work?
No. 2 seed to No. The seventh seed of each conference is chosen as a wild card qualifier. The Wild-card winners of each conference and teams with the best overall records qualify for the divisional playoffs.
There is a system in place to break any ties between the top four seeds and the wild cards. The tiebreaker procedure begins, of course, with head-to-head play. If the teams haven’t played each other, there is a series of tiebreakers including division records, records against common opponents, and more.
The top two teams in each conference receive a bye in the first round of play, which has been dubbed the Wild Card Round. The No. 2 seed faces the lowest remaining 7th seed, the 3rd seed team will play against the 6th seed, and the No. 4 seed then faces the other 5th seeded team in each conference.
The No. 1 seed in each conference also has the benefit of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The second round of the postseason is known as the Divisional Round and the winners in that round face each other for the conference championship. The AFC and NFC championship games are hosted by the team with the higher seed.
The two AFC and NFC conference champions were then able to meet in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana. Kansas City Chiefs won last year’s Super Bowl, which was the franchise’s third win in history.
The NFL has proposed changing the playoff system which has been in use since the 2002 season. That is when the Houston Texans joined the NFL to give the league 32 teams.
In the new system, the only team receiving a first-round bye would be the No. 1 seed in each conference. If approved by the league’s owners, the new playoff system could take effect as early as the 2020 season.