NFL playoff bracket: The full field for the 2026 postseason

We have reached the final weekend of the 2025-26 NFL regular season and the playoff bracket is coming into focus. There are two playoff spots left to be claimed and most of the field still has to sort out each seed. Heading into Week 18, only the Green Bay Packers are locked into a position as the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

The final weekend of the regular season features two games on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. The weekend opens on Saturday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Carolina Panthers and closes on Sunday Night Football with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Both matches will see one of the two teams claiming the No. 4 seed in each conference, and the other team eliminated entirely from the playoff field.

By the close of Saturday, we’ll have clarity on the NFC’s No. 1 and No. 4 seeds. By the end of Sunday, the rest of the bracket will be settled.

The number one seed gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the playoffs. The remaining six teams in each conference will face off next weekend in the Wild Card round.

LAST UPDATE: Sun, Jan 4 @ 7:25 p.m. ET

The Broncos can clinch the No. 1 seed with a win, while the Patriots and Jaguars need to win and get some help. How that resolves itself will also settle the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. The Steelers or Ravens will claim the No. 4 seed based on their SNF matchup. Finally, the three wild card seeds remain to be sorted out. The Bills and Chargers are locked in as wild cards, while the Texans could be a wild card or a division winner by Sunday afternoon.

Here is the current AFC playoff bracket.

1. Denver Broncos (14-3)***

2. New England Patriots (14-3)** host 7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)*
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)** host 6. Buffalo Bills (12-5)*
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) host 5. Houston Texans (12-5)*

*: Clinched playoff berth
**: Clinched division title
***: Clinched no. 1 seed
Bold: Locked into seeding

The Seahawks-49ers matchup on Saturday night will determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Bears and Eagles will be the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds based on their respective Sunday results. The Panthers-Bucs will determine the No. 4 seed. The Rams and the loser of the Seahawks-49ers game will be the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, depending on their respective results. The Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed.

Here is the current NFC playoff bracket.

1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3)***

2. Chicago Bears (11-6)** host 7. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)*
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)** host 6. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)*
4. Carolina Panthers (8-9)** host 5. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)*

*: Clinched playoff berth
**: Clinched division title
***: Clinched no. 1 seed
Bold: Locked into seeding

We will update as more Week 18 results come in.

Sunday 10 p.m. results: The Steelers beat the Ravens in a wild winner-take-all game for the AFC North title. Aaron Rodgers threw a game-winning touchdown pass in the clutch, and Baltimore missed a 44-yard field goal that would have won the game. That was one of the most entertaining games of the year, and it puts Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

Sunday 4 p.m. results: The Broncos held off the Chargers to claim the No. 1 seed while the Patriots crushed the Dolphins to secure the No. 2 seed and lock in the Jaguars at No. 3. The Bills won while the Chargers lost, which moved Buffalo into the No. 6 seed and LA into the No. 7 seed.

In the NFC, the Bears and Eagles both lost, which means they remain in the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. Meanwhile, the Rams beat the Cardinals, which moved them up to the No. 5 seed and dropped the 49ers to the No. 6 seed.

Sunday 1 p.m. results: The Jaguars had no trouble in beating the Titans to clinch the AFC South title and keep their chances alive for the No. 1 seed. The Broncos and Patriots will play in the 4:25 p.m. window, and the wild card picture will be sorted out then as well with the Chargers and Bills in action. The Texans beat the Colts on a late field goal and big man touchdown to secure the No. 5 seed in the AFC bracket. In the NFC, the Panthers are headed to the playoffs courtesy of the Falcons. The Panthers lost to the Bucs on Saturday, but reached the playoffs when the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday.

Saturday, Seahawks-49ers result: The Seahawks beat the 49ers to close out Week 18 Saturday and secured the NFC West, the No. 1 seed, and a first-round bye with the win. The 49ers will play next weekend in the Wild Card round as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. If the Rams beat the Cardinals on Sunday, LA will be the No. 5 seed and San Francisco will be the No. 6 seed. If the Cardinals lose, those seeds will be swapped.

Saturday, Panthers-Bucs result: The Bucs beat the Panthers on Saturday to open Week 18 and are in first place in the NFC South. They can only clinch the division if the Saints beat the Falcons on Sunday. If the Falcons beat the Saints, the Panthers will claim the tiebreaker due to head-to-head record against the Bucs and Falcons.