The 2025 regular season saw plenty of beautiful chaos from Week 1 all the way to Week 18. Patrick Mahomes will be missing the postseason for the first time in his career, second-year quarterback Drake Maye and veteran Matthew Stafford continue to make their cases for the MVP award, rookies have shined in the spotlight, and multiple teams favored in the preseason to make it all the way to the Super Bowl won’t even get a taste of the playoffs are just some of the many juicy headlines made throughout the year.
But after 272 games of an entertaining regular season, only 14 teams out of 32 remain on the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy as the playoffs get going this weekend. Room for errors will significantly shrink and every decision — from seeding to home-field advantage — carries real weight.
With expanded playoff fields now firmly part of the league’s landscape, the road to Super Bowl LX is longer and more unforgiving than ever. For fans, understanding how teams get a playoff berth, who earns a coveted bye, and how the bracket unfolds is just as important as the matchups themselves. Here’s a clear breakdown of how the 2025–26 NFL playoffs work, including the teams involved and when reseeding comes into play.
How do the 2025-26 NFL playoffs work?
The 2025–26 NFL playoffs follow a 14-team format with seven teams coming from the AFC and seven from the NFC. In each conference, the field is made up of four division winners and three wild-card teams, with the wild cards determined by the best regular-season records among teams that did not win their division.
Once the playoff field is set, teams are seeded one through seven within their conference. Division winners automatically occupy the top four seeds, regardless of whether a wild-card team finishes with a better overall record. The remaining three playoff spots are seeded fifth through seventh. Seeding is determined by regular-season record. Tiebreaks also come in play if teams finish with the same record, such as head-to-head results and conference and division records.
The most significant advantage in the current format belongs to the No. 1 seed in each conference. Unlike past playoff structures, only the top seed receives a first-round bye, advancing directly to the Divisional Round.
The postseason begins with the Wild Card Round, where six games are played across the two conferences. In each conference, the No. 2 seed hosts the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed hosts the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed. All playoff games are single-elimination.
How does reseeding work in the NFL playoffs?
Following the Wild Card Round, the playoffs move into the Divisional Round, where reseeding comes into play. The No. 1 seed is matched up against the lowest remaining seed from the Wild Card Round, ensuring the top team faces the most favorable opponent available. The two remaining teams in the conference face each other in the other Divisional Round matchup, with the higher seed hosting the game.
The winners of the Divisional Round advance to the Conference Championship Games, which determine the AFC and NFC champions. These games are hosted by the higher-seeded team and serve as the final step before the Super Bowl.
The postseason concludes with the Super Bowl, a neutral-site matchup between the AFC and NFC champions to see who lifts the Lombardi Trophy.
READ MORE: Dave Canales: Panthers can’t worry about being underdogs, just have to play our best
Which teams made the 2025-26 NFL playoffs?
In the AFC, the following teams made the postseason:
- Denver Broncos
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Los Angeles Chargers
In the NFC, the following teams made the postseason:
- Seattle Seahawks
- Chicago Bears
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Carolina Panthers
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Green Bay Packers
Which teams get a first-round bye in the 2025-26 NFL playoffs?
The Denver Broncos (14-3) earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while the Seattle Seahawks (14-3) clinched the top spot in the NFC, leading both teams to receive a first-round bye.
2025-26 NFL Playoff Bracket
When do the NFL playoffs start?
The playoffs begin on Saturday, Jan. 10, with the Wild Card Weekend slate of games. See the full schedule below (all times in ET).
- (No. 5) Los Angeles Rams vs. (No. 4) Carolina Panthers: Saturday, Jan. 10, on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET
- (No. 7) Green Bay Packers vs. (No. 2) Chicago Bears: Saturday, Jan. 10 on Amazon Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET
- (No. 6) Buffalo Bills vs. (No. 3) Jacksonville Jaguars: Sunday, Jan. 11 on CBS at 1 p.m. ET
- (No. 6) San Francisco 49ers vs. (No. 3) Philadelphia Eagles: Sunday, Jan. 11 on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET
- (No. 7) Los Angeles Chargers vs. (No. 2) New England Patriots: Sunday, Jan. 11 on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET
- (No. 5) Houston Texans vs. (No. 4) Pittsburgh Steelers: Monday, Jan. 12 on ABC and ESPN at 8 p.m. ET
Can a team with an under .500 record make the NFL Playoffs?
Yes, a team with an under .500 record can make the playoffs. In fact, we got a perfect example of that happening in this season’s playoffs. The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South division due to a three-way tiebreaker with an 8-9 record.
Since 2020, two other teams made the playoffs with under .500 records — the Washington Commanders (7-9) in 2020 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) in 2023. Both teams earned a playoff berth by winning their division.
Who has the highest odds to win Super Bowl LX
According to DraftKings, the Seattle Seahawks currently have the highest odds to win Super Bowl LX at +330. The Los Angeles Rams have the second-best odds at +425, followed by the Denver Broncos at +650.
