Man, machine or dog: Who can pick NFL playoff games most accurately?
USA TODAY Sports’ Josh Peter pits NFL reporters vs. an algorithm vs. his maltipoo in ultimate test to see who is best at picking NFL playoff games.
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March Madness is still over a month away, but that doesn’t mean the NFL won’t try to get in on some bracket madness themselves.
The wild-card weekend slate features six games and 12 teams, all hoping to survive and advance to the divisional-round. Unfortunately for six teams, they will be voted off the island and sent to the offseason. The remaining six will join the two No. 1 seeds, the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions, next weekend as part of their continued quest for a Super Bowl.
Last year’s postseason didn’t feature many bracket busters in the opening round. Will that remain the case this season?
Favorites have dominated in 2024, but this is a new year and anything can happen. Here’s everything to know about the 2025 NFL playoff bracket as the wild-card results trickle in.
Here’s how the NFL playoffs bracket looks as the wild-card weekend results come in:
AFC divisional round
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 4 Houston TexansNo. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens
NFC divisional round
No. 1 Detroit Lions vs. No. 7 Washington CommandersNo. 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs. TBD
This section will be updated.
Saturday, Jan. 11
Texans 32, Chargers 12Ravens 28, Steelers 14
Sunday, Jan. 12
Bills 31, Broncos 7Eagles 22, Packers 10Commanders 23, Buccaneers 20
Monday, Jan. 13
Wild card (all times Eastern)
All times Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 11
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBSPittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, Jan. 12
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBSGreen Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, FoxWashington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Monday, Jan. 13
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABCDivisional round
AFC
NFC
Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 26:
NFC championship game: 3 p.m.AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.Super Bowl 59Date: Feb. 9, 2025Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)Time: 6:30 p.m.TV: FOXHow does the NFL playoff bracket work?
The NFL playoff bracket is ever-changing and differs from the static formats common in other leagues. That means that seedings play a big role in future matchups. The No. 1 seeded Chiefs and Lions will face off against the worst team, based on seeding, remaining in their conference in the divisional-round.
Kansas City and Detroit will also hold home-field advantage throughout their side of the bracket provided they remain in the playoffs. If either team loses, the best remaining team, based on seeding, would then gain home-field advantage.
Since the NFL’s bracket is dynamic, that ensures that regular season results matter in terms of matchups for the postseason.