Lions’ playoff hopes fade after gut-wrenching loss vs. Steelers
USA TODAY Sports’ Prince Grimes ‘overreacts’ to some of the best games from Sunday’s Week 16 slate.
The NFL playoff picture is finally coming into clearer focus as Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season wraps up.
Entering the week, just two teams had locked up playoff berths. But after Week 16’s action wrapped, 10 teams have guaranteed themselves spots in the postseason, while several others will have clinching scenarios in Week 17.
Here’s a look at how the 2025 NFL playoff bracket is shaping up the 2025 NFL regular season winds down.
Seven teams have officially clinched playoff berths for 2025. They are as follows:
AFCNFC
The Broncos and Rams were the first teams to clinch playoff berths, doing so during NFL Week 15. Four more teams followed suit in Week 16.
The Seahawks got the party started by clinching a postseason berth with their “Thursday Night Football” win over the Rams. The Eagles followed suit Saturday, beating the Washington Commanders 29-18 to wrap up the NFC East title.
Meanwhile, the Bears and 49ers both clinched postseason berths after the Detroit Lions lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Chicago had already beaten the Green Bay Packers on Saturday to set up its clinching opportunity while San Francisco clinched before playing its “Monday Night Football” game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots clinched their first playoff berth since 2021 by beating the Baltimore Ravens 28-24 on “Sunday Night Football.”
And finally, the Bills, Chargers and Jaguars all clinched playoff berths by virtue of the 49ers’ win over the Colts on “MNF.” As such, just four playoff spots remain up for grabs entering the final two weeks of the 2025 NFL season.
While 10 playoff berths have been clinched, just one team has won its division. Below is a full look at the list:
AFCNFCPhiladelphia Eagles (NFC East)
The Eagles won the NFC East after beating the Commanders on Saturday. Philadelphia is the division’s first repeat winner since the 2001-04 seasons, when the Eagles rattled off four consecutive division titles.
AFC
1. Denver Broncos (12-3, AFC West leaders): BYE
The Broncos finally had their 11-game winning streak snapped, losing 34-20 to the Jaguars in Week 16. The good news? The Broncos remain in control of the AFC’s No. 1 seed and will get the coveted first-round bye so long as they can stay ahead of or tied with the Patriots in the AFC standings. If that happens, the AFC playoffs would go through Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
2. New England Patriots (11-3, AFC East leaders) vs. 7. Houston Texans (10-5, wild card No. 3)
The Patriots are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and Drake Maye is playing at an MVP level. A matchup against the Texans – who rank No. 1 overall in defensive EPA, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats – would be a nice test for Maye. Houston’s offense has also been performing better lately, so this could be a fun, strength-on-strength matchup if it happens.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4, AFC South leaders) vs. 6. Buffalo Bills (11-4, wild card No. 2)
The Jaguars are clinging to a narrow lead in the AFC South but have established themselves as a legitimate contender in the AFC. They just earned a big-time win over the Broncos and Trevor Lawrence appears to be hitting his stride under the tutelage of Liam Coen. The former No. 1 overall pick may be able to get Jacksonville in the race for the No. 1 seed. But for now, the Jaguars are on track to face the Bills in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, when Blake Bortles led the Jaguars to a 10-3 win over Tyrod Taylor and Co.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6, AFC North leaders) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4, wild card No. 1)
The AFC North leader seems likely to be the No. 4 seed in the conference. Whether that will be the Steelers or Ravens is still to be determined, but Pittsburgh has the inside track to win the division after beating the Detroit Lions in Week 16. If the Steelers make it in, they will almost certainly play the best wild-card team. That currently projects to be the Chargers, who earned a 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 and beat the Steelers 25-10 in Week 10.
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3, NFC West leaders): BYE
The Seahawks moved into the NFC’s No. 1 seed after beating the Rams on “Thursday Night Football.” Seattle’s stellar defense – which ranks top five in defensive EPA per play, even after surrendering 37 points to the Rams, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats – deserves a lot of credit for its standing. So too does Sam Darnold, who has enjoyed a strong first season with the Seahawks.
2. Chicago Bears (11-4, NFC North leaders) vs. 7. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1, wild card No. 3)
The Bears and the Packers have met twice in the last three weeks. Both games have come down to the final minute, with Caleb Williams throwing a game-ending interception in the final minute of their first meeting before hitting DJ Moore for a game-winning touchdown in overtime of their second matchup. Another battle between the two would figure to be close again, provided Jordan Love can return expeditiously from the concussion he suffered in Week 16 against the Bears.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5, NFC North winners) vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams (11-4, wild card No. 2)
The Eagles are off the schneid and have earned back-to-back wins over the Raiders and the Commanders to clinch the NFC East. Meanwhile, the Rams lost a hard-fought “Thursday Night Football” battle against the Seahawks in Week 16 but have largely played more consistently than the Eagles. It would be interesting to see if the Rams would be favored on the road in Philadelphia after nearly overcoming a late, 13-point deficit to knock off the Eagles in the divisional round last season.
4. Carolina Panthers (8-7, NFC South leaders) vs. 5. San Francisco 49ers (11-4, wild card No. 1)
This game would be a rematch of a Week 12 “Monday Night Football” battle against these two teams. The 49ers earned a 20-9 victory in a defensive battle and would look to use a similar formula to stymie Bryce Young, who threw two interceptions in the contest. Young has played better in recent weeks, however, and led Carolina to a key, head-to-head win over Tampa Bay to earn control of the NFC South in Week 16. The Panthers still have work to do to clinch the division title.
AFCDenver Broncos (12-3, AFC West leaders)*New England Patriots (12-3, AFC East leaders)*Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4, AFC South leaders)*Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6, AFC North leaders)Los Angeles Chargers (11-4, wild card No. 1)*Buffalo Bills (11-4, wild card No. 2)*Houston Texans (10-5, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (8-7), Baltimore Ravens (7-8).
NFCSeattle Seahawks (12-3, NFC West leaders)*Chicago Bears (11-4, NFC North leaders)*Philadelphia Eagles (10-5, NFC East winners)*Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, NFC South leaders)San Francisco 49ers (11-4, wild card No. 1)*Los Angeles Rams (11-4, wild card No. 2)*Green Bay Packers (9-5-1, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
* Denotes team that has clinched a playoff berth.