With two weeks left in the 2025 regular season, there is plenty that we know about the looming playoff picture. The seven postseason participants in each conference have all but punched their tickets. Five of the playoff spots in the AFC have already been claimed, and the other two feel merely like a formality. The Athletic’s NFL Playoff Simulator has the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff chances at 94 percent, while the Houston Texans are at 99 percent.
The NFC also has five playoff spots claimed, and the Green Bay Packers are currently at a 97 percent chance to join that group. The one big mystery comes down to the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the NFC South division winner — as both teams have essentially a 50-50 chance to make the playoffs, and a juicy Week 18 head-to-head remaining.
While we have a good idea about the postseason participants, there is so much unknown when it comes to the matchups. We do know that we won’t get another iteration of Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes. The Dallas Cowboys saved the Packers the trouble of sending Jerry Jones’ group into the offseason by not even qualifying for the playoffs.
Those have been juicy matchups in recent history, but this year’s postseason has some exciting games on deck, too. That’s where we begin this week’s What’s Trending in the NFL, looking at the five games we need to see at some point this postseason.
Bonus Five: Playoff matchups we want to see
5. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots: The Steelers beat the Patriots 21-14 in Week 3, dropping New England to 1-2 to begin the season. It was a 14-14 game with just over two minutes left in regulation. The Patriots rattled off 10 consecutive wins after that loss, while the Steelers went on a roller-coaster ride but eventually ended up back on track. Aaron Rodgers, in potentially his last postseason, against a Mike Vrabel defense is fun stuff, not to mention the dichotomy of the quarterback matchup with grizzled Rodgers against the upstart Drake Maye. The Maye-Vrabel partnership has some Brady-Belichick déjà vu to it, which also makes me feel like the football gods are going to give us this matchup in their first full year together, just as we got it in 2001.
4. Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams: This might be one of the forgotten great games of 2025 since it happened in Week 3, unless you fell victim to the all-time bad beat, in which case you’ll be haunted forever. The Rams took a commanding 26-7 lead in the third quarter of that game, before the Eagles stormed back with 20 unanswered points to take a 27-26 lead. It appeared the Rams were still going to salvage the game by walking it off with a 44-yard field goal, only for it to be blocked and returned for a touchdown. Both teams are playing better now than they were in September. We’ll take another round, please.
3. Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans: Their Week 12 game came down to the final play, and the Texans picked off Josh Allen to secure a 23-19 victory. C.J. Stroud missed that game with an injury. Houston’s defense is legit, but it feels unlikely that Allen will have another off game, as he did last month in Houston. That game marked the second Bills loss in a span of three games. Buffalo hasn’t lost a game since.
2. San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers: It just feels like playoff football when these two teams play each other in January. They had four consecutive postseason tilts in the ’90s, back-to-back thrillers in the early 2010s and have played each other in three of the past six postseasons. The nostalgia hits hard with this one, but the current teams bring a lot to the table, too. Sure, the Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt injuries to Green Bay’s defense are a bummer, but save your breath complaining to San Francisco, who are without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Brock Purdy vs. Jordan Love is a fun quarterback duel, and Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan spent four years together on the same staff in Washington when they were getting started in the NFL. It’s storylines galore in this one.
1. Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams: I avoided divisional matchups for these choices because they are often an obvious choice (hello, round 3 of Bears vs. Packers). However, this one deserves an exception because you can argue for these two teams being the top two teams in the NFL. Their first matchup was a bit sloppy, but their second one provided all of the fireworks and was one of the best games this season. The two games were split and decided by a total of three points. We need more.
Not ranked: Buffalo Bills vs. San Francisco 49ers — This list is meant for matchups leading up to the grand finale, but let’s throw one Super Bowl matchup into the mix. The Bills have never won a Super Bowl. The 49ers routinely make deep postseason runs, which helps mask the fact that they haven’t won a Super Bowl in over three decades. For perspective, the Cowboys have won a Super Bowl more recently than the 49ers. The Super Bowl is in Santa Clara, Calif., this year, which is not only home to the 49ers but is also just a couple of hours away from where Allen grew up, in Firebaugh, Calif. Most importantly, these are two good teams led by quality quarterbacks. It would also be a fitting matchup in a year the Chiefs miss the playoffs, considering both teams have been stonewalled by Kansas City over the past decade.
Brock Purdy vs. Josh Allen at Levi’s Stadium would make for a fun Super Bowl matchup. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Road to Santa Clara
The five teams with the best chance at winning the Super Bowl.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: This is not an overreaction to their impressive win on the road in Denver. The Jaguars have quietly been one of the best teams in the NFL over the second half of the season. Aside from their 35-7 loss to the Rams in October in London, they haven’t lost a game by more than one possession this season, and they’ve now won six straight. Yes, the bulk of the winning streak has come against bad opponents, but it also includes a 35-6 thrashing of the Los Angeles Chargers and the 34-20 beatdown of the Broncos. There are always teams that we feel look the part overall, but sometimes it’s about which team can get hot at the right time. The Jaguars are a prime candidate for being that team.
4. Los Angeles Rams: Based on the roster, the Rams still have an argument as the best team in the NFL. If the playoffs were neutral sites all the way, the Rams would still be my top team. However, having to potentially play on the road in January in Philadelphia, Chicago/Green Bay and Seattle gives me cause for pause. Still, the Rams nearly beat the Eagles in Philly last year and were up 30-14 in Seattle last week. Playing on the road in the elements isn’t a disqualifier, but it does make things harder.
3. New England Patriots: The Patriots would obviously love to win the division and get the highest seed possible, but it’s worth noting that New England is 5-3 at home this season and 7-0 on the road. We’re just a couple of weeks away from finally being able to put aside the strength of schedule this season and see what the Patriots can really do.
2. Buffalo Bills: One player doesn’t quite sway a team in the NFL the way it does in the NBA, but when Josh Allen goes into Superman mode, he feels pretty unstoppable. It’s unreasonable to ask him to do that four times in the playoffs, so the Bills will need to step up around him, but if the game is close, the team with Allen has an advantage.
1. Seattle Seahawks: Thursday night’s game against the Rams basically reinforced what the supporters and the detractors say about the Seahawks. Seattle seemed scared of leaning on Sam Darnold early in the game, then stepped up in a big way on special teams and defense to ignite a furious rally. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was huge in the clutch, and the running backs were effective, too. An unconventional way of getting 2 points didn’t hurt, either. To Darnold’s credit, he made the plays down the stretch when the team absolutely needed him to deliver. That’ll be what Seattle’s postseason run will come down to in the end. The Seahawks’ roster is one of the best in the league. Can the quarterback come through in the big moments on the big stage?
Not ranked: Denver Broncos — It was tough to watch the Jaguars handle the Broncos and make a case to include Denver over Jacksonville. The defense has been great for most of the season, and Trevor Lawrence is on a heater right now, but can the offense be enough when the defense needs a pick-me-up? Chances are, they’ll need it once or twice in the playoffs, and the quarterback play in the AFC is filthy.
Bottom Five
The five teams with the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
5. Tennessee Titans: As soon as the Chiefs were eliminated from the postseason and lost Patrick Mahomes for the season, they became a trap game for bad teams. The Titans fell into the trap and essentially bid farewell to a second consecutive season of holding the top pick in the NFL Draft.
4. New York Jets: Imagine telling a Jets fan a couple of years ago that there would be buzz around a looming playoff run for Aaron Rodgers. Now bring them to the current reality, where Brady Cook will start for the team in Week 17.
3. Cleveland Browns: If the Ravens lose to the Packers on Saturday, the Steelers will clinch the AFC North before they play the Browns on Sunday. That means the Steelers could choose to rest Rodgers, or at least not play him the full game. Pittsburgh’s backup quarterback is Mason Rudolph. Myles Garrett is one sack away from the single-season record. I need this more than I need oxygen.
Myles Garrett might end up pursuing the NFL sack record against Steelers backup QB Mason Rudolph. (Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
2. New York Giants: A few weeks ago, the concern was keeping Jaxson Dart on the field. Now, even when Dart is on the field, he isn’t trending in the right direction. The Giants fired their offensive-minded head coach midseason and are a mess right now, so there’s not too much to read into that. It’s imperative that they get the head coaching hire right and bring in someone who can maximize Dart’s potential.
1. Las Vegas Raiders: It was a scary situation for a bit on Sunday when the Raiders looked like they might pull off an upset. Instead, they got the best-case scenario, which was some encouraging plays from Ashton Jeanty and a loss on the scoreboard. Now, they have to handle business and lose the Toilet Bowl this weekend against the Giants.
Not ranked: New Orleans Saints — After Tyler Shough’s first start of the season, the Saints were sitting at 1-8 and squarely in the running for the No. 1 pick. Since then, Shough has led the Saints to a 4-2 record, including two wins over the Panthers and a win over the Bucs. Forget draft positioning, the Saints may have found their quarterback of the future to pair with first-year head coach Kellen Moore. As they come out of their cap hell, there is some real reason for optimism in New Orleans.