Who’s in the NFL playoffs 2026? Updated standings, bracket, matchups for AFC and NFC originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It’s almost time for playoff football.
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Fourteen teams between the AFC and NFC will be in the NFL playoffs, and 12 of the spots were already determined before Week 18. There were two spots still up for grabs in the final week of the regular season, and both were divisional spots with the winners making the playoffs as the respective No. 4 seed in their conferences.
Coming into Week 18, just one team had been locked into a playoff spot with the Green Bay Packers earning the No. 7 seed for the NFC. Up for grabs entering the week was the No. 4 seed in the AFC between either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens, plus the No. 4 seed in the NFC between either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Outside of those, the NFL playoff bracket had a lot of solidifying to do in the final week.
Here is an updated look at the standings, bracket and matchups for the 2026 NFL playoffs for both the AFC and NFC.
MORE:Updated NFL final playoff picture after Week 18
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NFL playoff bracket 2026
Here is a current look at the playoff bracket.
AFC
1. Denver Broncos (BYE)
2. New England Patriots vs. 7. Los Angeles Chargers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. 6. Buffalo Bills
4. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 5. Houston Texans
NFC
1. Seattle Seahawks (BYE)
2. Chicago Bears vs. 7. Green Bay Packers
3. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
4. Carolina Panthers vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams
MORE:Â Ranking the 14 teams in the 2026 NFL playoffs
Who’s in the NFL playoffs 2026?AFC standings
Seed
Team
Record
1
Denver Broncos
14-3
2
New England Patriots
14-3
3
Jacksonville Jaguars
13-4
4
Pittsburgh Steelers
10-7
5
Houston Texans
12-5
6
Buffalo Bills
12-5
7
Los Angeles Chargers
11-6
In the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
Eliminated: Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders.
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NFC standings
Seed
Team
Record
1
Seattle Seahawks
14-3
2
Chicago Bears
11-6
3
Philadelphia Eagles
11-6
4
Carolina Panthers
8-9
5
Los Angeles Rams
12-5
6
San Francisco 49ers
12-5
7
Green Bay Packers
9-7-1
Eliminated: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants.
MORE:Â Ranking all 14 teams’ chances to win Super Bowl 60
AFC playoff matchups
1. Denver Broncos (BYE)
2. New England Patriots vs. 7. Los Angeles Chargers
The Patriots and the Chargers will meet in the first round of the playoffs, but they did not meet in the regular season. Drake Maye and Justin Herbert will go head-to-head in Foxborough.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. 6. Buffalo Bills
The Jaguars will host the Bills over Wild Card Weekend, as Josh Allen seeks to begin a long-awaited Super Bowl run, while Trevor Lawrence looks to make some noise after a successful 2025 season. Jacksonville and Buffalo didn’t play this season.
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4. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 5. Houston Texans
Houston played Baltimore back in Week 5. The game was on the road for the Texans, but they took care of business as the Ravens were without Lamar Jackson and the Houston defense terrorized Cooper Rush. The Texans won 44-10 with quarterback C.J. Stroud throwing four touchdowns. Houston will head to Pittsburgh for this matchup, facing Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
NFC playoff matchups
1. Seattle Seahawks (BYE)
2. Chicago Bears vs. 7. Green Bay Packers
The Bears and Packers played twice during the regular season, with both games coming within three weeks. Green Bay won the first game in Chicago 28-21. The Bears got their revenge in Week 16 with a 22-16 victory in overtime. In the rematch, Chicago was trailing 16-9 at the two-minute warning and won in overtime after quarterback Caleb Williams hit DJ Moore for a 46-yard score.
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3. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
The Eagles and 49ers did not play in the regular season. As Philadelphia continues its quest for a second-straight Super Bowl, San Francisco is seeking to make a run behind Brock Purdy.
4. Carolina Panthers vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams
While the Buccaneers beat the Panthers in their Week 18 matchup, because the Falcons beat the Saints, the Panthers still claimed the NFC South’s title in 2025. That came with the No. 4 seed, as the tiebreaker favored Carolina.
The Rams were in the mix for the overall No. 1 seed in the NFC through the late season, but instead fell to the No. 5 spot. Matthew Stafford and company will be traveled to Carolina for Wild Card Weekend.
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On Jan. 10, the Rams defeated the Panthers 34-31, surviving a real scare as Carolina jumped out in front twice in the second half but ultimately came up short thanks to a litany of mistakes.
MORE NFL WEEK 18 NEWS:
NFL playoff schedule 2026Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 10
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams 34, No. 4 Carolina Panthers 31
Carolina
4:30 p.m.
Fox
No. 2 Chicago Bears 31, No. 7 Green Bay Packers 27
Chicago
8 p.m.
Prime Video
Sunday, Jan. 11
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
No. 6 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville
1 p.m.
CBS
No. 6 San Francisco 49ers vs. No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia
4:30 p.m.
Fox
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 2 New England Patriots
New England
8 p.m.
NBC
Monday, Jan. 12
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
Houston Texans vs. TBD
TBD
8 p.m.
ESPN, ABC
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 17Â
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
TBD vs. TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD vs. TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Sunday, Jan. 18
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
TBD vs. TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD vs. TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Conference Championship round
Sunday, Jan. 25
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
TBD vs. TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD vs. TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8
Matchup
Location
Time (ET)
Channel
NFC champ vs. AFC champ
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
TBD
NBC