The 2025 NFL season has been one of the league’s most unpredictable to date, and the league’s projected playoff bracket reflects that.
Many of the preseason Super Bowl favorites – notably the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs – entered Week 15 on the outside looking in for the NFL’s playoff picture. No teams have yet run away with their divisions, which has helped to prevent any teams from clinching playoff berths in the season’s first 14 weeks.
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Several NFL teams will finally have a chance to lock up playoff spots in Week 15, but the overall playoff bracket in both the AFC and NFC figures to be volatile as potential contenders jockey for position atop their respective divisions.
Here’s a look at how the 2025 NFL playoff bracket is shaping up as Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season unfolds.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: The New England Patriots’ Robert Spillane (14) and Christian Elliss (53) tackle Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Raiders won the game, 20-13.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fumbles the ball on a tackle by Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. It was a rough Giants debut for Wilson (17 of 37 passing for 168 yards) as the Commanders won the game, 21-6.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Fireworks go off before the NFL Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles opened the season with a 24-20 victory over their longtime NFC East rivals.
Who is in the NFL playoffs so far?
No team has yet clinched a playoff berth for the 2025 NFL season.
That said, several teams will have a chance to be the first to earn that honor in Week 15. The Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots all have clinching scenarios that would guarantee them postseason spots.
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NFL division winners 2025
Since no playoff berths have been clinched, no division titles have been clinched either. No team league-wide has greater than a two-game lead on their counterparts entering Week 15.
Because of the tightly packed nature of the NFL’s divisional races, only one team will have a chance to wrap up its division in Week 15. That would be the Patriots, who can guarantee themselves to finish atop the AFC East with a win over the Buffalo Bills.
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NFL playoff bracket updateAFC
1. Denver Broncos (11-2, AFC West leaders): BYE
For the first time since 2015, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t be winning the AFC West. The Broncos currently have the inside track to win the division and are engaged in a tight battle with the Patriots for the conference’s No. 1 seed. Denver has clinched a better record than New England against common opponents, so if the teams end up tied in the standings, the Broncos would get the coveted first-round bye and the AFC playoff would go through Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
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2. New England Patriots (11-2, AFC East leaders) vs. 7. Houston Texans (8-5, 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. The young quarterback would certainly be tested by a Houston defense that ranks No. 1 overall in defensive EPA, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, so this would be an intriguing, strength-on-strength matchup should it happen.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4, AFC South leaders) vs. 6. Buffalo Bills (9-4, wild card No. 2)
The Jaguars are clinging to a narrow lead in the AFC South and will have to stave off competition from the red-hot Texans down the stretch to take home the divisional crown. If they do, they could end up facing 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.
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4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6, AFC North leaders) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (9-4, wild card No. 1)
Like the Jaguars, the Steelers are in a close divisional race with the Baltimore Ravens breathing down their neck. If Pittsburgh can hold on, it will play the best of the AFC wild-card teams. That seems likely to be either the Bills or the Chargers. Pittsburgh has already lost to both teams and fell 25-10 to Los Angeles in Week 10, so Mike Tomlin’s squad would face a tough task getting its first postseason win since the 2016 NFL playoffs.
NFC
1. Los Angeles Rams (10-3, NFC West leaders): BYE
The Rams currently possess the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but they are in a three-horse race for the NFC West title with the Seahawks (10-3) and 49ers (9-4). Matthew Stafford is playing at an MVP level while leading the league with 35 touchdown passes, so the Rams figure to be a formidable postseason opponent for whoever eventually draws them.
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2. Green Bay Packers (9-3-1, NFC North leaders) vs. 7. Chicago Bears (9-4, wild card No. 3)
If the Packers and Bears meet in the first round of the 2025 NFL playoffs, it would mark their third meeting in a six-week span. The Packers earned a narrow, 28-21 victory in their first matchup in Week 14, a game during which Jordan Love played well and Caleb Williams threw a game-ending interception. The Packers and Bears last met in the postseason during the 2010 NFL playoffs, when the No. 6 seed Packers beat the Bears 21-14 en route to a Super Bowl 45 win.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-5, NFC North leaders) vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers (9-4, wild card No. 2)
The Eagles are presently struggling and enter Week 15 having lost three straight games. They are still in line to win the NFC East, but Philadelphia is now more likely to be the No. 3 or 4 seed than to lead the conference. The 49ers will be battling for the NFC West title over the season’s final four weeks but will likely be a top wild card if they can’t catch the Rams.
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4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, NFC South leaders) vs. Seattle Seahawks (10-3, wild card No. 1)
The Buccaneers are tied with the Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South. They are getting healthier on offense, as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving are returning from absences, so their explosive unit would be a nice test against a Seahawks defense that ranks second league-wide in defensive EPA.
NFL playoff pictureAFC
Denver Broncos (11-2, AFC West leaders)
New England Patriots (11-2, AFC East leaders)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4, AFC South leaders)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6, AFC North leaders)
Los Angeles Chargers (9-4, wild card No. 1)
Buffalo Bills (9-4, wild card No. 2)
Houston Texans (8-5, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (8-5), Baltimore Ravens (6-7), Kansas City Chiefs (6-7), Miami Dolphins (6-7), Cincinnati Bengals (4-9).
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NFC
Los Angeles Rams (10-3, NFC West leaders)
Green Bay Packers (9-3-1, NFC North leaders)
Philadelphia Eagles (8-5, NFC East leaders)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, NFC South leaders)
Seattle Seahawks (10-3, wild card No. 1)
San Francisco 49ers (9-4, wild card No. 2)
Chicago Bears (9-4, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-5), Carolina Panthers (7-6), Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1), Minnesota Vikings (5-8).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is in the NFL playoffs so far? Division winners, bracket update