AFC Wild Card predictions: Which teams will advance to divisional round
USA TODAY Sports Chris Bumbaca and Joe Rivera share who they think will make it out of the AFC Wild Card round.
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It took until the final play of the 2025 NFL regular season to fully decide the league’s playoff field, but the bracket is now officially set.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens capped off a mad finish to the NFL season. The Steelers and Carolina Panthers were able to clinch the two playoff berths that remained available entering Week 18 while the remainder of the playoff squads locked themselves into specific seedings after weeks of uncertainty.
With the dust settled, the 2025 NFL playoff bracket looks a lot different than its predecessor. The league had just one repeat division winner in 2025 (the Philadelphia Eagles) while six teams that failed to make the playoffs last season are now in the field.
How does the NFL playoff picture look as the wild-card round approaches? Here’s a look at the full playoff bracket.
The NFL’s 14-team postseason field has been set. Below is a full list of the teams to clinch playoff berths for the 2025 NFL season:
AFCNFC
The Steelers were the final team to clinch a playoff berth. They did so after beating the Ravens 26-24 on “Sunday Night Football” after Baltimore’s rookie kicker Tyler Loop sent a potential game-winning kick wide of the right upright.
Below is a look at the teams that won each of the NFL’s eight divisions to clinch playoff berths.
AFCAFC East: New England Patriots (14-3)AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)AFC West: Denver Broncos (14-3)NFCNFC East: Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)NFC North: Chicago Bears (11-6)NFC South: Carolina Panthers (8-9)NFC West: Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
The Eagles are the only NFL team to repeat as division champions from the 2024 NFL season.
Meanwhile, the Panthers became just the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record. They are the only team to ever do it twice.
The No. 1 seeds in the NFL playoffs will be as follows:
AFC: Denver Broncos (14-3)NFC: Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
Both the Seattle and Denver clinched their first-round byes in Week 18. The Seahawks beat the 49ers 13-3 on Saturday, Jan. 3 to win the NFC West and earn the top overall seed for the first time since 2014.
Meanwhile, the Broncos had already sealed the AFC West entering Week 18 but needed to beat the Chargers to lock up home-field advantage. Denver did so with ease, 19-3, and will now have the AFC’s top seed for the first time since 2015, when Peyton Manning led the team to a win in Super Bowl 50.
NFL playoff bracket update: Wild-card matchupsAFC playoff bracket
1. Denver Broncos (14-3, AFC West winners): BYE
The Broncos clinched the AFC West in Week 17 and followed that division title up by earning the No. 1 seed in Week 18. Denver is now the AFC’s top seed for the first time since Peyton Manning’s final season, and the AFC playoffs will go through Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
2. New England Patriots (14-3, AFC East winners) vs. 7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 3)
The Patriots matched the Broncos with the best record in the AFC, but Denver won the common games tiebreaker over New England. Nonetheless, the Patriots will have a chance to host a playoff game for the first time since Tom Brady’s final season in 2019. They will take on the Chargers, who rested their starters in Week 18 and will look to earn their first playoff victory under Jim Harbaugh.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4, AFC South winners) vs. 6. Buffalo Bills (12-5, wild card No. 2)
The Jaguars clinched the AFC South after finishing the 2025 NFL season on an eight-game winning streak. Their reward? A date with Josh Allen and the Bills, who thrashed the Jets in Week 18 to move into the No. 2 wild-card slot. The Jaguars last played the Bills in the 2017 NFL playoffs. Blake Bortles and Jacksonville earned a 10-3 win in a defensive slog against Tyrod Taylor and Buffalo.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, AFC North winners) vs. 5. Houston Texans (12-5, wild card No. 1)
It may have taken divine intervention, but the Steelers were able to win the AFC North after Tyler Loop’s missed field goal. Now, 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers will face a tough test against a Texans team on a nine-game winning streak. Houston’s defense ranks No. 1 overall league-wide in defensive EPA per play, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, so expect a low-scoring battle at Acrisure Stadium.
NFC playoff bracket
1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3, NFC West winners): BYE
The Seahawks beat the 49ers in a head-to-head matchup to win their first NFC West championship since 2020 and claim the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed. Seattle will now get a bye week before looking to rely on its elite-level defense to carry to a Super Bowl appearance.
2. Chicago Bears (11-5, NFC North winners) vs. 7. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1, wild card No. 3)
The Bears lost in Week 18 to the Lions, but they held onto the NFC’s No. 2 seed thanks to an Eagles loss to the Commanders. Now, they get to face the Packers for a third time this season. The two teams split the regular-season series, during which both games came down to the final minute. Expect another tight game as Caleb Williams looks to earn his first-ever playoff win.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, NFC East winners) vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers (12-5, wild card No. 2)
The Eagles decided to rest their starters in Week 18. They weren’t able to beat the Commanders with Tanner McKee starting in place of Jalen Hurts, so they will now face the 49ers in the wild-card round. San Francisco was red-hot offensively before mustering just three points against Seattle’s elite defense in Week 18. Expect Philadelphia to provide Brock Purdy and Co. with another tough test.
4. Carolina Panthers (8-9, NFC South winners) vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams (12-5, wild card No. 1)
The Falcons’ win over the Saints helped the Panthers get into the playoffs despite losing to the Buccaneers in Week 18. Carolina now gets to face Los Angeles, a team the Panthers upset 31-28 in their Week 13 meeting. Sean McVay and the Rams should be out for vengeance as they look to avoid losing to a team with an 8-9 record and a point differential of negative-69.
NFL playoff fieldAFCDenver Broncos (14-3, AFC West winners)New England Patriots (14-3, AFC East winners)Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4, AFC South winners)Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, AFC North winners)Houston Texans (12-5, wild card No. 1)Buffalo Bills (12-5, wild card No. 2)Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 3)NFCSeattle Seahawks (14-3, NFC West winners)Chicago Bears (11-6, NFC North winners)Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, NFC East winners)Carolina Panthers (8-9, NFC South winners)Los Angeles Rams (12-5, wild card No. 1)San Francisco 49ers (12-5, wild card No. 2)Green Bay Packers (9-7-1, wild card No. 3)