Predicting 2025 NFL Playoff Teams After Week 4

The first month of the 2025 NFL season is done, making this a great time for an early look at the potential playoff contenders that have emerged over the first four weeks of play.

While many familiar powerhouses remain atop the league's hierarchy, several others have fallen off and face uphill battles to even make the postseason, let alone appear in Super Bowl LX.

Several promising up-and-coming squads have gotten off to hot starts as well and have stated a strong case to be considered contenders in 2025.

With that in mind, let's make some projections on which 14 teams (broken down by tier) will eventually fill out the 2026 NFL playoff bracket and where they will finish in the regular-season standings.

Top Super Bowl Contenders

AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills (4-0) – AFC East Winner / No. 1 Seed

The Bills are one the league's two remaining undefeated teams after a month of play and have established firm control of both the AFC East and the conference.

Buffalo has already built a two-game lead over the New England Patriots ahead of their head-to-head clash in Week 5 and can solidify its status as the division's top dog with a victory.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) – NFC East Winner / No. 1 Seed

The defending champions are a shoo-in to make it back to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. While the Eagles' perfect record hasn't come easy—it took a pair of blocked field goals to secure a win against the Rams in Week 3—this team has all the tools to repeat.

Detroit Lions (3-1) – NFC North Winner / No. 2 Seed

After losing both coordinators on head coach Dan Campbell's staff this offseason, any rumblings about a regression have been quieted by a strong 3-1 start in the Motor City.

While the Lions may have looked rough in the opener, they've bounced back to win three consecutive games by an average margin of 21 points.

Detroit is now looking like a lock to reach the playoffs with a strong chance of making the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) – AFC West Winner / No. 2 Seed

It wasn't long ago that the Chiefs were 0-2 and were trending towards becoming the latest Super Bowl loser to suffer a hangover season, but it's now looking unlikely that the first playoff miss of the Patrick Mahomes era will happen in 2025.

Kansas City just picked up a statement 37-20 victory over the Ravens on Sunday, bringing the club back to .500 in the process. The Chiefs are now well-positioned to take control of the AFC West with a soft schedule that includes winnable meetings against the Jaguars, Raiders and Commanders over the next month.

If they come out their Week 6 clash with the Lions—a potential Super Bowl preview—with a W, the Chiefs will continue their reign as the AFC's team to beat.

Strong Playoff Bets

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams (3-1) – NFC West Winner / No. 3 Seed

The Rams were one of the only teams to truly challenge the Eagles during their Super Bowl run last year, and they put up another strong fight against the champs in Week 3.

While L.A. will need to find a way to beat Philly if it wants to end the Matthew Stafford era with another Lombardi Trophy, this team shouldn't have too much trouble waltzing to a playoff appearance.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) – AFC North Winner / No. 3 Seed

The Aaron Rodgers era is off to a great start in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have found a way to eek out narrow victories in three of their first four games with the future Hall of Famer at the helm, opening the door for them to take control of the AFC North.

With Baltimore stumbling to a 1-3 record and the Bengals losing Joe Burrow for an extended stretch, Pittsburgh should cruise to its first divisional crown since 2020 and fifth postseason berth in six years.

On the Fringes

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Daniel Jones

Indianapolis Colts (3-1) – AFC South Winner / No. 4 Seed

The Colts have found something in Daniel Jones. After the Giants gave up on the signal-caller following five up-and-down seasons, the veteran appears to be a natural fit in head coach Shane Steichen's offense.

Although the team just suffered its first loss of 2025, Indy still hung tough against the Rams and should feel confident in its ability to beat any opponent.

Danny Dimes has been a massive upgrade over Anthony Richardson, making all the difference between this year's version of the Colts and the underperforming teams this organization has put on the field in recent seasons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) – NFC South Winner / No. 4 Seed

Despite a series of key injuries that prevented them from reaching their full potential, the Bucs still managed to win three straight to open 2025.

While they finally fell to the defending champs in Week 4, Tampa is poised to remain atop the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season.

Los Angeles Chargers (3-1) – AFC Wild Card / No. 5 Seed

After a hot start to the season that included a big win over the Chiefs in the opener, the Chargers came back down to earth with a disappointing loss to the Giants on Sunday.

That humbling defeat showed there's still work to be done by head coach Jim Harbaugh's squad, but there's also far too much talent and determination here for L.A. to miss out on the playoffs.

Seattle Seahawks (3-1) – NFC Wild Card / No. 5 Seed

The Seahawks are picking up steam after a sluggish start to the Sam Darnold era.

Seattle shook off a Week 1 loss to blow the doors off both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, then dug in and gritted out a key NFC West battle against the Arizona Cardinals this past Thursday.

This team clearly has heart, but it still remains to be seen if Darnold can elevate this group beyond a wild-card appearance. 

Sneaking In

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) – NFC Wild Card / No. 6 Seed

One week after a stunning defeat to the Browns, the Packers' prime-time battle with the Cowboys led to the league's first tie since 2022.

While having a draw on the record books may not be ideal for a team that aspires to win a hyper-competitive NFC North race, Green Bay at least avoided being upset for the second consecutive week.

The Packers should bounce back and make the playoff field, but their recent play isn't inspiring confidence in a Super Bowl run.

Baltimore Ravens (1-3) – AFC Wild Card / No. 6 Seed

After getting beat for the third time this month, it may be time for the moribund Ravens to start panicking.

With all three losses occurring against opponents in the NFL's upper echelon and their lone victory coming against the lowly Browns, Baltimore seems further from winning a Super Bowl than it has at any other point during Lamar Jackson era.

Things aren't going to get any easier, either, as Jackson exited Sunday's blowout defeat to the Chiefs with a hamstring issue and matchups against 2024 playoff teams in the Texans and Rams are around the corner.

Fortunately for Baltimore, there's more than enough time to right the ship and get back into contention after this brutal start.

The team has more than enough talent to turn things around—the Ravens went 12-5 last year and have won 10 or more games in all but one season since the start of 2018—but needs to start executing in October to have a chance.

New England Patriots (2-2) – AFC Wild Card / No.  7 Seed

After years of struggle in the post-Tom Brady era, the Pats are on the rise again.

New England got back to .500 by thrashing the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, a showcase contest that proved this plucky squad is capable of dominating in all three phases of the game.

Head coach Mike Vrabel has the rebuilding Patriots playing hard, but they are likely still at least a year away from doing anything more than sneaking into the postseason and suffering an early exit.

Dallas Cowboys (1-2-1) – NFC Wild Card / No. 7 Seed

The Cowboys just let a win slip away on Sunday Night Football, although the tie they had to settle for likely won't be as costly as a loss at the end of the season.

Dallas again proved it has all the pieces in place to dominate offensively—this unit is leading the league in yards and ranks No. 5 in scoring—but needs to figure out things on defense to avoid yet another early playoff exit.

After giving up an average of 33 points per game—the second-worst mark in the league—over the first four weeks, Jerry Jones should be desperate enough to swing a blockbuster trade leading up to the deadline to help make up for the crushing loss of Micah Parsons this offseason.

Fortunately for Baltimore, there's more than enough time to get back into contention after this brutal start.

The team has more than enough talent to turn things around—the Ravens went 12-5 last year and have won fewer than 10 games just once since the start of the 2018 season—but needs to start executing in October.