Dream 2026 NFL Playoff Matchups Every NFL Fan Should Want to See

With the 2025 NFL season now in its final month, it's time to start looking ahead at the 2026 NFL playoffs.

The playoff picture is looking clearer after an exciting set of Week 14 matchups. Although no team has clinched a postseason berth, nine of the league's 32 teams have been officially eliminated from contention. Four other squads have less than a 10 percent probability of making the field, leaving 19 clubs in realistic contention for the 14 coveted spots on the bracket.

While the NFL playoffs are usually exciting regardless of the matchup, there are some head-to-head clashes that—at least on paper—look far more attractive than others. Fans can't help but root for playoff seeding to shake out in a way that results in these high-profile showdowns.

With that in mind, here's a look at some dream playoff matchups just about every fan should want to see.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Matchups between the Steelers and Ravens aren't traditionally high-scoring, but they are almost guaranteed to be exciting.

These intense rivals have engaged in some of the league's most memorable defensive battles over the last three decades, including five showdowns during the playoffs in that span.

Pittsburgh delivered the most recent blow in the longtime conflict, toppling Baltimore by a 27-22 margin in Week 14. It was an unusually high-scoring affair for a game involving the Steelers and Ravens, as the 49 points the two teams combined for was nearly 10 points above the average total in their 64-game series.

It also represented a return to form for the Steelers, who hold a 37-27 all-time edge over the Ravens but lost each of the past two meetings, including a blowout 28-14 defeat in the Wild Card Round last year.

That loss resulted in a series of changes to Pittsburgh's roster, including jettisoning incumbent quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and replacing them with Aaron Rodgers.

The future Hall of Famer put his own stamp on this rivalry, orchestrating a pivotal win that moved Pittsburgh into the driver's seat of the AFC North race.

Baltimore faces some long odds of even reaching the postseason following its lopsided defeat on Sunday. That loss dropped the team back below .500 at an unfortunate time, as the Ravens face a brutal schedule that includes meetings with the Bengals, Patriots and Packers before a season-ending rematch versus Pittsburgh.

Don't write the Ravens off, though. If they can find a way to win out, they'll have a chance to not only reach the playoffs but also potentially even steal the AFC North away from Pittsburgh with a Week 18 win.

Doing so would set the stage for an epic rubber match in the 2026 NFL playoffs.

Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas City's supremacy over the rest of the AFC West appears to be over. After winning the division nine consecutive years, the 6-7 Chiefs are all but certain to cede the crown to the 11-2 Broncos in 2025.

The Chiefs are facing an uphill battle to even reach the playoffs after being dismantled by the Houston Texans this past weekend, a dismal showing in which Kansas City mustered just 10 points—the fewest in any contest Patrick Mahomes has started—and lost for the fourth time in five games.

The Broncos have done far better, recently securing a 10th consecutive victory that has put plenty of breathing room between them and the second-place Los Angeles Chargers. Denver hasn't been winning big, though, edging out all but two of its victories this season by one score or less.

One of the Broncos' tightest successes came against the Chiefs in Week 11. It took a last-second field goal from Denver kicker Wil Lutz to squeak past the reigning AFC champs.

While Kansas City won't be raising a divisional banner this year, it still has a 15 percent chance to make the playoffs. If the Chiefs do manage to get in, no team—especially not the Broncos, who are 2-13 against Mahomes all-time—should underestimate this veteran-laden squad.

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn

For fans of exciting, high-scoring offensive football, it's appointment viewing whenever the Lions and 49ers share the field.

Each of their past three matchups dating back to the 2021 campaign has seen 65 or more points scored in total, with two of those games landing in the mid-70s.

The talents of their respective head coaches have been on full display during these recent bouts, with both Kyle Shanahan and Dan Campbell putting plenty of gadget, gimmicks and other home run plays into their plans.

The last postseason meeting between these two teams was especially memorable, as San Francisco stormed back from a 17-point deficit to punch its Super Bowl ticket with a 34-31 win in the 2024 NFC Championship Game.

Detroit would get a modicum of revenge for that heartbreaking defeat during the most recent regular-season matchup, securing a 40-34 victory over the Niners in December 2024.  

Expect more fireworks if fate brings these two clubs together again in the 2026 NFL playoffs. They average a combined 720 yards of offense and nearly 54 points per game (buoyed by Detroit's league-leading 30.3 PPG average), setting up a potential barnburner on the NFC side of the bracket.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

The Rams and Eagles have forged a modern rivalry in recent years, and they could meet again in the NFL playoffs.

While these teams are located on opposite sides of the country and play in different divisions, the continued success of both clubs has resulted in four clashes since the start of the 2023 season, including one of the more thrilling postseason matchups in recent history.

Los Angeles provided Philadelphia with its toughest challenge during an otherwise dominant Super Bowl LII championship run last year. The back-and-forth contest came to an exciting conclusion when the Eagles' defense came up with critical stops on the potential game-winning drive being engineered by Rams quarterback Matt Stafford.

Philly ultimately escaped the divisional round with a narrow 28-22 win, marking the only 2025 postseason contest the team didn't win by a double-digit margin.

Although the defeat surely stung, the Rams proved they could still compete with anyone and went all-in this offseason to make another run with Stafford at the helm. The decision has paid off, as L.A. has emerged as the top team in the NFC and a Super Bowl favorite.

The Eagles haven't been as potent as they were during the 2024 campaign, but this veteran-laden squad has emerged victorious in each of its past four meetings with the Rams.

If Philly did go up against L.A. in the playoffs, it wouldn't be a shock if the reigning champs found a way to win—even as potential underdogs.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Morry Gash

One of the league's most historic rivalries could add a thrilling chapter if the Bears and Packers match up during the 2026 NFL playoffs.

Chicago and Green Bay have played 211 times dating back to the 1921 season. Their most recent collision occurred this past weekend and ended with the Packers picking up another home victory.

It marked Green Bay's ninth win in its last 10 games against the Bears at Lambeau Field.

The victory moved the Packers into pole position in the NFC North and gave the squad a massive leg up in the divisional race, but Chicago will have a chance to avenge the defeat in Week 16.

That upcoming contest may end up being the final preview of a potential 2026 NFL playoff clash. Surprisingly, it would be just the third all-time playoff meeting between the storied franchises and would break a tie that has stood since Green Bay's victory in the 2011 NFC Championship Game.

Although the Packers landed the latest punch, the Bears have become a plucky contender under first-year head coach Ben Johnson and shouldn't be discounted.

The 9-4 squad is still breathing down Green Bay's neck in the standings and could even end up hosting the potential playoff meeting at Soldier Field with a strong finish to its resurgent 2025 campaign.

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

The budding Drake Maye vs. Josh Allen rivalry deserves to play out on a stage like the NFL playoffs, especially when factoring in the long history between the quarterbacks' organizations.

The Patriots and Bills have been battling for supremacy in the AFC East ever since the league's last divisional realignment. Since the start of the 2003 campaign, the division crown has been won by one of these two clubs in all but one season.  

While Buffalo has been on top every year since longtime nemesis Tom Brady moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2019 season, the Pats have reemerged as favorites in the AFC East behind an MVP-caliber campaign from Maye.

Maye's Patriots already scored a massive win over Allen's Bills in Week 5, a statement game that helped drive New England's current 10-game winning streak. The Patriots' 11-2 record has them tied for the league's best and in position to earn a first-round bye.

Allen won't go down without a fight, though, as he's surged back into the MVP conversation following a herculean stretch in which he's accounted for 12 touchdowns in a four-game span.

With the Bills winning three of those contests, they are now just two games back from the Pats ahead of their critical head-to-head showdown in Week 15.

With each side a lock to make the postseason, this dream matchup has a strong chance to come true in the 2026 NFL playoffs.