NFL Playoff Scenarios 2025-26 Review and AFC, NFC Picture, Bracket After Week 17

There will be three high-stakes regular season finales in Week 17, with division crowns on the line and a No. 1 overall seed on the line.

Who are the teams involved, which divisions are yet to be determined, and what teams remain on the bubble entering the last week of the 2025 regular season?

Find out with this look at the current playoff scenarios and bracket.

AFC Playoff Picture

AP Photo

Division Leaders

1. z-Denver Broncos (13-3, AFC West; +750 odds to win the Super Bowl)

2. z-New England Patriots (13-3, AFC East; +900)

3. x-Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4, AFC South; +1300)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7, AFC North; +9000)

A win over the Chargers in Week 18 will give Denver the No. 1 seed in the AFC. A loss and Sean Payton's team will have to hope that both the Patriots and Jaguars lose to give them the top spot in the conference.

The Steelers dropped the ball against Cleveland, costing themselves the opportunity to sew up the AFC North division and cash their ticket to the playoffs. As a result, their Week 18 matchup with Baltimore will now be for the division crown and the fourth seed in the playoffs.

Wild Card Teams

5. x-Houston Texans (11-5; +1400)

6. x-Los Angeles Chargers (11-5; +2500)

7. x-Buffalo Bills (11-5; +1100)

Despite the sluggish start to the season, the Houston Texans are in a position to win the AFC South. A win over the Colts and a Jaguars loss to the Titans, no matter how unlikely, would net DeMeco Ryans' crew the division title.

Regardless, the Texans have clinched the playoffs and will be one of the dark horse favorites to emerge as a Super Bowl contender, thanks to the league's stingiest defense in terms of opponents' points scored.

The Chargers and Bills are locked into Wild Card spots, unable to compete for a division title due to their Week 17 losses.

In the Hunt

Baltimore Ravens (8-8; +2000)

The improbable run toward the postseason for this year's Ravens continues. A win over Pittsburgh in Week 18 will cash their ticket to the postseason and give the team, amid a tumultuous season, a home playoff game.

Eliminated

Indianapolis Colts (8-8)

Miami Dolphins (7-9)

Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)

Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)

Cleveland Browns (4-12)

New York Jets (3-13)

Tennessee Titans (3-13)

Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)

NFC Playoff Picture

AP Photo

Division Leaders

1. x-Seattle Seahawks (13-3, NFC West; +500)

2. z-Chicago Bears (11-5, NFC North; +2000)

3. z-Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, NFC East; +1000)

4. Carolina Panthers (8-8, NFC South; +20000)

The NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference are on the line Sunday when the Seahawks and 49ers clash in the final regular season game of the year. The high stakes game caps off a slate that will also see Carolina and Tampa Bay play for the NFC South crown following both teams' losses in Week 17.

Wild Card Teams

5. x-San Francisco 49ers (12-4; +950)

6. x-Los Angeles Rams (11-4; +475)

7. x-Green Bay Packers (9-6-1; +2000)

Regardless of what happens in the final week of the season, both the Rams and the Packers are locked into the Wild Card. The Rams, based on their play in 2025, may go down as one of the greatest Wild Card teams in the history of the NFL and are the current favorites to win the Super Bowl among odds makers.

In The Hunt

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9; +100000)

The Buccaneers have lost four straight and are limping into the regular season finale, with Baker Mayfield failing to play up to the level he did earlier in the year when he was an MVP candidate, and the defense proving to be a liability in key situations. They may muster enough to beat an up-and-down Panthers squad in Week 18, but there has been little evidence on the field that they can go on a run in the postseason.

Eliminated

Minnesota Vikings (8-8)

Detroit Lions (8-8)

Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)

Atlanta Falcons (6-9)

New Orleans Saints (6-10)

Washington Commanders (4-12)

Arizona Cardinals (3-13)

New York Giants (3-13)

x-indicates clinched playoffs; z-indicates clinched division