NFL Playoff Schedule 2026, AFC, NFC Bracket Details and Latest Picks

Playoff spots might be mostly snatched up already, but the NFL has so much left to sort out during Week 18.

Case in point: Only the Green Bay Packers know which seed they'll carry into the postseason (No. 7 in the NFC). Every other team in the playoff picture has a chance to move somewhere—up, down or even out—before the curtains fall this weekend.

From top seeds to division titles, there will be so much at stake Saturday and Sunday that the stage doesn't need any more setting. Let's just dive right in with a look at the schedule, the latest playoff bracket and our picks in some of the weekend's most critical contests.

NFL Playoff Schedule

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Wild Card round: Jan. 10-12

Divisional round: Jan. 17-18

AFC, NFC championships: Jan. 25

Super Bowl LX: Feb. 8 (in Santa Clara, Calif.)

AFC Bracket

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Division Leaders

1 Denver Broncos (13-3; clinched AFC West)

2. New England Patriots (13-3; clinched AFC East)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4; clinched playoff berth)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)

Denver is one win away from securing the No. 1 seed, and its opponent in that contest, the Chargers, is sitting several starters. The Broncos will have no one but themselves to blame if they can't take care of business on their home field.

The Patriots could swipe the No. 1 spot with a Broncos' loss and a win over the Dolphins. The Jaguars technically are in the mix, too, although they need a win and losses by both Denver and New England.

The Steelers, meanwhile, host the Ravens in a win-or-go-home matchup that will settle the AFC North and slot one of these teams into the No. 4 seed.

Wild-Card Race

5. Houston Texans (11-5; clinched playoff berth)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5; clinched playoff berth)

7. Buffalo Bills (11-5; clinched playoff berth)

There probably won't be much movement within this group, but the Texans could still claim the AFC South with a bit of help. If they beat the Colts and the Titans trip up the Jaguars, Houston would take the division title.

In the Hunt

9. Baltimore Ravens (8-8)

While you'd be hard-pressed to argue the Ravens are exactly where they want to be, they do have direct control over their playoff fate. With a road win over the Steelers, they're AFC North champs and the conference's No. 4 seed. With a loss, they're officially onto the offseason.

Eliminated

8. Indianapolis Colts (8-8)

10. Miami Dolphins (7-9)

11. Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)

12. Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)

13. Cleveland Browns (4-12)

14. Tennessee Titans (3-13)

15. New York Jets (3-13)

16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)

NFC Bracket

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Division Leaders

1 Seattle Seahawks (13-3; clinched playoff berth)

2. Chicago Bears (11-5; clinched NFC North)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5; clinched NFC East)

4. Carolina Panthers (8-8)

A Saturday night road stop in San Francisco will determine whether Seattle secures the No. 1 seed or falls all the way to No. 5. The stakes really are that simple and that significant, as this one clash between the Seahawks and 49ers will reward the victor with the NFC West crown and the conference's top overall seed.

The Bears can lock up the No. 2 seed with a win over the Lions, but if they lose and the Eagles top the Commanders, then Philadelphia would climb up a seed line. The Panthers could win the NFC South by knocking off the Buccaneers in Tampa on Saturday, but Carolina could also finish on top of a three-team tiebreaker after a loss if Atlanta defeats New Orleans on Sunday.

Wild-Card Race

5. San Francisco 49ers (12-4)

6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)

7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)

A win over the Seahawks would allow the 49ers to say at home as long as they advance—Super Bowl LX included if they can make it that far. A loss, though, could push them down to No. 6 if the Rams beat the Cardinals. The Packers, as previously mentioned, can't move from the No. 7 line.

In The Hunt

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)

The Falcons' upset of the Rams on Monday night meant that the Buccaneers now need more than just a win over the Panthers to earn the NFC South crown. Only a win over Carolina and a New Orleans win over Atlanta would put Tampa Bay on top.

Eliminated

8. Minnesota Vikings (8-8)

9. Detroit Lions (8-8)

10. Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)

12. Atlanta Falcons (7-9)

13. New Orleans Saints (6-10)

14. Washington Commanders (4-12)

15. Arizona Cardinals (3-13)

16. New York Giants (3-13)

Week 18 Picks

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Panthers top the Buccaneers

Look, Tampa Bay has more recognizable faces on its side, plus it has home-field advantage, so it feels like it should be the pick. But who can trust the Buccaneers right now? They had one win (a three-point triumph over the lowly Cardinals) and seven losses to show for the months of November and December.

The Panthers, who just beat the Buccaneers two weeks ago, aren't exactly the model of consistency—in fact, they've alternated wins and losses over their last 10 games—but some combination of ground-game success, Bryce Young playmaking and opportunistic defense will help them get it done.

49ers stop the Seahawks

This should be the game of the weekend, and picking either side of it would feel entirely defensible. Like, even as we're picking San Francisco here, we're terrified of going against Seattle's defense, which has held four of its last five opponents to 16 points or less.

That said, the Niners give team-of-destiny vibes with their ability to overcome one injury after the next, and Brock Purdy has never looked better. If George Kittle is healthy and active enough to keep the Seahawks from overloading on Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco will find a way to win its seventh straight.

Ravens knock off the Steelers

Just like the Panthers-Buccaneers collision, it's almost impossible to trust either of these teams. This race should've been decided already, but the Steelers couldn't find their way around the lowly Browns. The Ravens, meanwhile, throttled the Packers, but it was only their second win in their last five outings.

We could've thrown a coin here and been comfortable with the result, but this is based on a little more than that. If Lamar Jackson is healthy, we're guessing he and Derrick Henry will give the Steelers' defense more than they can handle.