NFL Playoff Picture 2026, Postseason Scenarios and Wild-Card Bracket

The 2026 NFL Playoffs are set following an eventful conclusion to the regular season Sunday night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers became the final team to clinch on a last-second, field goal miss by Ravens rookie Tyler Loop, and for all of their trouble, draw a Houston Texans team riding a sizable win streak and capable of beating any opponent.

The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos clinched first-round byes as the respective top seeds in their conferences. The Carolina Panthers relied on the Atlanta Falcons beating the New Orleans Saints to squeak past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and into the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Where does each team sit in the playoff bracket, and which match-ups await them in the Wild Card round? Find out with this look at the playoff scenarios, as well as current Super Bowl odds for each remaining team.

NFC Playoff Picture

AP Photo

Division Winners

1. *-Seattle Seahawks (14-3, NFC West; +350 odds to win the Super Bowl)

2. z-Chicago Bears (11-6, NFC North; +2200)

3. z-Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, NFC East; +950)

4. z-Carolina Panthers (8-9, NFC South; +15000)

One of the most interesting decisions made in Week 18 was head coach Nick Siriani opting to rest his Eagles starters against Washington, despite having the chance to play for the conference's No. 2 seed. Had they beaten the Commanders, based on Chicago's loss to Detroit, they would have drawn a banged-up Packers squad in the Wild Card round but will now face a 49ers team that is one of the better squads in this postseason.

The Bears will battle those Packers, in the rubber match of their season series. While Chicago is healthier and on paper, better, Jordan Love and Co. have beaten higher-ranked teams in the playoffs before. Right, Dallas?

Wild Card Teams

5. y-Los Angeles Rams (12-5; +425)

6. y-San Francisco 49ers (12-5; +2800)

7. y-Green Bay Packers (9-7-1; +2200)

The Rams jumped to the fifth seed by way of their dominant victory over Arizona and will play the team that cost them the No. 1 seed back in Week 13, the Panthers. They took that team lightly in the first go-round and lost by three. In front of a red-hot crowd, and against a Carolina squad playing with house money, Los Angeles will have the opportunity to prove that the first time was the exception, not the rule.

The 49ers will have the opportunity to upset the defending Super Bowl champions but to do so, they will have to jump-start an offense that failed to show up, at home, against the Seahawks. The Eagles are a stingy defense, with playmakers who gained tremendous confidence during last year's push to the Lombardi Trophy. Any hesitation early could lead to a one-and-done scenario for Kyle Shanahan's team. On the other hand, if they can cook early, an upset is not out of the equation.

Eliminated

Minnesota Vikings (9-8)

Detroit Lions (9-8)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)

Atlanta Falcons (8-9)

Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1)

New Orleans Saints (6-11)

Washington Commanders (5-12)

New York Giants (4-13)

Arizona Cardinals (3-14)

AFC Playoff Picture

AP Photo

Division Winners

1. *-Denver Broncos (14-3, AFC West; +650)

2. z-New England Patriots (14-3, AFC East; +950)

3. z-Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4, AFC South; +1300)

4. z-Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8, AFC North; +4500)

The Patriots may not have secured the top seed in the AFC, but they did draw a first-round match-up against a Chargers team that enters the postseason on a two-game losing streak and is struggling to protect its quarterback, Justin Herbert. The team has allowed nine sacks in those two losses. While New England ranks in the bottom half of the league in generating sacks, the first round of the playoffs is a perfect time to right that wrong and build momentum for the defense.

The Jaguars are among the hottest teams in the league right now but a showdown with Buffalo and Josh Allen, the former league MVP desperate to make it to the Super Bowl, a tough draw. Still, Jacksonville stops the run, which could force Allen to rely more on a receiver corps that is among the weakest in these playoffs. Whether the Jags can contain the University of Wyoming product and stop him from becoming a runner is another question.

Wildcard Teams

5. y-Houston Texans (12-5; +1300)

6. y-Buffalo Bills (12-5; +1000)

7. Los Angeles Chargers (12-5; +2800)

The Houston Texans have won nine straight entering the postseason and, somehow, feel underrated and disrespected entering a Wild Card showdown with Pittsburgh. The team with the stingiest defense in the league in terms of both points and yardage, they have the potential to knock off a division winner and go on a run that sees them advance to their first Super Bowl. That may depend on the play of CJ Stroud, who has been better in the second-half of the regular season but has yet to flash that one, defining game against a playoff-caliber team.

Eliminated

Indianapolis Colts (8-9)

Baltimore Ravens (8-9)

Miami Dolphins (7-10)

Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)

Kansas City Chiefs (6-11)

Cleveland Browns (5-12)

Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)

New York Jets (3-14)

Tennessee Titans (3-14)

*-indicates first round bye clinched

z-indicates division clinched

y-indicates Wild Card clinched