NFL Playoff Bracket 2026 Updated Postseason Picture, Divisional-Round Scenarios

Well, that was wild.

The NFL's aptly named Wild-Card Weekend lived up to its moniker like never before. Fourth-quarter leads were traded back-and-forth like football cards. Home-field advantage wasn't the least bit advantageous. The first four contests on the six-game slate were all decided by four points or less.

What could the football gods possibly have drummed up for the Divisional Round? Quite possibly more chaos.

We'll dig into what lies ahead while previewing the four contests that will set this season's semifinals.

Divisional Round Schedule

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Saturday, Jan. 17

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos, 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 8 p.m. ET on Fox

Sunday, Jan. 18

Houston Texans at New England Patriots, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears, 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock

AFC Matchups

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Bills at Broncos

The top-seeded Broncos should be well-fueled heading into this matchup. They closed out the regular season against a Chargers team that rested its regulars, then they enjoyed their well-earned bye. The Bills, meanwhile, are operating on a short week, playing a Saturday game after Sunday's shootout with the Jaguars that featured 28 fourth-quarter points and four lead changes in the final frame.

These teams tussled in last year's Wild-Card Round, but it wasn't much of a fight, as Buffalo bullied its way to a 31-7 win. Denver has done plenty of growing (and winning) since, though, so a repeat performance would be nothing short of shocking. That said, Josh Allen and the Bills might still feel like opportunity is pounding on the door with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson finally out of their way.

Texans at Patriots

What happens when one immovable object encounters another? We're about to find out here. While every other defense allowed at least 19 points in the Wild-Card Round, these two teams surrendered a combined nine points. And that's very much a carryover from the regular season when the Texans and Patriots finished second and fourth in scoring defense, respectively.

This looks like it'll be a rock fight, although the Patriots' second-ranked scoring offense may have other ideas. That said, New England's offense hardly put on a fireworks display Sunday night, tallying three field goals and a single touchdown. Houston, meanwhile, had just seven points heading into the fourth quarter Monday and scored 14 of its 23 fourth-quarter points on defense, returning both a fumble and an interception for scores.

If the Bills upset the Broncos, the winner of this matchup will host the AFC Championship.

NFC Matchups

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49ers at Seahawks

The rubber match between these NFC West rivals will send one team to the conference title game—Seattle would host, San Francisco would have to travel—and the other to winter break. They opened and closed the campaign against one another, with the Seahawks scoring exactly 13 points in each: a 17-13 loss in Week 1 and a 13-3 triumph in Week 18 that secured the NFC's No. 1 seed.

That second clash was a total domination by the Seahawks, who more than doubled up the Niners in yards (361 to 173) and first downs (23 to nine). If San Francisco can't find better success in the ground game (on both sides of the ball), this injury-riddled group might finally run out of gas. But if Seattle has to lean heavier on its passing game, all eyes will be on quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw the third-most interceptions this season (14) and struggled mightily in his playoff debut last season for the Minnesota Vikings.

Rams at Bears

This is sort of the inverse of the Patriots-Texans clash: It's the collision of two unstoppable forces. The Rams were the regular-season leaders in both yards and points, and the Bears (who ranked sixth and ninth, respectively, in those categories) put up 31 points and 445 yards in the Wild-Card Round. First team to get a stop wins, then?

Maybe. That's assuming Matthew Stafford's finger is fine, and that he and Caleb Williams avoid slipups against these disruptive defenses, who both held top-five rankings in takeaways. If they're on top of their games, though, this has the potential to be an all-timer.