Predicting NFL Playoff Bracket 2026-27 after Seattle Seahawks Win Super Bowl 60 vs. New England Patr

Taylyn Hadley Feb 8, 2026

After Sam Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a 29-13 Super Bowl 60 win over Drake Maye and the New England Patriots on Sunday, attention has already turned to next season's NFL playoff picture and potential Super Bowl matchups.

This postseason featured several Wild Card upsets that reshaped the bracket, including the No. 6 Buffalo Bills knocking off Trevor Lawrence and the No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars, and the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers eliminating the defending Super Bowl champion No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles.

The No. 5 Houston Texans leaned on their defense in a dominant 30-6 Wild Card win over No. 4 Pittsburgh, while the No. 5 Los Angeles Rams edged No. 4 Carolina by three points. Both No. 2 seeds advanced past their No. 7 opponents, though Chicago narrowly survived.

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With the dominance Seattle displayed in its 41-6 divisional-round win over San Francisco and its conference championship victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks paved the way to a Super Bowl 60 title and strengthened the case for a potential repeat next season with veteran Sam Darnold at the helm.

However, only the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023-24 and the New England Patriots in 2003-04 have repeated as champions in the past 23 years, underscoring how difficult a title repeat can be.

Below is a look at the the predicted 2026 playoff bracket

NFC Wild Card

No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (BYE)

No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 7 Detroit Lions

No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 6 Green Bay Packers

No. 4 Atlanta Falcons vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams

AFC Wild Card

No. 1 Buffalo Bills (BYE)

No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 7 Houston Texans

No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars vs. No. 6 Denver Broncos

No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals vs. No. 5 New England Patriots

NFC Divisional

No. 1 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 6 Green Bay Packers

No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams

AFC Divisional

No. 1 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 5 New England Patriots

No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars

NFC Conference Championship

No. 1 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 2 Chicago Bears

AFC Conference Championship

No. 1 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars

Super Bowl 61

No. 1 Buffalo Bills def. No. 2 Chicago Bears

Incoming rookies could play a major role in shaping the 2026 season and playoff picture, whether by rising to the moment or struggling through uneven debut campaigns.

The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick after finishing 3-14 in head coach Pete Carroll's and quarterback Geno Smith's first season in Las Vegas. Smith, 35, threw a league-high 17 interceptions, putting the Raiders in position to consider younger options at quarterback as they look to open up the offense and create space for Ashton Jeanty to shine next season.

The New York Jets own the No. 2 pick after another disappointing season. New York finished 3-14 and is coming off a 2024 campaign in which it went 5-12 and selected offensive lineman Armand Membou at No. 7 overall. The Jets are expected to release quarterback Justin Fields, while veteran Tyrod Taylor is set to enter free agency.

The Arizona Cardinals sit at No. 3 and have not posted a winning season since 2021, when they reached the wild-card round. Arizona could explore moving on from quarterback Kyler Murray, the former Oklahoma standout drafted in 2019.

Below is a look at the top 30 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft: