2025-26 NFL playoffs: Everything we know ahead of divisional round

NFL fans have been treated to what has, thus far, been an exciting wild-card round in the 2025 playoffs.

The Los Angeles Rams set the tone with a tight, 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers. There were a playoff-record-tying four fourth-quarter lead changes during the game, the final one coming on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds remaining in regulation.

After that, the Chicago Bears logged their largest comeback in postseason history to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-27. The Bears trailed by as many as 18 points before scoring 25 in the fourth quarter to seal a victory.

On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars delivered another fourth-quarter showdown. Josh Allen's squad ended up winning 27-24 after the quarterback powered in a go-ahead touchdown with a minute left in regulation and Trevor Lawrence threw a game-ending interception as Jacksonville looked to mount an answer.

A few hours late, the San Francisco 49ers became the second No. 6 seed to earn a victory in the 2025 NFL playoffs. They upset the No. 3 seed Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 despite losing George Kittle to an Achilles injury. Christian McCaffrey caught two touchdowns – one from Brock Purdy and one from Jauan Jennings – to key the victory.

Soon, the rest of the wild-card matchups will be settled and the NFL playoff bracket for the divisional round will be firmly set. Here's a look at the current playoff picture and which teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl 60.

Which teams remain in the NFL playoffs?

Just eight teams will be standing once the NFL's wild-card weekend wraps up. Below is a look at the teams that are still in the running for Super Bowl 60:

AFC:

• Denver Broncos (No. 1)
• New England Patriots (No. 2)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 4)
• Houston Texans (No. 5)
• Buffalo Bills (No. 6)
• Los Angeles Chargers (No. 7)

NFC:

• Seattle Seahawks (No. 1)
• Chicago Bears (No. 2)
• Los Angeles Rams (No. 5)
• San Francisco 49ers (No. 6)

Just nine teams will remain in the playoff hunt once Sunday's action wraps up. The final divisional-round spot will be determined by the result of the Steelers vs. Texans game on "Monday Night Football."

2025 NFL playoff bracket

Below is a look at the playoff brackets for the AFC and NFC as the wild-card round plays out:

AFC:

• No. 1 Denver Broncos (BYE)
• No. 2 New England Patriots vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
• No. 6 Buffalo Bills (advanced to divisional round)
• No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 5 Houston Texans

NFC:

• No. 1 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 6 San Francisco 49ers
• No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams

2025 NFL playoffs schedule

The dates and times for the NFL's divisional round are set, but the league hasn't yet announced when each matchup will take place. Here's what to know about the NFL playoff schedule:

Wild-card round

All times Eastern

Saturday, Jan. 10

• Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
• Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 8 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Sunday, Jan. 11

• Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
• San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
• Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots, 8 p.m. ET, NBC

Monday, Jan. 12

• Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 17

• AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.
• AFC/NFC divisional game: 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18

• AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.
• AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.

NFL conference championship round

Sunday, Jan. 25

• AFC championship game: 3 p.m.
• NFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 60

• TV: NBC
• Date: Feb. 8, 2026
• Location: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
• Time: 6:30 p.m.

How does the NFL playoff bracket work?

The NFL playoffs feature a dynamic bracket, which means the bracket changes as the playoffs progress.

What does that mean? Rather than having a fixed bracket, the postseason tournament re-seeds after each round. That means the No. 1 seed will face the lowest-remaining seed after the wild-card round while the two remaining teams in each conference will face off against one another.

If the No. 1 seed is upset on either side of the bracket, the top remaining seed would get home-field advantage in their conference championship game. That means, hypothetically, that any team – save for the No. 7 seed in each conference – could host a home playoff contest.