This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you may go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/01/10/nfl-playoffs-schedule-bracket-wild-card-weekend/88063169007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
NFC wild-card predictions: Who advances and who goes dwelling
USA TODAY Sports Chris Bumbaca and Joe Rivera share who they assume will make it out of the NFC Wild Card spherical.
Sports Seriously
The 2025 NFL playoffs are about to start, and 14 groups may have an opportunity to compete for the best to play in Super Bowl 60.
The 2025 playoff bracket seems lots totally different from what many anticipated at the beginning of the season. Three groups – the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots – went worst-to-first of their respective divisions whereas perennial Super Bowl favorites just like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens didn’t make the playoffs.
That will make the 2025 postseason race wide-open, as there aren’t an abundance of clear-cut favorites on both aspect of the bracket.
The shake-up of the league’s typical playoff image may make for a enjoyable and unpredictable postseason. Of course, the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles may additionally throw a wrench into everybody’s plans by preventing their approach by the NFC and to the league championship for a 3rd time in 4 years.
Here’s what to know in regards to the NFL’s wild-card weekend schedule and the way its playoff bracket will work this season.
What NFL playoff video games are this weekend?
The NFL’s first six playoff video games will probably be performed throughout the league’s wild-card weekend. They are as follows, by convention:
AFC wild-card video games
NFC wild-card video games
- 2. Chicago Bears (11-6) vs. 7. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
- 3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
- 4. Carolina Panthers (8-9) vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
NFL wild card playoff schedule
Per traditional, the NFL’s wild-card video games will probably be unfold out over three days. The first two video games will probably be performed Saturday and the subsequent three on Sunday earlier than wild-card weekend closes with a stand-alone “Monday Night Football” recreation.
Below is a take a look at the total opening-round schedule for the 2025 NFL playoffs.
Saturday NFL playoff video games
Sunday NFL playoff video games
Monday NFL playoff video games
Updated NFL playoff bracket
The solely two groups that will not play on wild-card weekend are the No. 1 seeds. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks every earned first-round byes after posting 14-win seasons. That gave Seattle the very best document within the NFC whereas Denver tied with New England however earned a typical video games tiebreaker over the Patriots.
The NFL playoff bracket is not fastened. That will set the No. 1 seeds as much as face the bottom remaining seed within the divisional spherical, whereas the remaining two groups will do battle.
Here is a take a look at the total NFL playoff bracket for 2025, up to date for the wild card spherical outcomes:
AFC playoff bracket
- No. 1 Denver Broncos (BYE)
- No. 2 New England Patriots vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
- No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars vs. No. 6 Buffalo Bills
- No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 5 Houston Texans
NFC playoff bracket
- No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (BYE)
- No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers
- No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 6 San Francisco 49ers
- No. 4 Carolina Panthers vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams
How does the NFL playoff bracket work?
The NFL playoffs characteristic 14 complete groups. The prime seeds in every convention get a first-round bye whereas the remaining 12 groups sq. off in opposition to each other in wild-card matchups.
The NFL makes use of a dynamic bracket in its postseason format, which suggests the bracket adjustments because the playoffs progress.
How precisely does that course of work? Rather than having a set bracket, the postseason event re-seeds after every spherical. That means the No. 1 seed will face the lowest-remaining seed after the wild-card spherical whereas the 2 remaining groups in every convention will face off in opposition to each other.
If the No. 1 seed is upset on both aspect of the bracket, the highest remaining seed would get home-field benefit of their convention championship recreation. That means, hypothetically, that any group – save for the No. 7 seed in every convention – may host a house playoff contest.
When will wild-card winners know divisional opponents?
The NFC aspect of the bracket will probably be set in full by the top of Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers recreation. Meanwhile, the AFC bracket will not be totally shaped till the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers end their “Monday Night Football” matchup.
That mentioned, it is doable followers will know a number of the matchups earlier than these video games wrap up. For instance, if the No. 7 seed Packers upset the No. 2 seed Bears of their Saturday night time matchup, Green Bay could be assured a date with Seattle within the divisional spherical.
Meanwhile, the AFC bracket may have at the least one matchup set by the top of the New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers recreation on “Sunday Night Football.” If the Chargers win, they may play the Broncos. If the Patriots win, one among two issues will occur. New England will draw right into a matchup if Jacksonville beats Buffalo in Sunday’s first playoff recreation or Denver will probably be assured a date with the Bills if Buffalo pulls off the seeding upset.
Regardless of what occurs, readability will come rapidly on wild-card weekend.
Full NFL playoffs schedule
Here’s a full take a look at the NFL’s playoff schedule for this 12 months:
Wild-card spherical
All occasions Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 10
Sunday, Jan. 11
Monday, Jan. 12
- Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Divisional spherical
Saturday, Jan. 17
- AFC/NFC divisional recreation: 4:30 p.m.
- AFC/NFC divisional recreation: 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 18
- AFC/NFC divisional recreation: 3 p.m.
- AFC/NFC divisional recreation: 6:30 p.m.
NFL convention championship spherical
Sunday, Jan. 25
- AFC championship recreation: 3 p.m.
- NFC championship recreation: 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.
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you may go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/01/10/nfl-playoffs-schedule-bracket-wild-card-weekend/88063169007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
