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Breaking down an electrical NFL divisional spherical weekend
Chris Bumbaca and Prince Grimes dive into the matchups and storylines of the NFL divisional playoff spherical.
Six groups have been eradicated from the NFL playoffs on wild-card weekend. The divisional spherical will characteristic one other reduce down, because the eight remaining squads will dwindle to only 4 after the weekend.
The divisional spherical will mark the primary time the No. 1 seeds in every convention will play this postseason. The Denver Broncos need to silence Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, whereas the Seattle Seahawks hope for the same end result as their Week 18 matchup in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers.
Throughout the season, the competitors appeared large open on each side of the bracket and that continues with these eight remaining groups. The Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams matchup within the NFC figures to be the marquee matchup of the four-game slate, whereas the Houston Texans will look to drag off a second consecutive seeding upset and play spoiler on the AFC facet of the bracket.
Here’s what to know in regards to the NFL’s divisional spherical schedule and the way the league’s playoff bracket works:
What NFL playoff video games are this weekend?
Four NFL playoff video games might be performed because the league’s postseason bracket strikes onto the divisional spherical. They are as follows, by convention:
AFC divisional spherical video games
NFC divisional spherical video games
NFL divisional-round playoff schedule
The NFL’s divisional spherical will see video games performed on each Saturday and Sunday. There might be two video games performed on every day, and the motion will start with the Broncos vs. Bills recreation at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
There is not going to be a “Monday Night Football” recreation within the divisional spherical of the playoffs. The league’s “MNF” schedule got here to an finish with the Texans’ 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers within the wild-card spherical.
Below is a full have a look at the NFL’s divisional weekend schedule.
Saturday NFL playoff video games
- Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills: 4:30 p.m. on CBS
- Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers: 8 p.m. on Fox
Sunday NFL playoff video games
- New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans: 3 p.m. on ESPN/ABC
- Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams: 6:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
Updated NFL playoff bracket
All eight remaining NFL playoff groups will play within the divisional spherical. The solely two groups not but to play a recreation getting into Saturday’s motion are the No. 1 seeds – the Broncos and Seahawks – who earned wild-card weekend byes for ending with the very best document of their respective conferences.
Here is a have a look at the total NFL playoff bracket:
AFC playoff bracket
- No. 1 Denver Broncos vs. No. 6 Buffalo Bills
- No. 2 New England Patriots vs. No. 5 Houston Texans
NFC playoff bracket
- No. 1 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 6 San Francisco 49ers
- No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams
How does the NFL playoff bracket work?
The NFL playoff bracket is ever-changing and differs from the static codecs widespread in different leagues. That signifies that seedings play a major function in future matchups. Based on seeding, the No. 1-seeded Broncos and Seahawks will face off in opposition to the worst workforce remaining of their convention within the divisional spherical.
Denver and Seattle will even maintain home-field benefit all through their respective brackets, offered they continue to be within the playoffs. If both workforce loses, the very best remaining workforce – based mostly on seeding – would acquire home-field benefit.
The No. 1 seed in every convention is granted a bye to the divisional spherical of the postseason, whereas the remaining six groups in every convention play within the wild-card spherical.
The AFC’s top-seeded Broncos draw a matchup with the 6-seeded Bills, whereas the NFC’s No. 1-seeded Seahawks draw right into a matchup with the No. 6-seeded 49ers.
The winners of the divisional spherical video games will play one another of their respective convention championship video games to find out which squad advances to the Super Bowl.
When will divisional spherical winners know their opponents?
The NFL’s convention championship recreation matchups might be set by Sunday night time, as soon as the league’s divisional spherical motion wraps up. The Bears vs. Rams recreation would be the final contest to complete, however as soon as that result’s set, every convention could have two remaining groups.
Saturday’s winners will even know their two potential championship recreation opponents going into Sunday’s video games, because of the now-fixed bracket. There aren’t as many eventualities as there are on wild card weekend; the successful groups will merely face the opposite surviving squad from their convention.
Full NFL playoff schedule
The NFL playoffs kicked off on Saturday, Jan. 10 with the league’s wild card weekend and can conclude on Feb. 8 with Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara.
Below is a have a look at the schedule, scores thus far:
Wild card spherical
All occasions Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 10
- No. 5 Los Angeles Rams 34 at No. 4 Carolina Panthers 31
- No. 2 Chicago Bears 31 vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers 27
Sunday, Jan. 11
- No. 6 Buffalo Bills 27 at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars 24
- No. 6 San Francisco 49ers 23 at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles 19
- No. 2 New England Patriots 16 vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers 3
Monday, Jan. 12
- No. 5 Houston Texans 30 at No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers 6
Divisional spherical
Saturday, Jan. 17
- No. 1 Denver Broncos vs. No. 6 Buffalo Bills: 4:30 p.m. on CBS
- No. 1 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 6 San Francisco 49ers: 8 p.m. on Fox
Sunday, Jan. 18
- No. 2 New England Patriots vs. No. 5 Houston Texans: 3 p.m. on ESPN/ABC
- No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams: 6:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
NFL convention championship spherical
Sunday, Jan. 25
- AFC championship recreation: 3 p.m.
- NFC championship recreation: 6:30 p.m.
Super Bowl 60
- Time: 6:30 p.m.
- TV: NBC
- Date: Feb. 8, 2026
- Location: Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you may go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/01/17/nfl-playoffs-schedule-bracket-divisional-round-games-teams/88184315007/
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