The NFL releases the complete Wild Card schedule on the final Sunday of the regular season, typically during the Sunday Night Football broadcast. For the 2025-26 playoffs, expect the full bracket announcement to be made late on Sunday, January 5, 2026 — likely during or immediately after the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens’ primetime game, which will determine the AFC North champion.
Why the NFL Waits Until Week 18
The league can’t finalize playoff matchups until every regular-season game is complete. Seeding, division titles, and even playoff berths often come down to the final week. This year, the Ravens-Steelers winner-take-all matchup will determine the AFC North champion — and the loser goes home entirely.
The NFC’s No. 1 seed will be decided in the Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers game. Until those results are in, the bracket remains incomplete.
MORE: PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor
While specific matchups await Week 18’s conclusion, the NFL has locked in the Wild Card Weekend structure:
- Saturday, January 10: Two games at 4:30 p.m. ET and 8:15 p.m. ET
- Sunday, January 11: Three games at 1 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. ET, and 8:15 p.m. ET
- Monday, January 12: One game at 8:15 p.m. ET
The NFL typically announces the Wild Card schedule on its official X (Twitter) account and NFL.com simultaneously with the Sunday Night Football broadcast. ESPN, CBS, Fox, and other broadcast partners also share the information immediately.
Wild Card games are spread across multiple networks: CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Amazon Prime Video. One game will stream exclusively on Prime Video, though local-market broadcasts still apply. This marks the second year Prime Video has exclusive streaming rights to a playoff game.
Full Playoff Schedule
- Wild Card Round: January 10-12, 2026
- Divisional Round: January 17-18, 2026
- Conference Championships: January 25, 2026
- Super Bowl LX: February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
The No. 1 seeds in each conference — still to be determined between Denver, New England, and Jacksonville in the AFC, and Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC — will receive first-round byes and won’t play until the Divisional Round.
Current NFL Playoff Bracket
AFC
1. Denver Broncos (BYE)
2. New England Patriots vs. 7. Buffalo Bills
3. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. 6. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 5. Houston Texans
NFC
1. Seattle Seahawks (BYE)
2. Chicago Bears vs. 7. Green Bay Packers
3. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
*Depending on the results of the Saints and Falcons matchup on Sunday.
