How many teams make the NFL playoffs? The latest rankings for the 2026 playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The 2025 NFL regular season is now over, and the lineups of the 14 playoff teams have been determined.
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With all games concluded in Week 18, all 14 playoff spots are locked in and all seedings have been determined. The final question is who will win the AFC North and earn the No. 4 seed, giving the Steelers the final playoff spot.
The AFC and NFC have both crowned division champions and identified wild-card teams. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks earned the top seeds in their respective conferences, earning the only first-round byes and home-field advantage.
Here are the projected 2026 NFL playoff standings:
More Week 18 NFL:
How many teams make the NFL playoffs?
Fourteen of the NFL’s 32 teams will make the playoffs. Seven teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs, with the top four seeds in each conference winning the conference championship. The top seed in each conference will receive home-field advantage until the Super Bowl and first-round bye. The other division champions will host wild-card games in the first round.
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more: Updated 2026 NFL Draft order
AFC Champions League playoff pictures
|
seed |
team |
Record |
|
1 |
Broncos |
14-3 |
|
2 |
patriots |
14-3 |
|
3 |
jaguars |
13-4 |
|
4 |
steelers |
10-7 |
|
5 |
texas |
12-5 |
|
6 |
bill |
12-5 |
|
7 |
charger |
11-6 |
The AFC playoff picture is now firmly set, with the Steelers winning the AFC North to clinch the final spot as the fourth seed.
The Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West title, and with a win over the Chargers in Week 18, they clinched the top seed, their only first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The New England Patriots (AFC East champion) are locked in the No. 2 seed, and the Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South champion) are locked in the No. 3 seed.
The final division berth, the fourth seed, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Ravens in Week 18 to clinch the AFC North title. The wild card spots are all set, with the Houston Texans locking in the fifth seed, the Buffalo Bills locking in the sixth seed, and the Los Angeles Chargers locking in the seventh seed.
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How the Broncos earned the No. 1 seed
The Denver Nuggets clinched the No. 1 seed in the easiest way possible, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18. Sean Payton’s team finished the season with a 14-3 record, tied for the best record in the American League. The Broncos beat the New England Patriots 14-3 in the tiebreaker; Denver has a better record against regular opponents, notably beating the Las Vegas Raiders twice, while New England lost to them once.
More:The 16 greatest players in Broncos history, ranked
NFC playoff pictures
|
seed |
team |
Record |
|
1 |
seahawks |
14-3 |
|
2 |
Bear |
11-6 |
|
3 |
eagles |
11-6 |
|
4 |
panthers |
8-9 |
|
5 |
rams |
12-5 |
|
6 |
49ers |
12-5 |
|
7 |
packers |
9-7-1 |
With all the games in Week 18 concluded, including the final results that will determine the final few seeds, the NFC playoff landscape is now fully set.
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The Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC West title and No. 1 seed with their only first-round bye and home-field advantage after defeating the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. The Chicago Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed (NFC North champion), while the Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East champion) clinched the No. 3 seed.
The Carolina Panthers clinched the fourth seed for the NFC South championship with a final record of 8-9. Despite losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons’ victory turned a two-way tie into a three-way tie in Carolina’s favor. The Panthers will host a playoff game for the first time since 2017.
The wild card quota is confirmed as follows:
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The San Francisco 49ers are the No. 5 seed with a 12-5 record after losing the NFC West title.
-
The Los Angeles Rams became the sixth seed after defeating the Arizona Cardinals.
-
The Green Bay Packers clinched the seventh seed.
More:What are the most valuable teams in the NFL?
How the Seahawks earned the No. 1 seed
The Seahawks easily earned the No. 1 seed, and they executed their plan perfectly to defeat the 49ers in Saturday night’s Week 18 game. Seattle’s victory moved them to a final record of 14-3, automatically crowning them the NFC West champion and ensuring the NFC’s top seed, as well as a coveted first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The 49ers, who improved to 12-5 after the loss, now drop to the No. 5 seed and will be forced to play on the road as a wild-card team during the first weekend of the playoffs.
The NFC’s path to the Super Bowl runs through Lumen Field.
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More:The 15 greatest players in Seahawks history, ranked