NFL playoff bracket, explained: How byes, seeding, format will work in 2026

The Lombardi Trophy shimmers in the distance, its silhouette awash in moonlight. There are just 13 games left in the NFL calendar. Each will carry Super Bowl implications.

The NFL playoffs will take center stage over the next month of the season. Storylines will abound throughout the next few weeks. Can the Eagles repeat as champions? Will Josh Allen and the Bills get over the hump? How will postseason debutants like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Bryce Young perform under the lights?

There are plenty more questions to be raised as the playoff field whittles down. The postseason has always been a spectacle. This year's iteration of the tournament should be no exception.

With that, here's a look at the rules and regulations regarding the NFL playoff format in 2026.

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• Full NFL playoff schedule
• Updated NFL playoff bracket

How many teams make the NFL playoffs?

Fourteen sides — seven from each conference — will take part in the NFL playoffs. The current format was formally adopted in 2020, expanding the field from 12.

The league cut down on the number of first-round byes by two to create a larger playoff field. Instead of four teams being allowed to watch on from the sidelines as wild-card teams jousted in the first round, that honor is now only passed on to two rosters: the highest-seeded team in each conference. The other six teams that round out each conference's playoff bracket are tasked with competing in the first round of the playoffs.

The current format sees 43.75 percent of the league's teams compete in postseason play, lower than the NBA (53.3 percent) and NHL (50 percent) but higher than MLB (40 percent). Division winners are seeded Nos. 1-4 based on record, while the final three seeds are filled by wild-card participants.

NFL playoff bracket 2026

Here's a look at the 2026 NFL playoff bracket.

AFC

1. Denver Broncos (Bye)
2. New England Patriots vs. 7. Los Angeles Chargers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. 6. Buffalo Bills
4. Houston Texans vs. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC 

1. Seattle Seahawks (Bye)
2. Chicago Bears vs. 7. Green Bay Packers
3. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 6. San Francisco 49ers
4. Carolina Panthers vs. 5. Los Angeles Rams

How many teams get a first-round bye?

Only one side in each conference is granted a first-round bye week under the current postseason configuration. In other words, 12 of the 14 playoff contestants will compete on wild-card weekend, while each conference's top seed will lie in repose, waiting until the divisional round to show its teeth.

The pre-2020 format saw the two highest-seeded teams in each conference receive bye weeks during wild-card weekend.

MORE 2026 NFL PLAYOFFS: 

• Wild-card picks, predictions
• NFL playoff power rankings, 1-14

Does the No. 2 seed have any benefit without a bye?

Under the previous format, the Bears and Patriots would have benefited markedly, landing a berth in the divisional round without playing a game. That's not quite the case nowadays, though; they'll instead host wild-card playoff games.

No. 2 seeds have tended to perform well in the wild-card round in the years since the playoff format was changed. They've won 9 of their 10 first-round matchups across the past five seasons, with the Cowboys' wild-card defeat to the Packers in 2024 the sole blemish on No. 2 seeds' wild-card weekend record.

In 2025, the No. 2-seeded Eagles blitzed past Green Bay in the wild-card round before embarking on a four-game triumph that saw them hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The No. 2 seed tends to enter the wild-card round with an advantage — often, the No. 7 seed in each conference is felled by inconsistent performances, injuries or both. Additionally, the prospect of playing away from home is a challenging one, even for the league's best sides.

Nevertheless, the wild-card round opens up all sorts of possibilities – both good and bad — for franchises. Upsets are uncommon, but not impossible. Injuries always loom on the horizon, with additional games raising the likelihood that ailments could occur.

NFL playoff schedule 2026

Wild-card round

Saturday, Jan. 10

Sunday, Jan. 11

Monday, Jan. 12

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 17

Sunday, Jan. 18

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 25

Super Bowl

Sunday, Feb. 8

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