NFL teams to clinch playoff spot: Updated 2025 playoff bracket with Chargers, Bills clinching in Week 17

The 2025 regular season is coming to a close. The NFL enters Week 17, and teams have only two games left to try to make the postseason.

Entering the week, 10 of the 14 total playoff spots up for grabs across the AFC and NFC have already been clinched. All that remains over the next two weeks is to determine the final four teams and sort out the seeding.

As a reminder, the top four seeds in each conference go to the division winners, regardless of their record compared to non-division winners. The overall No. 1 seed in both the AFC and NFC will earn a first-round bye in the playoffs and will not play until the Divisional round. That team will also hold home-field advantage until the Super Bowl, assuming it does not lose before then.

Division winners will also host a wild-card game, which can provide a significant advantage over a road team forced to travel. While it may feel like only one or two major games remain, there is enough variability in the seeding that nearly every game in Week 17 could play a role in a team’s clinching scenario.

Here is more on the teams that have clinched a playoff berth heading into Week 17.

MORE: Updated AFC, NFC playoff standings going into Week 17

NFL teams to clinch a playoff spot

• Denver Broncos
• Los Angeles Rams
• Seattle Seahawks
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Chicago Bears
• San Francisco 49ers
• New England Patriots
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Buffalo Bills
• Los Angeles Chargers

Heading into Week 17, 10 of the 14 playoff spots across both conferences had been clinched, and each conference was in the exact same scenario. There was one division spot left (AFC North, NFC South), where the only way for the teams still in the running to make the playoffs was to win their division, and there was one wild-card spot up for grabs, with two teams competing for each.

The games to watch in Week 17 from a playoff perspective start on Saturday. In the first game, the Houston Texans will hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. If the Texans win, they will clinch the final wild-card spot in the AFC, with an outside shot at the AFC South. Houston can also clinch a playoff berth in Week 17 if the Indianapolis Colts lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The second game of the day sees the Green Bay Packers hosting the Baltimore Ravens. A Packers win clinches Green Bay a playoff berth, but it would also eliminate the Ravens from playoff contention, awarding the AFC North automatically to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Outside of those games, the Carolina Panthers can clinch the NFC South with a win over the Seattle Seahawks and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the Miami Dolphins.

There are other implications, with some teams able to clinch their division and lock in a top-four seed, but the scenarios above are the only ones involving teams that can clinch a playoff berth in Week 17.

Projected NFL playoff bracket 2025

Below is a look at the NFL's projected playoff bracket as it stands in Week 17. 

AFC

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

NFC

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

Updated NFL playoff picture

Here's how the standings in both conferences break down in Week 17, along with the other teams that are still in the playoff hunt. 

• AFC

In the hunt: Colts (8-7), Ravens (7-8)

• NFC

In the hunt: Lions (8-7), Buccaneers (7-8)