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NFL playoff bracket: Updated matchups for wild card round, playoff picture

jacob camenker, usa today
·7 min read

The 2024 NFL regular season is complete, and the field for the NFL playoffs is set.

Entering Week 18, 12 of the 14 available playoff spots had already been clinched. However, there were still three division titles left to be determined and plenty of seeding scenarios left to be decided. That included the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.

But by the end of the day on Sunday, the full field of 14 teams and the shape of the league's playoff bracket took shape.

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NFL playoff bracket, wild card matchups

Here's a look at the NFL playoff bracket – and the matchups for Super Wild Card Weekend – as the league's regular season winds to a close in Week 18.

AFC wild card matchups

1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners) – BYE

The Chiefs wrapped up the No. 1 seed with their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas in Week 17. That is allowing them to rest their starters in Week 18 and get the coveted lone bye in the AFC.

Kansas City will face the highest-remaining seed in the conference in the divisional round of the postseason.

2. Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East winners) vs. 7. Denver Broncos (10-7, wild card No. 3)

The Bills were the only AFC team that had a chance to challenge the Chiefs, but they will settle for the No. 2 seed in the conference instead. Buffalo wrapped up the No. 2 seed in Week 17 and got a chance to sit its starters in Week 18. Josh Allen kept his starting streak intact but played just one snap and handed the ball off before exiting the game.

Buffalo is slated to host the Broncos, who locked up a playoff spot via their 38-0 win over the Chiefs' backups. That will set up an intriguing first-round matchup between Buffalo's high-flying offense and Denver's stalwart defense.

3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners) vs. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2)

The Ravens stomped the Cleveland Browns on Saturday to clinch the AFC North. The Steelers couldn't quite overcome a 12-point four quarter deficit against the Cincinnati Bengals in their Saturday night game, which denied them a chance to earn the conference's No. 5 seed.

Instead, the Steelers dropped into the No. 6 seed and set themselves up to play the Ravens for a third time in the first round of the postseason. The divisional rivals split the season series, but Pittsburgh has generally gotten the better of Lamar Jackson during his career.

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4. Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South winners) vs. 5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 1)

The Texans had long clinched the AFC South and were locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC after their Christmas loss to the Ravens. Still, they managed to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 to give themselves some positive momentum going into the NFL playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Chargers clinched the AFC's No. 5 seed after beating the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. A loss would have allowed the Steelers to leapfrog them and force the Chargers into a tougher matchup with the Ravens, but Jim Harbaugh's squad put its best foot forward to clinch the AFC's top wild card spot.

NFC wild card matchups

1. Detroit Lions (15-2, NFC North leaders) – BYE

The Lions clinched the NFC North with a win over the Vikings on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 18. They now get a much-needed week off after having a game for 13 consecutive weeks.

They will now face the worst team, based on seeding, in the divisional round at home.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East winners) vs. 7. Green Bay Packers (11-6, wild card No. 3)

The Eagles played third-string quarterback Tanner McKee in Week 18 after clinching the No. 2 seed the previous week. They still beat the New York Giants 20-13 and established themselves as one of the deepest teams in the league.

As for the Packers, they lost to the Chicago Bears for the first time since 2018 in the final week of the season. Cairo Santos hit a game-winning field goal as time expired to send the Packers into the postseason having lost back-to-back games. Green Bay had a chance to be the conference's No. 6 seed but now, the Packers will get a postseason rematch with an Eagles team that beat them 34-29 in Week 1.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winners) vs. 6. Washington Commanders (12-5, wild card No. 2)

The Buccaneers had a close call against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18, but Baker Mayfield did enough to earn an eight-point win over Tampa Bay's divisional rival. The team got an additional stroke of good fortune when the Rams lost to the Seahawks, as it allowed the Buccaneers to take control of the No. 3 seed.

As for the Commanders, they earned a come-from-behind win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18 to clinch the No. 6 seed. They did so with Jayden Daniels sitting out most of the contest, so he should be fresh for Washington's first playoff game in four years – which coincidentally was against the then-Tom Brady-led Buccaneers.

4. Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West winners) vs. 5. Minnesota Vikings (14-3, wild card No. 1)

The Rams decided to sit their starters in Week 18 despite being able to lock up the No. 3 seed with a win. Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. couldn't can't beat the Seattle Seahawks, so they dropped to the No. 4 seed and will square off against with the NFL's first-ever 14-win wild-card team.

Minnesota slipped to the No. 5 seed after losing in Detroit to finish the regular season. It's a rematch of "Thursday Night Football" in Week 8, a game that the Rams won, 30-20.

NFL playoff schedule

The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league's Super Wild Card Weekend before concluding on Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

Super Wild Card weekend

All times Eastern

Saturday, Jan. 11

  • Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS

  • Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video

Sunday, Jan. 12

  • Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

  • Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox

  • Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC

Monday, Jan. 13

  • Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 18

  • AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.

  • AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 19

  • AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.

  • AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.

NFL conference championship round

Sunday, Jan. 26

  • NFC championship game: 3 p.m.

  • AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 59

  • Date: Feb. 9, 2025

  • Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)

  • Time: 6:30 p.m.

  • TV: FOX

NFL playoff picture Week 18

AFC

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West winners, No. 1 seed)*

  2. Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East winners, No. 2 seed)*

  3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners, No. 3 seed)*

  4. Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South winners, No. 4 seed)*

  5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 1, No. 5 seed)*

  6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2, No. 6 seed)*

  7. Denver Broncos (10-7, wild card No. 3, No. 7 seed)*

NFC

  1. Detroit Lions (15-2, NFC North winners, No. 1 seed)*

  2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East winners, No. 2 seed)*

  3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winners, No. 3 seed)*

  4. Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West winners, No. 4 seed)*

  5. Minnesota Vikings (14-3, wild card No. 1)*

  6. Washington Commanders (12-5, wild card No. 2, No. 6 seed)*

  7. Green Bay Packers (11-6, wild card No. 3, No. 7 seed)*

An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL playoff picture: Full playoff bracket, wild-card matchups