NFL Playoff Picture

Where the playoff field stands right now: the seven seeds in each conference with the official NFL tiebreakers, who has clinched or been eliminated, and how far back everyone else is. Updated hourly from real results.

See the picture

Results through November 5, updated hourly. Seeds use the official NFL tiebreakers. Clinch marks: x playoff spot, y division, z bye, e eliminated. Play out the rest of the season →

AFC

In the playoffs

  • 1Buffalo BillsAFC East6-1Bye
  • 2Denver BroncosAFC West · tiebreaker: conference record6-2Division leader
  • 3Jacksonville JaguarsAFC South · tiebreaker: conference record6-2Division leader
  • 4Pittsburgh SteelersAFC North6-2Division leader
  • 5Kansas City ChiefsAFC West · tiebreaker: conference record5-2Wild card
  • 6Cincinnati BengalsAFC North5-2Wild card
  • 7New England PatriotsAFC East · tiebreaker: conference record5-3Wild card

In the hunt

  • —Cleveland BrownsAFC North5-3Level
  • —Las Vegas RaidersAFC West4-41 GB
  • —Baltimore RavensAFC North4-51.5 GB
  • —Houston TexansAFC South2-52.5 GB
  • —New York JetsAFC East2-63 GB
  • —Indianapolis ColtsAFC South2-63 GB
  • —Miami DolphinsAFC East1-63.5 GB
  • —Tennessee TitansAFC South1-74 GB
  • —Los Angeles ChargersAFC West0-74.5 GB

NFC

In the playoffs

  • 1San Francisco 49ersNFC West · tiebreaker: strength of victory6-1Bye
  • 2Minnesota VikingsNFC North6-1Division leader
  • 3New York GiantsNFC East4-2-1Division leader
  • 4Carolina PanthersNFC South3-4Division leader
  • 5Chicago BearsNFC North6-2Wild card
  • 6Detroit LionsNFC North5-2Wild card
  • 7Green Bay PackersNFC North5-3Wild card

In the hunt

  • —Seattle SeahawksNFC West4-41 GB
  • —Los Angeles RamsNFC West4-41 GB
  • —Tampa Bay BuccaneersNFC South3-52 GB
  • —Atlanta FalconsNFC South3-52 GB
  • —Arizona CardinalsNFC West3-52 GB
  • —Dallas CowboysNFC East3-52 GB
  • —Washington CommandersNFC East2-4-12 GB
  • —New Orleans SaintsNFC South2-52.5 GB
  • —Philadelphia EaglesNFC East2-63 GB
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How the NFL playoff field is decided

Fourteen teams reach the playoffs, seven per conference. The four division winners are seeded 1 to 4 by record, and the three best remaining records take the wild card spots at 5, 6 and 7.

Winning a division matters more than a good record. A 9-8 division winner is seeded above a 12-5 wild card team and hosts a home game against them, which is why the picture can look upside down next to a straight league table.

Only the number one seed gets a bye. That single week off, plus home field throughout, is the prize that shapes most late-season jockeying.

Teams outside the field are shown with games back from the last wild card spot — half the sum of the win gap and the loss gap, the standard measure. Two games back with three to play is live; two games back with one to play is not.

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How to read the picture

1

Top four are division leaders

Seeds 1 to 4 lead their divisions, ordered by record. Seed 1 also gets the bye.

2

Seeds 5 to 7 are wild cards

The three best records among teams not leading a division, regardless of which division they are in.

3

Check games back

Teams in the hunt show how far behind the last wild card spot they sit.

4

Check the clinch marks

x has clinched a playoff spot, y the division, z the bye; e is eliminated.

5

Play it forward

Pick the remaining games in the playoff predictor, then take the seeds into the bracket.

NFL playoff picture FAQ

How many teams make the NFL playoffs?▼

Fourteen — seven from each conference. Four division winners plus three wild cards per side.

Who gets a first-round bye?▼

Only the number one seed in each conference. Everyone else plays on wild card weekend, which makes the top seed disproportionately valuable.

Can a team with a worse record be seeded higher?▼

Yes, and it happens most years. Division winners take seeds 1 to 4 regardless of record, so a 9-8 division champion outranks — and hosts — a 12-5 wild card team.

What does games back mean?▼

How far a team trails the last playoff spot, counting half a game for each win the leader has and each extra loss the chaser has. One team going 1-0 while another goes 0-1 moves them one full game apart.

Are the official NFL tiebreakers used here?▼

Yes. Teams level on record are separated with the NFL's own procedures: head-to-head, division record, common opponents, conference record, strength of victory, strength of schedule and the points steps. The step that decided a seed is shown next to it. Checked against every season since 2002, it reproduces the real playoff field each time.

What do x, y, z and e mean?▼

x means a team has clinched a playoff spot, y the division, z the number one seed and the bye, and e that it has been eliminated. We mark a clinch only when the win-loss math alone guarantees it, so a mark can appear slightly after the NFL announces it, but never in error.

How current is this?▼

Results are refreshed every hour, so the picture updates soon after each game finishes. The date of the latest result is shown above the table.

Play it out

Take the current seeding into the bracket and pick every round through to the Super Bowl.

Open the playoff bracket