NFL Playoff Picture
Where the playoff field stands right now: the seven seeds in each conference, who holds the byes and wild cards, and how far back everyone else is.
Standings as of 2026-09-21. Seeds 1-4 are the division leaders by record, 5-7 the best remaining. Teams level on record are ordered by win percentage here — the league's own tiebreakers go further.
AFC
In the playoffs
- 1
Buffalo BillsAFC East2-0Bye - 2
Cincinnati BengalsAFC North2-0Division leader - 3
Kansas City ChiefsAFC West2-0Division leader - 4
Jacksonville JaguarsAFC South1-1Division leader - 5
Las Vegas RaidersAFC West2-0Wild card - 6
New England PatriotsAFC East1-1Wild card - 7
New York JetsAFC East1-1Wild card
In the hunt
- —
Baltimore RavensAFC North1-1Level - —
Cleveland BrownsAFC North1-1Level - —
Pittsburgh SteelersAFC North1-1Level - —
Denver BroncosAFC West1-1Level - —
Miami DolphinsAFC East0-21 GB - —
Houston TexansAFC South0-21 GB - —
Indianapolis ColtsAFC South0-21 GB - —
Tennessee TitansAFC South0-21 GB - —
Los Angeles ChargersAFC West0-21 GB
NFC
In the playoffs
- 1
Philadelphia EaglesNFC East2-0Bye - 2
Minnesota VikingsNFC North2-0Division leader - 3
Seattle SeahawksNFC West2-0Division leader - 4
Carolina PanthersNFC South1-1Division leader - 5
New York GiantsNFC East1-0Wild card - 6
San Francisco 49ersNFC West2-0Wild card - 7
Dallas CowboysNFC East1-1Wild card
In the hunt
- —
Detroit LionsNFC North1-1Level - —
Chicago BearsNFC North1-1Level - —
Green Bay PackersNFC North1-1Level - —
New Orleans SaintsNFC South1-1Level - —
Arizona CardinalsNFC West1-1Level - —
Washington CommandersNFC East0-21 GB - —
Tampa Bay BuccaneersNFC South0-21 GB - —
Atlanta FalconsNFC South0-21 GB - —
Los Angeles RamsNFC West0-10.5 GB
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.
How to read the picture
Top four are division leaders
Seeds 1 to 4 lead their divisions, ordered by record. Seed 1 also gets the bye.
Seeds 5 to 7 are wild cards
The three best records among teams not leading a division, regardless of which division they are in.
Check games back
Teams in the hunt show how far behind the last wild card spot they sit.
Play it forward
Take the current seeding into the bracket predictor and pick the whole thing through to the Super Bowl.
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?▼
Not fully. Teams level on record are ordered by win percentage. The league then applies head-to-head, division record, common games and strength of victory, so exact ordering among tied teams can differ.
How current is this?▼
The snapshot date is shown directly above the table. The standings are refreshed during the season rather than updating live in your browser.
Play it out
Take the current seeding into the bracket and pick every round through to the Super Bowl.
Open the playoff bracket