🏈 2026 season · 17-game regular season
NFL playoff scenarios — seeds and division standings
Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs. The four division winners take the first four seeds, and the three best of the rest take the wild-card places — so finishing seventh in the conference is not the same as making the playoffs.
Week 2 ·
🏆 Playoff picture
Who would be in if the season ended on today's records.
AFC
Division leaders
- 1Buffalo Bills2-0
- 2Baltimore Ravens1-0
- 3Jacksonville Jaguars1-0
- 4Kansas City Chiefs1-0
Wild cards
- 5Las Vegas Raiders1-0
- 6New York Jets1-0
- 7Cincinnati Bengals1-0
NFC
Division leaders
- 1New York Giants1-0
- 2Chicago Bears1-0
- 3Carolina Panthers0-1
- 4San Francisco 49ers1-0
Wild cards
- 5Minnesota Vikings1-0
- 6Arizona Cardinals1-0
- 7Philadelphia Eagles1-0
📊 Division standings
AFC East
| Buffalo Bills | 2-0 | 1.000 |
| New York Jets | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| New England Patriots | 0-1 | .000 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-1 | .000 |
AFC North
| Baltimore Ravens | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-1 | .000 |
AFC South
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Texans | 0-1 | .000 |
| Tennessee Titans | 0-1 | .000 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-1 | .000 |
AFC West
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 0-1 | .000 |
| Denver Broncos | 0-1 | .000 |
NFC East
| New York Giants | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Washington Commanders | 0-1 | .000 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-1 | .000 |
NFC North
| Chicago Bears | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Detroit Lions | 1-1 | .500 |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-1 | .000 |
NFC South
| New Orleans Saints | 0-1 | .000 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | .000 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | .000 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-1 | .000 |
NFC West
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-1 | .000 |
🎯 Playoff scenarios — the wins that settle it
Arithmetic, not probability. We compute the fewest wins that secure a place even if every rival wins out, and whether a team is already out. Early in the season nobody can clinch.
AFC
| Team | Record | Left | Wins to clinch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville JaguarsIN | 1-0 | 16 | 16 | In the race |
| Kansas City ChiefsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Baltimore RavensIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Buffalo BillsIN | 2-0 | 15 | - | In the race |
| Las Vegas RaidersIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| New York JetsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Cincinnati BengalsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| New England Patriots | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Houston Texans | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Tennessee Titans | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Denver Broncos | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
NFC
| Team | Record | Left | Wins to clinch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago BearsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| San Francisco 49ersIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Minnesota VikingsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Arizona CardinalsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| New York GiantsIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Philadelphia EaglesIN | 1-0 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Detroit Lions | 1-1 | 15 | - | In the race |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Washington Commanders | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
| Carolina PanthersIN | 0-1 | 16 | - | In the race |
2026 season · 17-game regular season · 32 teams · 7 per conference
❓ Frequently asked questions
How many teams make the NFL playoffs?
Seven per conference, fourteen in all. The four division winners take seeds 1-4 and the three best remaining teams take the wild-card seeds 5-7.
Does seventh in the conference mean a playoff place?
No. Division winners are seeded regardless of record, so a team with a better record can still miss out on a wild card.
Do these numbers use the official tiebreakers?
No. They use win percentage and games left only, and ties are resolved against the team in question, so a clinch may show later here than officially. Head-to-head and division records are not modelled.
What does the number one seed get?
Only the top seed in each conference skips the wild-card round and starts in the divisional round.
Data: tallied from ESPN's public records. Standings and scenarios are computed by us and may differ from official releases.