The 2026 NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend (Jan. 10-12) is complete, delivering one of the wildest rounds in history with four games decided by 4 points or fewer—the most ever in a playoff round. Upsets included the San Francisco 49ers knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles, while comebacks highlighted the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills. The Houston Texans routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the finale for their first-ever road playoff win. All six games produced drama, setting up an explosive Divisional Round (Jan. 17-18).
2026 NFL Wild Card Playoff Bracket
The 2026 NFL Wild Card Playoff bracket takes place on WIld Card Weekend to open the 2026 NFL Playoffs.
Wild Card Weekend typically includes:
- Two games on Saturday (afternoon and evening)
- Three games on Sunday (early afternoon, late afternoon, prime time)
- One game on Monday night
Broadcast partners include CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Prime Video (exclusive for one game).
How the Wild Card Bracket Works
- AFC: No. 7 @ No. 2, No. 6 @ No. 3, No. 5 @ No. 4
- NFC: Same structure
- Winners advance to the Divisional Round (Jan. 17-18), where they face the No. 1 seeds or reseeded opponents.
- The road to Super Bowl LX continues through Conference Championships (Jan. 25) and ends February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
Download our free printable 2026 NFL Playoff bracket (to track the action. Perfect for office pools or following along at home.
Current Seeds
Here are the current seeds
AFC (No. 1 seed gets bye)
- Denver Broncos (bye)
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Los Angeles Chargers
Wildcard Matchups
- No. 7 Chargers @ No. 2 Patriots
- No. 6 Bills @ No. 3 Jaguars
- No. 5 Texans @ No. 4 Steelers
NFC (fully locked):
- Seattle Seahawks (bye)
- Chicago Bears
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Carolina Panthers
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Green Bay Packers
Wild Card Results & Recap Section
2026 NFL Wild Card Weekend Results & Highlights (As of Jan. 12 Morning)
Wild Card (Jan. 10-12) has been fun.
Completed Games & Scores:
Saturday, Jan. 10: Los Angeles Rams 34, Carolina Panthers 31 (FOX) – Thrilling comeback thriller.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27 (Prime Video) – Bears rally from big deficit in epic 4th-quarter surge.
Sunday, Jan. 11: Buffalo Bills 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24 (CBS/Paramount+) – Late drama; Bills secure road win.
Sunday, Jan. 11: San Francisco 49ers 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19 (FOX) – Major upset; ends Eagles’ repeat hopes.
Sunday, Jan. 11: New England Patriots 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3 (NBC/Peacock) – Defensive masterclass; Drake Maye shines in playoff debut (268 pass yds, 66 rush).
Monday, Jan. 12: Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6 (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+) – Dominant defensive performance (sacks, 2 TDs); Texans advance on road for first time in franchise history.
Key stats: Texans’ No. 1 defense led the way; multiple 4th-quarter comebacks; biggest surprise: 49ers over Eagles.
Eliminated: Panthers, Packers, Jaguars, Eagles, Chargers, Steelers
Advancing so far: Rams, Bears (NFC); Bills, 49ers, Patriots, Texans
2026 NFL Wild Card Schedule
Here’s the 2026 NFL Wild Card Schedule. All times listed are Eastern Time. You can also start tracking the NFL Divisional Round schedule and bracket here for games that will be played in the next round.
All times Eastern Time (ET). Higher seeds host.
| Date & Time | Matchup (Seed) | Location | TV / Streaming | Result |
| Saturday, Jan. 10 4:30 p.m. | (5) Los Angeles Rams @ (4) Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte | FOX | Result: Rams 34-31 Panthers (Rams advance) |
| Saturday, Jan. 10 8:00 p.m. | (7) Green Bay Packers @ (2) Chicago Bears | Soldier Field, Chicago | Prime Video | Result: Bears 31-27 Packers (Bears advance) |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 1:00 p.m. | (6) Buffalo Bills @ (3) Jacksonville Jaguars | EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville | CBS / Paramount+ | Result: Bills 27-24 Jaguars (Bills advance) |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 4:30 p.m. | (6) San Francisco 49ers @ (3) Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia | FOX | Result: 49ers 23-19 Eagles (49ers advance) |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 8:00 p.m. | (7) Los Angeles Chargers @ (2) New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough | NBC / Peacock | Result: Patriots 16-3 Chargers (Patriots advance) |
| Monday, Jan. 12 8:00 p.m. | (5) Houston Texans @ (4) Pittsburgh Steelers | Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh | ESPN / ABC / ESPN+ | Upcoming – Winner advances to Divisional |
Advancing Teams and Divisional Round Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 17: No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 1 Denver Broncos – 4:30 PM on CBS (Paramount+ stream)
No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 1 Seattle Seahawks – 8:00 PM on FOX (FOX Sports app)
Sunday, Jan. 18: No. 5 Houston Texans at No. 2 New England Patriots – 3:00 PM on ESPN/ABC (ESPN app)
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at No. 2 Chicago Bears – 6:30 PM on NBC (Peacock stream)
Printable 2026 NFL Wildcard Playoff Bracket
Here’s the printable 2026 NFL Wildcard Playoff Bracket for you. Just updated and you can print and save it to PDF format. *Updates to follow after the game tonight.
