The 2025–26 NFL playoffs are here, and that means football fans will get to watch an exciting slate of games this winter pitting the best against the best. Or is it the best against the worst? How does playoff seeding work, anyway?
Every year, the NFL playoff format can be confusing, especially since it differs from that of other major American sports leagues (like the NBA or MLB) where the No. 1-seeded team doesn't always play the lowest seed in the next round.
Here's a brief explainer on how the NFL's reseeding format works:
Yes.
The NFL reseeds teams after the wild-card round. This means that in the following divisional round, the No. 1 seed will always host the lowest remaining seed.
The result is a flexible playoff bracket in which any given top seed will always face off against the lowest seed/weakest opponent in their conference, making those top four seeds much more valuable. The NFL is the only major American sports league that reseeds in the playoffs.
In each conference’s playoff field, the top four seeds are handed out to division winners, while the bottom three seeds are handed out to wild-card teams (non-division winners who own the best records).
Let's take a look at the AFC as an example:
*Indicates team with a bye
Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Denver Broncos | 14–3 (won AFC West)* |
2 | New England Patriots | 14–3 (won AFC East) |
3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 13–4 (won AFC South) |
4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10–7 (won AFC North) |
5 | Houston Texans | 12–5 |
6 | Buffalo Bills | 12–5 |
7 | Los Angeles Chargers | 11–6 |
The No. 2 Patriots are set to play the No. 7 Chargers on Sunday, Jan. 11. If the Chargers win, they don't just play whoever arbitrarily comes next in the playoff bracket. Instead, the NFL will reshuffle teams for the divisional round so that the top seed always plays the lowest seed.
In this case, the No. 7 Chargers would face the No. 1 Broncos, and the rest of the remaining top seeds would fall into place to play their respective lower-seeded opponents.
If the Chargers lose to the Patriots, the Broncos would host the next lowest seed (the No. 6 Bills, if they win their wild card matchup).
Here's a quick look at the 2025–26 NFL playoff schedule for each round:
Saturday, Jan. 10 (all times Eastern): 4:30 p.m.: No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at No. 4 Carolina Panthers on Fox8 p.m.: No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Chicago Bears on Amazon Prime
Sunday, Jan. 111 p.m.: No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars on CBS4:30 p.m.: No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles on Fox8 p.m.: No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2 New England Patriots on NBC
Monday, Jan. 128:15 p.m.: No. 5 Houston Texans at No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers on ESPN/ABC.
Divisional round: Jan. 17–18
AFC/NFC conference championships: Jan. 25
Super Bowl 60: Feb. 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
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