NFL playoff bracket, wild card matchups

Here's a look at the NFL playoff bracket – and the matchups for Super Wild Card Weekend – as the league's regular season winds to a close in Week 18.

With the 2024 NFL regular season coming to an end, the field for the NFL playoffs is nearly set.

Entering Week 18, 12 of the 14 available playoff spots had already been clinched. However, there were still three division titles left to be determined and plenty of seeding scenarios left to be decided. That included the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.

But by the end of the day on Sunday, NFL fans will know the full field of 14 teams and the shape of the league's playoff bracket. Here's what we know about it as Week 18's results are recorded.

AFC playoff picture

1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)* – BYE

The Chiefs wrapped up the No. 1 seed with their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas in Week 17. That is allowing them to rest their starters in Week 18 and get the coveted lone bye in the AFC.

Kansas City will face the highest-remaining seed in the conference in the divisional round of the postseason.

2. Buffalo Bills (13-4)* vs. 7. Denver Broncos (10-7)

The Bills were the only AFC team that had a chance to challenge the Chiefs, but they will settle for the No. 2 seed in the conference instead. Buffalo wrapped up the No. 2 seed in Week 17 and got a chance to sit its starters in Week 18. Josh Allen kept his starting streak intact but played just one snap and handed the ball off before exiting the game.

Buffalo is slated to host the Broncos, who locked up a playoff spot via their 38-0 win over the Chiefs' backups. That will set up an intriguing first-round matchup between Buffalo's high-flying offense and Denver's stalwart defense.

3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)* vs. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)

The Ravens stomped the Cleveland Browns on Saturday to clinch the AFC North. The Steelers couldn't quite overcome a 12-point four quarter deficit against the Cincinnati Bengals in their Saturday night game, which denied them a chance to earn the conference's No. 5 seed.

Instead, the Steelers dropped into the No. 6 seed and set themselves up to play the Ravens for a third time in the first round of the postseason. The divisional rivals split the season series, but Pittsburgh has generally gotten the better of Lamar Jackson during his career.

4. Houston Texans (10-7)* vs. 5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)

The Texans had long clinched the AFC South and were locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC after their Christmas loss to the Ravens. Still, they managed to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 to give themselves some positive momentum going into the NFL playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Chargers clinched the AFC's No. 5 seed after beating the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. A loss would have allowed the Steelers to leapfrog them and force the Chargers into a tougher matchup with the Ravens, but Jim Harbaugh's squad put its best foot forward to clinch the AFC's top wild card spot.

NFC playoff picture

1. Detroit Lions (14-2) – BYE

The Lions haven't yet clinched the NFC North but they can do so with a win or tie against the Vikings in their "Sunday Night Football" matchup in Week 18. If they lose, Minnesota will be the No. 1 seed and Detroit will drop down to No. 5, so the NFL's final regular-season contest will be a meaningful one.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)* vs. 7. Green Bay Packers (11-6)

The Eagles played third-string quarterback Tanner McKee in Week 18 after clinching the No. 2 seed the previous week. They still beat the New York Giants 20-13 and established themselves as one of the deepest teams in the league.

As for the Packers, they lost to the Chicago Bears for the first time since 2018 in the final week of the season. Cairo Santos hit a game-winning field goal as time expired to send the Packers into the postseason having lost back-to-back games. Green Bay had a chance to be the conference's No. 6 seed but now, the Packers will get a postseason rematch with an Eagles team that beat them 34-29 in Week 1.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)* vs. 6. Washington Commanders (12-5)

The Buccaneers had a close call against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18, but Baker Mayfield did enough to earn an eight-point win over Tampa Bay's divisional rival. The team got an additional stroke of good