It’s the last week of the regular season. The weekend slate includes several winner-take-all games and several games with massive playoff implications. Check out the NFL playoff scenarios for Week 18 of the 2025 season.
NFL Week 18 Playoff Scenarios
🚨 WEEK 18 SCHEDULE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/c4kM67GCmR
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2025
Week 18 kicks off with two colossal matchups on Saturday. The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off for the NFC South, while the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers meet for the NFC West and the No. 1 seed.
12 of the 14 playoff teams have clinched berths. Besides the NFC South, the other spot up for grabs is the AFC North, which will be decided on Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Like in the NFC, the AFC’s No. 1 seed is still undecided. The Denver Broncos have the best chance of getting it. However, the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars are still in that race.
AFC
- Denver Broncos (12-3)*
- New England Patriots (13-3)*
- Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)*
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- Houston Texans (11-5)*
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)*
- Buffalo Bills (11-5)
Still alive: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
NFC
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3)*
- Chicago Bears (11-5)*
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)*
- Carolina Panthers (8-8)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)*
- Los Angeles Rams (11-5)*
- Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
Still alive: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
*clinched playoff berths
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos — Jan. 4, 4:25 p.m. ET
Broncos
Clinch AFC’s No. 1 Seed
- Win, or
- Tie and Patriots loss/tie, or
- Patriots loss and Jaguars loss/tie
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots — Jan. 4, 4:25 p.m. ET
Patriots
Clinch AFC’s No. 1 seed
- Win and Broncos loss/tie, or
- Tie and Broncos loss
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars — Jan. 4, 1 p.m. ET
Jaguars
Clinch AFC South
- Win or Texans loss
Clinch AFC South and AFC’s No. 1 Seed
- Win, Broncos loss, and Patriots loss
Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans — Jan. 4, 1 p.m. ET
Houston Texans
Clinch AFC South
- Win and Jaguars loss
Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers — Jan. 4, 8:20 p.m. ET
Ravens
Clinch AFC North
- Win
Steelers
Clinch AFC North
- Win/tie
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Jan. 3, 4:30 p.m. ET
Panthers
Clinch NFC South
- Win/tie, or
- Falcons win
Buccaneers
- Win and Falcons loss/tie
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers — Jan. 3, 8 p.m. ET
Seahawks
Clinch NFC West and NFC’s No. 1 Seed
- Win/tie
49ers
Clinch NFC West and NFC’s No. 1 Seed
- Win
