It all comes down to this. We've reached the final weekend of the 2025 regular season, and Week 18 is poised to bring plenty of chaos as we cross the finish line. Entering the weekend, four division titles were still up for grabs, along with the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC.
In the NFC, the No. 1 seed was decided Saturday night when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco. With the win, Seattle clinched the NFC West and a first-round bye as the conference's top seed. The 49ers will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, depending on whether the Los Angeles Rams win or lose on Sunday.
In the AFC, the Broncos have the inside track at claiming home-field advantage and the first-round bye that comes with the top seed. All they need to do is take down the Chargers (who'll be resting Justin Herbert), and they'll clinch that position.
However, if the AFC West champions slip up, that would open the door for either the Patriots or Jaguars to leap up. In that scenario, the Patriots would get the top seed with a win over the Dolphins, while the Jags would need both Denver and New England to lose to jump up, on top of defeating the Titans at home.
Beyond the top seeds, the AFC North will be determined on "Sunday Night Football" between the Ravens and Steelers. The winner of that game will claim the division and be the No. 4 seed in the conference, while the other will be eliminated from playoff contention.
As we close the book on the 2025 regular season and put the postseason into clearer focus, let's take a look at the current playoff picture.
NFL playoff picture for Week 18: All remaining seeds, clinching paths and wild card matchups
John Breech
AFC standings
- z-Denver Broncos (13-3)
- z-New England Patriots (13-3)
- x-Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- x-Houston Texans (11-5)
- x-Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
- x-Buffalo Bills (11-5)
x-clinched playoff berth; z-clinched division
1. Denver Broncos (13-3)
Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers
Denver got back to its winning ways with a key victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas night. With the win, the Broncos remain the No. 1 seed in the conference and are now the AFC West division winners after the Texans beat the Chargers.
2. New England Patriots (13-3)
Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins
The Patriots had already clinched a playoff berth in Week 16, and are now AFC East champions thanks to the events of Week 17. They did their part earlier on Sunday by blowing out the Jets, and then the Eagles fended off the Bills to lock up the division. New England is also still alive for the No. 1 seed.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
Remaining schedule: vs. Titans
The Jaguars fended off the Colts in Week 17 and can clinch the AFC South next week with a win over the Titans.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens
After falling to the Browns in Week 17, the Steelers face a do-or-die matchup with the Ravens in Week 18.
5. Houston Texans (11-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Colts
After starting the year 0-3, the Texans have won eight straight games to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Houston extended that winning streak with a victory over the Chargers on the road and remains alive in the AFC South race.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
Remaining schedule: at Broncos
The Chargers had their four-game winning streak snapped with a Saturday afternoon loss against the Texans. They are likely to rest players in Week 18 and prepare for a road opener.
7. Buffalo Bills (11-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Jets
The Bills' defeat at the hands of the Eagles in Week 17 officially eliminated them from winning the AFC East and has dropped them to the No. 7 seed. The Bills have already clinched a playoff berth, so it'll be interesting to see if they opt for rest over seed positioning in Week 18.
In the hunt
The Ravens (8-8), with Lamar Jackson sidelined, kept their playoff hopes alive with an impressive road win against the Packers in Green Bay. Then, on Sunday, they had their prayers answered with the Browns upsetting Pittsburgh. That sets up a winner-take-all matchup in the AFC North against the Steelers in Week 18. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
NFC standings
- z-Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
- z-Chicago Bears (11-5)
- z-Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
- x-San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
- x-Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
- x-Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
x-clinched playoff berth; z-clinched division
1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
Remaining schedule: at 49ers
With Mike Macdonald, Sam Darnold and a ferocious defense leading the way, the NFC playoffs will go through Seattle. The Seahawks earned that right by suffocating the 49ers on Saturday night to not only win the NFC West, but also claim the conference's No. 1 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it.
2. Chicago Bears (11-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Lions
The Bears nearly pulled off yet another comeback against the 49ers, but came up just short. Even with the loss in Week 17, Chicago currently sits as the No. 2 seed in the conference thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker they own over Philly.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders
Philadelphia punched its playoff ticket in Week 16 with a commanding victory over the Commanders. The defending Super Bowl champions became the first team to win back-to-back NFC East crowns since 2004. After outlasting the Bills in Week 17, the Eagles are merely fighting for seeding in the regular-season finale
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
The Buccaneers (8-9) experienced a dramatic fall from grace in the second half of the season, entering Week 18 having lost seven of their past nine games. But thanks to a 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday night, Tampa Bay's playoff hopes remain alive.
Now, the Buccaneers need the Saints (6-10) to defeat the Falcons (7-9). That's because Carolina would own the tiebreaker if the division ends in a three-way tie at 8-9.
5. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks
Entering Week 17, the 49ers had a chance to play five straight home games to end the season, with the Super Bowl set to be played at Levi's Stadium. That will no longer be the case after Saturday night's deflating X-X loss to the Seahawks.
Instead of winning the NFC West and earning a first-round bye as the conference's top seed, the 49ers will be playing on wild card weekend. If the Rams lose to the Cardinals, they will remain the No. 5 seed. If the Rams win, the 49ers will drop to the No. 6 spot.
6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals
The Rams are in the playoffs, but cannot climb to the No. 1 seed or win the NFC West. They'll be a wild card entry.
7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
Remaining schedule: at Vikings
Green Bay, minus Jordan Love, fell to Derrick Henry and the Ravens on Saturday night. The loss ended any hopes of winning the NFC North title and locked Green Bay into the NFC's No. 7 seed.
In the hunt
The Panthers (8-9) had two paths to winning the NFC South entering Week 18.
The first was simple: Beat the Buccaneers on Saturday night. Welp, they failed to do that, suffering a 16-14 defeat in Tampa Bay.
Now they must rely on the Falcons to beat the Saints on Sunday. That outcome would create a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 8-9, a scenario in which Carolina would hold the tiebreaker.
