Everything always gets crazy during the final week of the NFL regular season, and this year was no different. It lasted all the way until the final game of Week 18 to determine what the 2025 NFL playoff picture would look like with Wild Card Weekend ahead.
The drama started early Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trying to clinch the final playoff spot out of the NFC. The Bucs needed a win over the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South, and they got it in dramatic fashion. Tampa Bay trailed by double digits in the second half but ended up rallying for a 27-19 win over New Orleans that put the Bucs in the NFL postseason for the fifth straight year.
Over in the AFC, the Denver Broncos nabbed the conference's final playoff spot with a 38-0 win over a Kansas City Chiefs team that was resting most its starters. That eliminated the Cincinnati Bengals, which won Saturday night over the Pittsburgh Steelers to stay alive, with the Miami Dolphins eliminating themselves simultaneously Sunday in a loss to the New York Jets.
The NFL playoff picture was finally decided Sunday night when the Detroit Lions topped the Minnesota Vikings, 31-9, in the final game of the regular season. The victory clinched the NFC North, the No. 1 seed, a bye and home-field advantage through the NFC side of the bracket for Detroit.
Let's take a look how everything shook out after Sunday's action along with the full bracket and schedule for Wild Card Weekend.
2025 NFL playoff picture
AFC playoff standings
| 1. AFC West champion (15-2) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 1. The Chiefs have clinched the top seed in the AFC, which is why they rested most of their starters on Sunday in a 38-0 loss to the Broncos. Wild-card round opponent: BYE | |
| 2. AFC East champion (13-4) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 2. With the two-seed locked up, the Bills rested several starters on during their 23-16 loss to the Patriots. Wild-card round opponent: Broncos | |
| 3. AFC North champion (12-5) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 3. With their win over the Browns, the Ravens clinched the AFC North, which means they'll definitely be hosting at least one home game and that will be coming against a Steelers team that they went 1-1 against this season. Wild-card round opponent: Steelers | |
| 4. AFC South champion (10-7) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 4 seed. The Texans rested their starters for most of the game on Sunday, but despite that, they were still able to come away with a 23-14 win over the Titans. The Texans will now be moving on to the wild-card round where they'll be hosting Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers. Wild-card round opponent: Chargers | |
| 5. Wild Card 1 (11-6) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 5. After the Steelers lost on Saturday night, the Chargers knew they would clinch the five seed with a win over the Raiders, and that's exactly what they got on Sunday. Wild-card round opponent: Texans | |
| 6. Wild Card 2 (10-7) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 6. The Steelers' loss to the Bengals combined with the Chargers' win over the Raiders means that the Steelers will now be going into the playoffs as the sixth seed in the AFC. Wild-card round opponent: Ravens | |
| 7. Wild Card 3 (10-7) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 7. For the first time in nine years, the Broncos are headed to the playoffs. To clinch the AFC's final playoff berth, the Broncos just had to beat a Chiefs team that was resting most of their starters, and Denver did that in resounding fashion with a 38-0 win. Wild-card round opponent: Bills | |
Eliminated
- Bengals (9-8): To even have a chance to make the playoffs, the Bengals needed the Chiefs to beat the Broncos on Sunday and that didn't happen, which means the Bengals will be spending the postseason at home for the second straight year.
- Dolphins (8-9): The Dolphins were officially eliminated after the Broncos beat the Chiefs but still lost to the Jets in their finale.
AFC wild card games
(5) Chargers at (4) Texans -- Saturday, Jan. 11 (4:30 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+)
(6) Steelers at (3) Ravens -- Saturday, Jan. 11 (8 p.m. ET on Prime Video)
(7) Broncos at (2) Bills -- Sunday, Jan. 12 (1 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+)
Bye: (1) Chiefs
NFC playoff standings
| 1. NFC North leader (15-2) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 1. For the first time in franchise history, the Lions are the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and they earned that spot by beating the Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night. Wild-card round opponent: BYE | |
| 2. NFC East champion (14-3) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 2. With the two seed locked up, the Eagles rested several starters on Sunday during their 20-13 win over the Giants. The Eagles will play Green Bay in the wild-card round, a team they beat 34-29 back in Week 1. Wild-card round opponent: Packers | |
| 3. NFC South champion (10-7) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 3. The Buccaneers' win over the Saints didn't just clinch the NFC South, it also allowed them to jump up from the fourth seed to the third following the Rams' loss to the Seahawks. The Bucs will now get to play a Commanders team that they beat 37-20 back in Week 1. Wild-card round opponent: Commanders | |
| 4. NFC West champion (10-7) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 4. The Rams had a chance to clinch the No. 3 seed with a win over the Seahawks, but Sean McVay decided to rest his starters, which led to a 30-25 loss. The Rams will now host a Vikings team that they beat 30-20 back in Week 8. Wild-card round opponent: Vikings | |
| 5. Wild Card 1 (14-3) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 5. Winning 14 games is usually enough to win your division, but not this year. Despite getting to 14 wins, the Vikings have been relegated to the fifth-seed following their loss to the Lions on Sunday night. Wild-card round opponent: Rams | |
| 6. Wild Card 2 (12-5) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 6. The Commanders needed a win to clinch the sixth seed, and they got it win Marcus Mariota hit Terry McLaurin on a 5-yard touchdown with just three seconds left to play to give Washington a 23-19 win. The Commanders will now have to wait to see who they're playing in the wild-card round. Wild-card round opponent: Buccaneers | |
| 7. Wild Card 3 (11-6) |  |
| Seed: Clinched No. 7. The Packers lost a dramatic 24-22 game to the Bears on a last-second field goal, but in the end, the loss didn't matter. Even if they had won, the Packers would still have been the seventh seed due to Washington's win over Dallas. Wild-card round opponent: Eagles | |
Eliminated
- Falcons (8-9): For the Falcons to have any chance at winning the NFC South, they had to win and they needed the Buccaneers to lose, but neither of those things happened. The Falcons ended up losing to the Panthers, 44-38, in overtime in a game that ended after the Bucs had already beaten the Saints to clinch the division.
NFC wild card games
(7) Packers at (2) Eagles -- Sunday, Jan. 12 (4:30 p.m. ET on Fox)
(6) Commanders at (3) Buccaneers -- Sunday, Jan. 12 (8 p.m. ET on NBC)
(5) Vikings at (4) Rams -- Monday, Jan. 13 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC)
Bye: (1) Lions
2025 NFL playoffs bracket
