NFL Playoff Schedule, Updated Bracket for Wild Card Weekend Games

Most of the NFL’s 32 teams entered the 2024 season with a legitimate chance to compete for a playoff spot. The regular season is now over and there are only 14 teams left competing for the 2025 NFL Playoffs and walks towards Super Bowl 59.

At the end of the league’s super wild card weekend, only eight teams will remain.

The NFL playoff field is loaded in 2025. Every team that has made the playoffs has at least 10 wins, while the Minnesota Vikings became the league’s first wild-card team with 14 wins. This should level the playing field and give many wild-card teams a legitimate chance to pull off an upset.

As such, the wild-card round of the playoffs could be more exciting than usual. Fans will want to tune in to see as many games as possible and see exactly who their team will face next if they advance to the divisional round.

Here’s what to know about the NFL’s wild-card weekend schedule and how its 2025 playoff bracket will work.

What NFL playoff games are happening this weekend?

Six NFL playoff games will be played as part of the league’s wild-card weekend. They are as follows, by conference:

AFC Wild Card Games

Games with NFC joker

NFL Wild Card Playoff Schedule

The NFL wild-card games will be spread over three days: Saturday, Sunday and Monday. There will be two games on Saturday, three on Sunday and a standalone “Monday Night Football” game to close out the week.

Below is a look at the full opening round schedule.

NFL playoff games Saturday

NFL playoff games Sunday

Monday NFL Playoff Games

NFL Playoff Bracket Update

The only two teams that will not be in action during the wild-card weekend are the No. 1 seeds – the Kansas City Chiefs And Detroit Lions – who earned byes for finishing with the best record in each conference.

The playoff picture is not fixed. The No. 1 seeds will face the lowest seed in the divisional round, leaving the two remaining teams to face off in the conference semifinals. The No. 1 seeds can only play teams ranked Nos. 4 through 7 in the divisional round, while the remaining seeds can play anyone except the No. 7 seed, which would draw automatically draws the number 1 seed in the event of victory.

Here’s a look at the full 2025 NFL playoff bracket:

AFC playoff picture

NFC playoff bracket

How does the NFL playoff bracket work?

It is not a fixed support. The No. 1 seed in each conference will host the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round of the playoffs, while the second-highest remaining seed will host the second-lowest remaining seed .

In the past, the league’s No. 2 seed was given a bye week. The NFL changed this rule in 2020, when it expanded its playoff field from 12 to 14 and began having the No. 2 seed face off against the No. 7 seed, with the latter not having not made the playoffs before.

The new format creates a greater variation in potential matchups for the divisional round, as the No. 1 seed has the opportunity to play one of four teams while the other teams can also have up to four opponents different depending on the fall of the dominoes.

When will the wild card winners find out their division opponents?

In 2025, the NFL divisional bracket will be set relatively quickly for the AFC. Once the No. 2 seed Bills play the No. 7 seed Broncos on Sunday, the AFC Divisional Round will be set in its entirety, as the other two AFC games are will play on Saturday.

The NFC divisional round won’t be decided in its entirety until after the Rams and Vikings face off Monday night. However, Sunday afternoon’s game between the Eagles and Packers will give NFC fans a clearer idea of the playoff bracket.

If Philadelphia wins, the Eagles will face either the Buccaneers or the winner of the Rams-Vikings game. If Green Bay wins, the Packers will face the Lions, leaving the winners of the two remaining games to face each other.

Complete NFL Playoff Schedule

The NFL playoffs will begin on Saturday, January 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend before concluding on February 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

Joker Round

All times Eastern

Saturday January 11

Sunday January 12

Monday January 13

Divisional round

Saturday January 18

AFC/NFC Division Game: 4:30 p.m.
AFC/NFC Division Game: 8:15 p.m.

Sunday January 19

AFC/NFC Division Game: 3 p.m.
AFC/NFC Division Game: 6:30 p.m.

Conference Championship Round

Sunday January 26

NFC Championship Game: 3 p.m.
AFC Championship Game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 59

Date: February 9, 2025
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: FOX