NFL Playoff Bracket 2025: Updated Postseason Picture, Divisional-Round Scenarios

And then there were eight.

A mostly straightforward Wild Card Weekend whittled down the list of NFL teams still in the Super Bowl hunt to eight. There was only one seed-line "upset," and in that game the 12-win Commanders handled the 10-win Buccaneers.

In other words, chalk has largely prevailed to this point, but that's always subject to change. What do the football gods have brewing next? We'll look ahead at what's on deck for the Divisional Round to find out.

Divisional Round

Saturday, Jan. 18

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN

Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, 8 p.m. ET on Fox

Sunday, Jan. 19

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles, 3 p.m. ET on NBC

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Conference Championships

Sunday, Jan. 26

NFC Championship at 3 p.m. ET

AFC Championship at 6:30 p.m. ET

Super Bowl LVIII

Sunday, Feb. 9

AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion at 6:30 p.m. ET

Texans at Chiefs

Kansas City's quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl picks back up after essentially back-to-back bye weeks. The Chiefs rested their regulars in Week 18 and had a bye during Wild Card Weekend, so it's been a while since Patrick Mahomes and Co. played a game of any real significance.

Do the Texans have what it takes to knock off the two-time defending champs? That's a towering task, but Houston is coming off one of its strongest showings of the season, having knocked the Los Angeles Chargers out with a 32-12 thrashing on Saturday.

Ravens at Bills

This should be required viewing for even the most casual football fans, as this might be not only the game of the weekend, but perhaps the game of the playoffs. This contest features both of this season's two legitimate MVP contenders in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, who contributed a combined 69 passing touchdowns (against 10 interceptions) and 16 rushing scores during the regular season.

This clash has more than elite signal-callers, though. These are two of the very best teams in football, having tied for third overall and pacing the AFC with plus-157 scoring differentials. Baltimore bested Buffalo by a 35-10 count back in Week 4, but this figures to be much more of a nail-biter.

Commanders at Lions

There hasn't been a more electric rookie this season than Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels. The shoe-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year proved to be an immediate fortune-changer for the Commanders, who followed last season's four-win showing with a 12-win effort and the franchise's first playoff win since 2005-06.

Daniels has helped restore the Commanders' confidence, but do they have enough to topple the mighty Lions? Detroit obliterated just about everyone this season, racking up a 15-2 record and a league-leading (by a mile) plus-222 scoring differential. The Lions are also well rested after earning a bye, but rust shouldn't be a concern given that they needed a Week 18 win to secure the No. 1 seed.

Rams at Eagles

This might be the undercard on the Sunday slate, but it still holds instant-classic potential. The Eagles can present all kinds of problems for opposing defenses with their turbo-charged rushing attack led by running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts. However, the Rams' aerial attack can be just as tricky to contend with when Matthew Stafford is throwing darts to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

The Eagles were easily the better team this season—14 wins and a plus-160 point differential compared to 10 and minus-19, respectively—and looked the part when these teams met in Week 12, winning that contest 37-20. However, L.A. is 6-1 since that game with wins over Buffalo and Minnesota and the only loss coming in Week 18, when the Rams opted to rest their regulars.