The Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers officially clinched their respective divisions on Sunday, finalizing the NFL playoff bracket. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will receive first-round byes, but the 12 other playoff teams will begin what they hope will be prolonged postseason runs next week.
With Wild Card Weekend officially set, here's a look at the bracket and the teams best positioned to participate in this year's Super Bowl.
Final AFC playoff bracket
Wild Card Round
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) vs. No. 2 New England Patriots (14-3)
By beating the Denver Broncos in Week 18, the Los Angeles Chargers would've clinched the No. 6 seed and avoided a date with the possible league MVP, Drake Maye, on the road in the Wild Card Round. Instead, the Chargers rested Justin Herbert and other key starters and never stood much of a chance, slipping to the No. 7 seed and a matchup against the New England Patriots.
Sure, they're well rested and Maye is inexperienced, but head coach Mike Vrabel is not, and a Patriots team that's been dominant virtually all season should be ready to go. The Chargers' defense should keep this close-ish, but I have little faith in Los Angeles generating enough offensively to upset the Patriots in what'll likely be frigid conditions.
No. 6 Buffalo Bills (12-5) vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)
This was the hardest game for me to pick in the Wild Card Round. On one hand, the Buffalo Bills have, I believe, the best quarterback in the world, Josh Allen, who happens to also be a proven postseason performer with tons of experience. On the other hand, the rest of the Bills' roster leaves a lot to be desired, and their opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, have been flying high, winning eight in a row to finish the regular season.
They've done a lot of beating up on bad teams, but the Jaguars have been blowing everyone out and have signature wins against the Chargers and the Denver Broncos during this dominant stretch. Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence have this offense playing at a ridiculously high level, and Jacksonville's defense is underrated, too. It's hard to bet against Allen in a field that doesn't include Patrick Mahomes, particularly in the first-round, but picking the Bills would be disrespectful to the Jags, who might be the best team in the AFC right now.
No. 5 Houston Texans (12-5) vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
By winning nine in a row to finish the regular season, the Houston Texans not only made the playoffs, but wound up as the No. 5 seed in the AFC, earning the easiest first-round matchup of all. Don't let their 10-7 record fool you - the Pittsburgh Steelers do not deserve to be here. In fact, had Tyler Loop not missed the game-winning field goal in Week 18, the Baltimore Ravens, a tougher matchup for Houston, would've won the AFC North and played Houston.
Aaron Rodgers and Co. will have a brutal time against this historically great Texans defense, and I expect Houston to win this game comfortably.
Divisional Round
No. 5 Houston Texans vs. No. 1 Denver Broncos
The road gets much tougher for the Texans after the Wild Card Round, though, as a matchup against the No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos awaits. These teams are very similar. There are offensive questions with both, but hard-hitting defenses have them playing elite football.
At the end of the day, I trust C.J. Stroud to make more plays than Bo Nix, and I trust the Texans' defense a bit more than Denver's. Denver is an incredibly tough place to play, and I wouldn't be shocked to see the Broncos defend home-field, but the Texans are playing too well, and their defense is too good for me not to pick them.
No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars vs. No. 2 New England Patriots
As if taking down Allen isn't hard enough, the Jaguars will have to face off against arguably the best quarterback in the league this season, Drake Maye, in the Divisional Round. There's always the chance that the Jags will revert to being the Jags, but again, how can you not love how they've played?
This isn't to say the Patriots have played poorly - that obviously isn't the case. But between dominating bad teams and beating quality opponents like Los Angeles and Denver, the Broncos sure look legit. Plus, as much as the Jaguars have had a light-ish schedule, 11 of the last 12 games the Patriots have played have come against non-playoff teams. Their only game against a playoff team in that stretch saw them blow a 21-0 lead at home with a chance to win the AFC East and lose to the Bills. The Patriots are good, but everything about the Jags just looks better right now.
Championship Round
No. 5 Houston Texans vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars
Can NFL fans ask for a better AFC Championship Game matchup? Does it get better than a rubber match between two of the hottest teams in the NFL with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line? The Texans and Jaguars are both playing like teams that deserve to play in the big game, but in the end, the head-to-head edge could be what decides the winner of this matchup.
They tied the season series, but the Jaguars were the better team in those matchups. After beating Houston early this season, they held a 29-10 lead on the road in Week 10. As discouraging as it was to see them blow that massive fourth-quarter advantage, it's hard to envision them doing so again. The Jaguars have not lost since that game, and even beyond the head-to-head, it's fair to wonder whether Houston's offense can get them to the Super Bowl. We know Jacksonville's can with how it's played, and that adds to the reasons why this feels like it could be their year.
Final NFC playoff bracket
Wild Card Round
No. 7 Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) vs. No. 2 Chicago Bears (11-6)
Speaking of rubber matches between bitter division rivals, we're going to get that in the Wild Card Round when the Green Bay Packers face off against the Chicago Bears. We just saw these teams battle in an overtime thriller in Week 16 in Chicago, and there's no reason to expect this playoff game to go any differently.
It should be tight, but in the end, the Packers will struggle defensively without Micah Parsons, and the Bears are the team everyone should trust in a tight game in the fourth quarter. Bears fans deserve to see their team win a playoff game, and they're going to watch that happen in Prime Time.
No. 6 San Francisco 49ers (12-5) vs. No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
It feels like this game features two polar opposites. The San Francisco 49ers have battled a slew of injuries to make it to this point, and the Philadelphia Eagles, despite their solid record, have really underwhelmed. Despite their struggles, though, it's tough to pick against the Eagles at home.
Not only are the Eagles battle-tested and the 49ers injured, but Philadelphia's defense is as good as it gets in the NFC. Brock Purdy and Co. will have trouble generating much of anything, and with the chips on the line, the Eagles should make enough plays down the stretch to advance.
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (12-5) vs. No. 4 Carolina Panthers (8-9)
The Los Angeles Rams might've lost out on a division title and a first-round bye, but they still lucked their way into the easiest first-round matchup in the NFC. Sure, the Carolina Panthers were able to upset Los Angeles earlier this season, but with their season on the line, Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay will be locked in.
At the end of the day, nobody from the NFC South deserved to be here (the Panthers literally backed their way into the playoffs), and the Rams, a team many expect to go on a deep run, should have no issue earning a road victory.
Divisional Round
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams vs. No. 1 Seattle Seahawks
The road gets much tougher here for the Rams, though, as they'll have to take on the No. 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round. All I can say in response to this is that NFL fans are lucky, and that the Seahawks are extremely unlucky. Their magical season will end here.
The Seahawks are an excellent team, but similarly to the Jaguars and Texans, we can pick the winner of this game based on how the regular-season matchups went. They did split, but the Rams looked like the better team. Assuming they don't make special teams mistakes as they did in their overtime loss to Seattle a couple of weeks ago, the Rams' high-powered offense should lead them to the NFC Championship Game.
No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 2 Chicago Bears
What a treat it'd be to see the Bears and Eagles meet again in the playoffs, a half-decade after the double doink game took place at Soldier Field. The Bears will look to rewrite history this time around, but unfortunately, I expect a similar result.
It might not end with a missed kick, but I expect the Eagles to pull out a close win. The Bears can only start slowly so many times before they're unable to recover, and against this elite Eagles defense, I expect that to happen. Philadelphia is far from a perfect team in its own right, but this is where experience guides them to the NFC Championship Game.
Championship Round
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams vs. No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles
After playing a rematch of the 2020 NFC Divisional Round, it's only fitting that the Eagles will take on the Rams in a 2024 Divisional Round rematch. This time, though, I do not expect history to repeat itself.
As great as the Eagles' defense is, the Rams' offense is equally as good. On the other side, the Rams have a potent defense, particularly upfront, while the Eagles' offense has struggled all year long. This game will come down to the Eagles needing to score late, and they haven't shown an ability to do that all year. Winning in Philadelphia in January is never easy, but a Sean McVay-Matthew Stafford team is as equipped as any to pull that off.
Super Bowl
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars
A Super Bowl matchup between a No. 5 seed and a No. 3 seed seems crazy, but it goes to show how balanced the NFL is at the top right now. Crazier than having a No. 5 seed make it this far, I have the No. 5-seeded Rams winning it all.
This should be a thrilling game between arguably the two best offenses in the game right now, but the Rams have slight advantages everywhere you look, from quarterback to head coach to defense and even to experience. Getting here is a huge win for Jacksonville, but it'd be tough to pick them against this Rams team.
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