2025 NFL playoff pictures, bracket: Complete Wild Card weekend schedule for NFC and AFC after Lions destroy Vikings

Everything always goes crazy during the final weeks of the NFL regular season, and this year was no different. It took until the final game of Week 18 to determine what the 2025 NFL playoff picture would look like with Wild Card Weekend.

The drama began Sunday morning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trying to clinch the final playoff spot from the NFC. The Bucs needed a win over the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South, and they accomplished it in dramatic fashion. Tampa Bay fell behind by double digits in the second half, but finished the rally for a 27–19 victory over New Orleans, putting the Bucs in the NFL postseason for the fifth consecutive year.

In the AFC, the Denver Broncos clinched the conference’s final playoff spot with a 38–0 victory over a Kansas City Chiefs team that was resting most of its starters. That eliminated the Cincinnati Bengals, who won over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night to stay alive, with the Miami Dolphins eliminating themselves after losing to the New York Jets on Sunday.

The NFL playoff picture was finally decided Sunday night when the Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 in the final game of the regular season. The win clinched the NFC North, the No. 1 seed, a bye, and home-field advantage for Detroit through the NFC side of the bracket.

Let’s see how everything changed after Sunday’s action with the full bracket and schedule from Wild Card Weekend.

2025 nfl playoff picture

afc playoff standings

wiped out

• Bengal (9-8): To have a chance to reach the playoffs, the Bengals needed the Chiefs to defeat the Broncos on Sunday and that did not happen, meaning the Bengals will spend the postseason at home for the second consecutive year.
• Dolphins (8-9): The Dolphins were officially eliminated after the Broncos defeated the Chiefs, but they still lost to the Jets in the finals.

afc wild card game

(5) Chargers at (4) Texans – Saturday, January 11 (4:30 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+)
(6) Steelers at (3) Ravens – Saturday, January 11 (8 p.m. ET on Prime Video)
(7) Broncos (2) Bills – Sunday, January 12 (1 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+)

goodbye: (1) Chief

nfc playoff standings

wiped out

• Falcon (8-9): For the Falcons to have any chance of winning the NFC South, they needed to win out and they needed the Buccaneers to lose, but neither of those things happened. The Falcons lost to the Panthers 44–38 in overtime in a game that ended when the Bucs had already clinched the division by defeating the Saints.

nfc wild card game

(7) Packers at (2) Eagles – Sunday, January 12 (4:30 PM ET on Fox)
(6) Commanders at (3) Buccaneers – Sunday, January 12 (8 p.m. ET on NBC)
(5) Vikings at (4) Rams – Monday, January 13 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC)

goodbye: (1) Leo

2025 nfl playoff bracket