{"id":11244,"date":"2026-09-10T09:18:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?page_id=11244"},"modified":"2026-10-27T06:21:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T10:21:48","slug":"playoff-predictions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/nfl\/playoff-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Playoff Picture 2026: Current Seeds, Scenarios and Predictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated Tuesday 27 October 2026, after every Week 7 game.<\/strong> Seven weeks are complete, and the seeding below is the bracket as the NFL would draw it today.<\/p>\n\n

The line that matters most this week: Carolina holds the NFC’s fourth seed on a 22% chance of reaching January.<\/strong> The Panthers are 3-3 after a 43-13 home defeat to Tampa Bay and lead the NFC South because nobody else in it has a winning record. Our model rates them the weakest qualifier in either conference. The next lowest is Cleveland, which holds the AFC’s third seed at 5-2 on 24%.<\/p>\n\n

The NFC North oddity is now three weeks old. All four NFC North teams hold a seed again<\/strong>: Minnesota first at 6-0, and Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay filling every wild card. Seattle is the first team out on 75%, a higher figure than five of the seven teams inside.<\/p>\n\n

Minnesota is the only unbeaten team left after San Francisco lost in Atlanta, and Kansas City holds the AFC’s top seed at 5-1 on the tiebreaker over Buffalo. Below is the picture as it stands under NFL rules, then what our model thinks it will look like in January.<\/p>\n\n

AFC playoff picture<\/h2>\n\n
Seed<\/th>Team<\/th>Route<\/th>Record<\/th>Points +\/-<\/th>Signal playoff odds<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>\"KansasKansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/td>BYE<\/span><\/td>5-1<\/td>+40<\/td>91%<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>\"BuffaloBuffalo Bills<\/a><\/td>DIV<\/span><\/td>5-1<\/td>+26<\/td>99%<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>\"ClevelandCleveland Browns<\/a><\/td>DIV<\/span><\/td>5-2<\/td>-13<\/td>24%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>\"JacksonvilleJacksonville Jaguars<\/a><\/td>DIV<\/span><\/td>4-2<\/td>+50<\/td>97%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>\"DenverDenver Broncos<\/a><\/td>WC<\/span><\/td>5-2<\/td>+3<\/td>95%<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>\"PittsburghPittsburgh Steelers<\/a><\/td>WC<\/span><\/td>5-2<\/td>+15<\/td>76%<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>\"CincinnatiCincinnati Bengals<\/a><\/td>WC<\/span><\/td>4-2<\/td>+41<\/td>90%<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>\"NewNew England Patriots<\/a><\/td>OUT<\/span><\/td>4-3<\/td>+17<\/td>76%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

BYE<\/b> first seed, the only team with a first-round bye. DIV<\/b> leading its division. WC<\/b> holding a wild card place. OUT<\/b> first team outside the seven. Points +\/-<\/b> is points scored minus points conceded, the NFL’s deepest tiebreaker and the best early read on a team. Signal playoff odds<\/b> is our model’s chance of that team reaching the postseason.<\/p><\/figure>\n\n

NFC playoff picture<\/h2>\n\n
Seed<\/th>Team<\/th>Route<\/th>Record<\/th>Points +\/-<\/th>Signal playoff odds<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>\"MinnesotaMinnesota Vikings<\/a><\/td>BYE<\/span><\/td>6-0<\/td>+51<\/td>99%<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>\"SanSan Francisco 49ers<\/a><\/td>DIV<\/span><\/td>6-1<\/td>+58<\/td>96%<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>\"NewNew York Giants<\/a><\/td>DIV<\/span><\/td>4-2-1<\/td>+2<\/td>69%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>\"CarolinaCarolina Panthers<\/a><\/td>DIV<\/span><\/td>3-3<\/td>-7<\/td>22%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>\"ChicagoChicago Bears<\/a><\/td>WC<\/span><\/td>5-2<\/td>+37<\/td>65%<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>\"DetroitDetroit Lions<\/a><\/td>WC<\/span><\/td>4-2<\/td>+19<\/td>72%<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>\"GreenGreen Bay Packers<\/a><\/td>WC<\/span><\/td>4-3<\/td>-1<\/td>36%<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>\"SeattleSeattle Seahawks<\/a><\/td>OUT<\/span><\/td>4-3<\/td>+43<\/td>75%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

BYE<\/b> first seed, the only team with a first-round bye. DIV<\/b> leading its division. WC<\/b> holding a wild card place. OUT<\/b> first team outside the seven. Points +\/-<\/b> is points scored minus points conceded, the NFL’s deepest tiebreaker and the best early read on a team. Signal playoff odds<\/b> is our model’s chance of that team reaching the postseason.<\/p><\/figure>\n\n

The two rules that decide the bracket<\/h2>\n\n

Fourteen teams reach the postseason, seven from each conference. The four division winners take seeds one through four by record. The three best remaining teams take five, six and seven as wild cards.<\/p>\n\n

Two consequences drive every argument in December.<\/p>\n\n