The field for the 2026 NFL Playoffs is set.
Now we can yell about the teams.
Week 18 began with two spots left up for grabs, one in the NFC where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers were fighting for the NFC South title and the No. 4 seed in the conference. The other was in the AFC, where the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football to determine the winner of the AFC North, and the No. 4 seed in the AFC.
Now that it has all been decided, let’s rank the teams by their chances of winning Super Bowl LX. We opened the voting to all staff members to submit their rankings — as this is a very scientific process, dear reader — and these are the results based on rankings from 11 different staff members across the SB Nation network.
Well, the Panthers are in the playoffs. It took an 8-9 record, football’s worst division, and help from the Falcons — but the Panthers are here. Good for them.
That’s about the best we can say about Carolina’s chances. This is a young, inexperienced, chaotic football team that doesn’t understand what it takes to win important games, but is also adept at raising their game to beat top tier teams. Now they’re hosting ___ from the NFC West, and it should be a one-and-done playoff outing for this team.
Consistency is the big problem. One week they’ll run for 200 yards, the next they cant crack 50. Bryce Young either looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, or a guy who shouldn’t start in the NFL. One week the defense dismantles Matthew Stafford, then they get carved up by Tyler Shough. The expectation was never the playoffs this year, but the Panthers will take it as a feel-good moment.
It took a missed field goal, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are headed to the playoffs.
What Steelers team will we see in the playoffs? The team that got the win they needed on the final night of the season to book their spot in the postseason? The team that went into Detroit to knock off the Lions and move one step closer to a division title?
Or the team that coughed up a chance to lock down the division in Week 17 and lost to the lowly Cleveland Browns, when it seemed denying Myles Garrett the single-season sack record mattered more than getting a victory?
But honestly, what has us most concerned about Pittsburgh’s chances going forward is what they face next weekend: Aaron Rodgers against Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr., and that ferocious Houston defense.
On the bright side, Pittsburgh will get DK Metcalf back after his two-game suspension.
There were stretches this season where the Green Bay Packers were in the top spot in the NFC, and looked like the team to beat in the conference.
But those stretches seem like a lifetime ago.
Since then the Packers have tumbled down the standings, and lost defensive star Micah Parsons for the season due to a torn ACL. Green Bay limps into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the NFC, and while they will get Jordan Love back for the postseason after he suffered a concussion against the Chicago Bears in Week 16, they face an uphill climb just to get to the NFC Championship Game. If their defense can take a step forward in the playoffs, a tough ask without Parsons, they could make some noise.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a clear task ahead of them as they enter the playoffs.
Their quarterback has taken a pounding this season, getting sacked 54 times — the most of any quarterback in the postseason. Those hits have certainly taken a toll, as Herbert suffered a broken left hand in Week 13 that required surgical intervention. Since that game, the standout passer has been seen favoring that arm at times, particularly during Los Angeles’ Week 17 game against the Houston Texans.
He sat out the Chargers’ season finale, and will be as healthy as possible entering the playoffs. But this team might go as far as his body, and right arm, will take them.
The Texans are quietly on one of the biggest tears in the NFL thanks to their defense. Allowing a league-best 16.6 points per game, DeMeco Ryans’ group mixes aggression and efficiency to have one of the best run and pass defenses in the NFL.
There’s a ceiling here as well. An undercurrent to this season has been another middling season from C.J. Stroud. There are solid reasons he’s struggling, largely in part to a horrific Houston offensive line — but this is a young QB still trying to capture the success he had as a rookie. The Texans will need better play from Stroud in order to make it deep in the playoffs, because Houston can’t simply count on their offense bottling everything up against good teams.
If the Texans can find the right mix, and Stroud is able to lift his game — watch out.
The Chicago Bears took a massive step forward in this, their first season under Ben Johnson. Making the playoffs and winning the NFC North is a massive accomplishment, and Caleb Williams certainly looks every bit the part of a franchise quarterback.
However, there are concerns about just how deep a run this team can make in the playoffs, questions highlighted by their loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. Chicago certainly can score points, with an offense that is near the top of the league in several categories. But can their defense get a stop when they need it? They could not on that Sunday night, and they’ll need to get some stops over these next few weeks if Chicago’s season is going to finish in Super Bowl LX.
Right now, we’re left to wonder if they can.
The steady improvement of the Jaguars this season has made this one of the most fascinating teams in the playoffs. We can’t forget some early dud performances, nor can we ignore the heights this team has hit — and the fact they still might be getting better.
Jacksonville has been a different team since acquiring Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline, which has been the NFL’s best move. He’s added another layer to the offense, and opened up the field so Parker Washington can shine.
This team’s potential is governed by two factors: Can Trevor Lawrence shine when the lights are brightest and the Jaguars are expected to win? Is there another gear this team can reach? Overall this franchise is young, both in roster and coaching — which makes it difficult to envision them making a huge playoff run in Coen’s first year, but this is a great year to have gaps and still make noise amid a weird playoff group.
In a confusing season, the Philadelphia Eagles are perhapse the most confusing team in the playoffs.
Their Week 17 win over the Buffalo Bills is a perfect example.
Are they the team we saw in the first half, which got out to a double-digit lead over the Bills on the road and held them scoreless? Or the team we saw in the second half, which sputtered offensively and let Buffalo back into the game? Philadelphia went three-and-out on four of their five second-half possessions against Buffalo, and it was only a missed throw from Josh Allen on a two-point conversion that allowed Philadelphia to escape with the win.
If there is a foundation for their success and hope for another deep playoff run, it might be their defense. The Eagles have been one of the best defensive units down the stretch (particularly against the pass), and if that unit keeps performing at this level, it might be enough for Philadelphia to get back to a Super Bowl.
Especially if the offense shows up on a more consistent basis.
By now you have probably heard all about the Patriots’ schedule, and how they enjoyed a relatively easy path to the playoffs.
But they are one of the final four teams in the field, riding the right arm of MVP candidate Drake Maye into the postseason. The bigger question will be their defense, which after starting the year out as one of the best units in football — particularly against the run — has looked susceptible at times over the closing stretch of the season. Getting defensive stalwart Milton Williams back for the playoffs will be a huge help, but we’ll learn soon enough just how good this team really is.
The Denver Broncos have the clearest identity of all the teams hitting the playoffs this year. Relatively unaffected by injury when it comes to 2025 NFL standards, Denver has managed to run its own race for the bulk of the season.
There are two defining elements to Sean Payton’s team: A smothering defense, and clutch performance from Bo Nix. That has been the team’s DNA, and it just keeps working. The Broncos have passed every test this season with quality wins over playoff teams like the Eagles, Packers, and Texans — but also a few off performances like struggling against the Commanders and Jaguars. That said, this team is always able to keep a game close, which is where Nix can thrive at QB. Give him a chance in the 4th quarter and he’ll play the Broncos back into the game, and when backed up by a wall of a defense it makes Denver a very tough out.
The Bills’ biggest enemy is themselves. Well, that and relying far too much on Josh Allen to bail out the entire team.
When it comes to Buffalo there are two things working in tandem: This is the most experienced playoff team in the AFC with the door wide open for them, and this is the weakest team the Bills have had in several years. That makes for a very bizarre combination. A lack of movement at the trade deadline, and a desire to seemingly coast on their laurels put the Bills back in the standings at a time where they should have a vice grip on the AFC.
The secondary is an issue. The receivers are a problem. Josh Allen is being asked to do too much on offense. Despite all these factors there’s something about the Bills that indicates they’re the class of the AFC this season until we see otherwise.
What Kyle Shanahan has done this season is nothing short of remarkable. The 49ers have been hit with every injury under the sun, but still managed to put forth one of their best seasons. The question remaining is whether or not the 49ers have the gas needed to make a deep playoff push, or if their performances this season are indicative of a team best suited to adjusting week-to-week, rather than the playoff prep required to get past the best teams.
Regardless, there’s an unmistakable element here that the 49ers could be the best coached team in the playoffs this year, and an organization without a lot of weaknesses. That will go far, and it makes them a dark horse to go all the way.
On the flip side, in Saturday night’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks one of those weaknesses showed up — their run defense. If that unit gives up plays like a 19-yard run on 3rd and 17 in the playoffs, it could be too much for San Francisco to overcome in the postseason.
The Rams are a very good football team that has masqueraded as a brilliant one for much of the season. Los Angeles looked like the class of the NFC for much of 2025, but came crashing back down to earth with some embarassing losses at the tail-end of the season to the likes of Carolina and Atlanta.
Ultimately the Rams live and die by their offense, which is fine when you have Matthew Stafford throwing to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, but we’ve seen this team falter without Adams in the lineup due to injury. Their chances in these playoffs will be a factor of whether or not the Rams can get healthy (and stay healthy) for their first playoff game. If they can get through that matchup then things will open up and Los Angeles has the talent to return to being one of the best teams in the NFC with legitimate Super Bowl potential.
The Seattle Seahawks clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, stopping what appeared to be San Francisco’s rise to the top of the conference.
And their win showcased what makes Seattle so dangerous in the playoffs.
Yes, it starts with their defense. The Seahawks held San Francisco to just three points on Saturday night, the lowest point total for the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan since his very first game, back in 2017. Seattle’s defense is among the league’s best, and will be a problem for every opponent in the playoffs.
And that defense is a perfect complement to Seattle’s offense. It certainly helps that the Seahawks defense gives Mike Macdonald the confidence to go for it on fourth downs, as he did early on Saturday night. While that failed, the decision allowed Seattle’s defense to pin San Francisco deep, maintain great field position, and give their offense another short field. Add in a running attack that can be effective at times, and a solid passing game, and you have a recipe for wins in the playoffs.
Yes, everyone is waiting for the “Bad Sam Darnold Game” but … what if it already happened against the Rams back in Week 11 when he threw four interceptions and Seattle … still had a field goal at the end of the game that could have delivered a win?
