As of late Week 17 of the 2025 NFL regular season, several teams have clinched playoff spots, while a few others are still fighting for the final berths. The exact bracket will not be locked in until the regular season ends, but the main contenders are already clear.

AFC teams in the playoffs

Several AFC teams have already clinched berths, with seeding still jockeying in the final week.

  • Denver Broncos – holding a top AFC seed and division title (clinched).
  • New England Patriots – tied near the top of the AFC with a clinched division.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars – have clinched a playoff berth and secured the AFC South.
  • Houston Texans – locked into a wild card spot and still in seeding battles.
  • Los Angeles Chargers – clinched a playoff berth out of the AFC West.
  • Buffalo Bills – have secured at least a wild card, with seeding still in play.
  • Pittsburgh Steelers – sitting in the final AFC playoff position heading into the last week, but not fully safe if they lose and results flip tiebreakers.

Teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens are effectively on the bubble, needing help and favorable results to sneak into the final AFC spot if scenarios break their way.

NFC teams in the playoffs

In the NFC, multiple teams have clinched, with a few still battling for position and survival.

  • Seattle Seahawks – currently the top NFC seed and already in the postseason.
  • Chicago Bears – NFC North champs and locked into a high seed.
  • Philadelphia Eagles – NFC East winners and guaranteed a home playoff game.
  • San Francisco 49ers – clinched and part of a loaded NFC West group.
  • Los Angeles Rams – secured a wild card berth.
  • Green Bay Packers – have clinched a wild card spot heading into the final week.
  • Carolina Panthers – currently holding the last NFC playoff slot at 8–8, but vulnerable if they lose and other results shift tiebreakers.

Teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are right around .500 and either just eliminated or needing very specific results, making their paths extremely slim or already closed.

How the bracket is shaping up

The playoff field follows the standard NFL format: four division winners and three wild cards per conference, seeded by record with tiebreakers.

  • AFC: Denver and New England are battling for the No. 1 seed and the lone bye, while Jacksonville and Pittsburgh round out the other division-winner slots.
  • NFC: Seattle holds the inside track on the top seed, with Chicago and Philadelphia vying for the No. 2 and No. 3 spots and Carolina clinging to the last division-winner seed in the South.
  • Wild card order in both conferences can still shuffle depending on final-week results, especially among Houston, the Chargers, Buffalo, San Francisco, the Rams, and Green Bay.

Quick HTML table of current clinched teams

Here is a simple HTML table summarizing who is in (or effectively in) as of now, based on the latest public playoff pictures.

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Conference</th>
      <th>Team</th>
      <th>Status</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>Denver Broncos</td><td>Clinched, top seed race</td></tr>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>New England Patriots</td><td>Clinched, top seed race</td></tr>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>Jacksonville Jaguars</td><td>Clinched division</td></tr>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>Houston Texans</td><td>Clinched wild card</td></tr>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>Los Angeles Chargers</td><td>Clinched wild card</td></tr>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>Buffalo Bills</td><td>Clinched wild card</td></tr>
    <tr><td>AFC</td><td>Pittsburgh Steelers</td><td>Currently in, still vulnerable</td></tr>

    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>Seattle Seahawks</td><td>Clinched, likely No. 1 seed</td></tr>
    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>Chicago Bears</td><td>Clinched division</td></tr>
    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>Philadelphia Eagles</td><td>Clinched division</td></tr>
    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>San Francisco 49ers</td><td>Clinched wild card</td></tr>
    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>Los Angeles Rams</td><td>Clinched wild card</td></tr>
    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>Green Bay Packers</td><td>Clinched wild card</td></tr>
    <tr><td>NFC</td><td>Carolina Panthers</td><td>Currently in, still vulnerable</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR

  • Most division winners and top wild cards are already set in both conferences.
  • A few fringe teams are still alive, but the final seed or two in each conference will depend on the last week’s results and tiebreakers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.