Written by
Swikriti
Updated January 5, 2026
The 2026 NFL playoffs are officially here — and the bracket feels as open as it’s been in years. There’s no Kansas City safety net this time, while a wave of rebound teams has crashed into the postseason picture. If you’re trying to plan your weekend (and your screens), here’s the full Wild Card slate, the key dates for every round, and the TV/streaming channels you’ll need to follow every game through Super Bowl LX.
For the official opening-round listing, the league has published the full Wild Card Weekend schedule on NFL.com’s Wild Card Weekend release. And if you want to keep all our postseason coverage in one place, you can always find more updates and recaps on Swikblog
Wild Card Weekend (Jan. 10–12): Full Schedule, TV and Streaming
Saturday, Jan. 10
• No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at No. 4 Carolina Panthers — 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX / FOX Deportes)
• No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Chicago Bears — 8:00 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
Sunday, Jan. 11
• No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS / Paramount+)
• No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles — 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX / FOX Deportes)
• No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2 New England Patriots — 8:00 p.m. ET (NBC / Peacock / Universo)
Monday, Jan. 12
• No. 5 Houston Texans at No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers — 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN / ABC / ESPN+ / ESPN Deportes; ManningCast on ESPN2/ESPN+)
UK time guide (GMT)
If you’re watching from the UK, Eastern Time (ET) is generally 5 hours behind GMT in January:
• 4:30 p.m. ET = 9:30 p.m. GMT
• 8:00 p.m. ET = 1:00 a.m. GMT (next day)
• 1:00 p.m. ET = 6:00 p.m. GMT
• Monday 8:00 p.m. ET = 1:00 a.m. GMT (Tuesday)
What Happens Next: Dates for Every Round
Once the Wild Card round ends, the playoffs tighten quickly. Here are the key dates you’ll want on your calendar:
Divisional Round — Saturday, Jan. 17 & Sunday, Jan. 18
• Two games Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. ET)
• Two games Sunday (3:00 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. ET)
Scheduling note: the Monday night Wild Card winner plays the following Sunday in the Divisional Round.
Championship Sunday — Sunday, Jan. 25
• AFC Championship — 3:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFC Championship — 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Super Bowl LX — Sunday, Feb. 8 (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
The title game will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California — the venue has confirmed the event date on
its official Super Bowl LX event listing.
How the 2026 Bracket Works (Quick, Simple)
Each conference sends seven teams to the playoffs. The No. 1 seed gets the only first-round bye, while seeds No. 2–7 play in Wild Card Weekend. After that, the bracket “re-seeds,” meaning the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the next round.
- Wild Card: 6 games (3 per conference)
- Divisional: 4 games
- Conference Championships: 2 games
- Super Bowl: 1 game for the trophy
Storylines to Watch Entering Wild Card Weekend
Carolina hosts the opener. The Panthers get the stage first — and hosting the Saturday afternoon game is the kind of spotlight that can quickly turn a good season into a defining one.
Prime-time rivalry energy in Bears–Packers. A division matchup in the playoffs always hits different, and putting it in the Saturday night window makes it the first weekend’s centerpiece.
Eagles’ path and the defending-champion pressure. Philadelphia enters with the weight of expectation — the kind that can sharpen a team, or squeeze it, depending on how the first punch lands.
The Monday night wildcard twist. Texans at Ravens/Steelers isn’t just a matchup — it’s a schedule and recovery challenge. The winner moves on with a shorter week, and it can absolutely shape the Divisional Round.
Quick FAQ
When do the 2026 NFL playoffs start?
Wild Card Weekend begins Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.
Which channels carry Wild Card Weekend?
FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN/ABC — plus Prime Video for Bears–Packers and streaming options like Peacock and Paramount+ depending on the game.
What’s still TBD right now?
The Monday night Wild Card host: it will be either Baltimore or Pittsburgh, depending on the Ravens–Steelers outcome.
When is Super Bowl LX?
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 (6:30 p.m. ET), at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Tip for readers: Bookmark this page — once the Wild Card games end, we’ll be able to map exact Divisional Round matchups and the cleanest road to Super Bowl LX.
