PLAYOFF PICTURE
NFL Playoff Guide: Postseason bracket much clearer with 1 week remaining
Jan 3, 2025, 12:44 pm
Are the Chargers or the Steelers a better matchup for Houston? Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
It's Week 18 of the NFL season, which means just one more weekend remains before postseason action begins.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes look like a formidable opponent once again and have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC bracket with a 15-1 record.
Over in the NFC, a crucial game awaits when the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) travel to face the Detroit Lions (14-2) on Sunday in a game that will decide the division winner, the No. 1 seed in the conference and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
Here are some more things to watch as the regular season winds down:
NFL playoff picture
AFC
Six of the seven spots in the playoff bracket are secure, though the seeding is still up for grabs in some situations. The Chiefs are the top seed while the Buffalo Bills (13-3) own the No. 2 spot. The Baltimore Ravens (11-5), Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6), Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) and Houston Texans (9-7) also know they have more football to play. The Ravens can clinch the No. 3 spot in the bracket with a win over the Browns. The Texans are locked into the No. 4 spot despite a worse record than some teams because they've clinched their division.
As for the seventh team, the Denver Broncos (9-7) are in good position though the Miami Dolphins (8-8) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) still have hope. The problem for the Dolphins and Bengals is the Broncos can earn the final spot with a win against Kansas City this weekend, and there's not much incentive for the Chiefs to play their starters considering they've already got the No. 1 seed wrapped up.
NFC
Much like the AFC, six of the seven spots are taken. The Vikings, Lions, Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), Green Bay Packers (11-5), Los Angeles Rams (10-6) and Washington Commanders (11-5) will be in the bracket. Minnesota and Detroit will duke it out for the No. 1 seed next Sunday while the loser falls all the way to No. 5. The Eagles have secured the No. 2 spot.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) have the inside track for the final spot, needing a win over the New Orleans Saints this weekend to secure their place. If they lose, the Atlanta Falcons (8-8) could still sneak into the bracket if they beat the Carolina Panthers.
NFL playoff format
The 14-team bracket enters its fifth season after debuting during the 2020 season. Seven teams advance to the postseason from both the AFC and the NFC.
The four division winners in each conference earn the top four seeds, ranked by their records. The last three teams are all wild-card selections, also ranked by record.
The format means the No. 1 seed in each conference is very important because it guarantees a wild card round bye and homefield advantage until the Super Bowl. For the other 12 teams in the opening round, the No. 7 seed travels to the No. 2 seed, No. 6 goes to No. 3 and No. 5 travels to No. 4.
NFL playoff schedule
Jan. 11-13: Wild Card Round. Two games on Saturday, three on Sunday, one on Monday.
Jan. 18-19: Divisional Round. Two games on Saturday, two on Sunday.
Jan. 26: AFC and NFC Conference Championships.
Feb. 9: Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome in New Orleans.
NFL playoff betting odds
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Chiefs are the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +375. The Lions are right behind them at +400 while the Bills are third at +550.
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L.J. Cryer scored 14 points, Milos Uzan added 12 points and six assists, and No. 6 Houston beat Baylor 76-65 on Monday night for its third straight victory.
Terrance Arceneaux had 11 points and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 for Houston (20-4, 12-1 Big 12). Emanuel Sharp also finished with 10 after missing two games with an ankle injury.
The Cougars shot 51% and went 10 of 24 on 3-pointers. They reached 20 wins for the 10th consecutive season.
Norchad Omier scored 19 points and Langston Love added 15 for Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which shot 58% — including 9 of 15 on 3s. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and Robert Wright III finished with 10.
Baylor lost its third straight road game and fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in true road games this season.
Takeaways
Baylor: The Bears missed an opportunity to add a marquee win and fell to 4-8 in Quad 1 games. Baylor’s lack of depth came into play as Houston outscored the Bears’ bench 24-1, and three starters played at least 35 minutes.
Houston: The Cougars improved to 5-3 in Quad 1 games and remained atop the Big 12 standings.
Key moment
Uzan hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 10-1 run and gave the Cougars a 26-16 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. Houston’s lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.
Key stat
Houston, which entered forcing more than 14 turnovers per game and ranking in the top 10 nationally with a 5.2 turnover margin, forced Baylor into 15 turnovers and converted them into 28 points.
Up next
Houston visits No. 13 Arizona on Saturday, while Baylor hosts West Virginia the same day.