NFL playoff picture Week 18: Seahawks beat 49ers, claim NFC West and No. 1 seed

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NFL playoff picture Week 18: Seahawks beat 49ers, claim NFC West and No. 1 seed

Nate Davis, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sat, Jan 3, 2026 ·

7 min read

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Every week for the duration of the 2025 regular season , USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the NFL 's ever-evolving playoff picture – typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday's and Thursday's games or Saturday's, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we'll be watching then, too).

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference's seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized Sunday, Jan. 4.

Here's where things stand with Week 18 underway:

Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.

(Jeff Hanisch, Imagn Images)

Week 1: The New England Patriots' Robert Spillane (14) and Christian Elliss (53) tackle Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Raiders won the game, 20-13.
(Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images)

Week 1: New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fumbles the ball on a tackle by Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. It was a rough Giants debut for Wilson (17 of 37 passing for 168 yards) as the Commanders won the game, 21-6.
(Peter Casey, Imagn Images)

Week 1: Fireworks go off before the NFL Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles opened the season with a 24-20 victory over their longtime NFC East rivals.
(Eric Hartline, Imagn Images)

NFC playoff picture

yz − 1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3), NFC West champions: Huge win at Silicon Valley on Saturday night assured them of staying home in the Pacific Northwest − with a week off − unless they get back to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60. Remaining schedule: TBD

y − 2. Chicago Bears (11-5), NFC North champions: Green Bay 's loss in Week 17 was doubly sweet, as it also wrapped up the division title for Da Bears . However coming up short in last Sunday's thriller at San Francisco means Chicago can't do better than the No. 2 seed ... though the Bears could see the Pack in the wild-card round. Remaining schedule: vs. Lions

y − 3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), NFC East champions: They could still reach the second seed ... which got them to the Super Bowl last season. With Week 16's defeat of Washington , Philly became the first team this season to wrap up a division in 2025 − and the first to win this division in successive years since they last did it 21 years ago. Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9), NFC South leaders: They beat the Panthers on Saturday ... and now wait . The common-games tiebreaker gives the Bucs the advantage in the standings over Carolina − for now. But if the Falcons win Sunday and create a three-way tie , the Panthers ' superior record (3-1) in games involving those three teams would give them the division. Remaining schedule: TBD

x − 5. San Francisco 49ers (12-5), wild card No. 1: They could have stayed home for the next month as long as they kept winning. Alas, they could fall as low as the sixth seed now. Remaining schedule: TBD

x − 6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5), wild card No. 2: They became the first team this season to clinch a playoff spot but lost the pathway to home-field advantage and a first-round bye after consecutive losses. They can settle into the fifth seed − and a matchup with the NFC South champion − by beating Arizona . Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals

x − 7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1), wild card No. 3: The Lions' Christmas defeat put the battered Pack into the field . But a Week 17 loss to Baltimore means Green Bay locks in as the No. 7 seed and won't play another game at Lambeau Field this season. Remaining schedule: at Vikings

10. Carolina Panthers (8-9), in the hunt: (They're behind eliminated Minnesota and Detroit , both 8-8, in the overall conference standings.) Saturday's loss at Tampa doesn't finish the Panthers. A win by Atlanta on Sunday would confer the NFC South crown to Carolina. Remaining schedule: TBD

AFC playoff picture

y − 1. Denver Broncos (13-3), AFC West champions: After surviving the Chiefs on Christmas night , win in Week 18, and Denver gets the top seed. The Bolts' Week 17 loss wrapped up the Broncos' first division title in a decade − which was also the last time they won the Super Bowl. The Chargers also seem content to rest their top players, including QB Justin Herbert , on Sunday in Denver. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers

y − 2. New England Patriots (13-3), AFC East champions: After blowing out the Jets last weekend, they wound up with their first division title since 2019 when Buffalo lost to Philadelphia . The Pats are just a tiebreaker (common games) of sitting atop the conference and could get the top seed in Week 18 if they win and Denver loses. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins .

x − 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4), AFC South leaders: They won their eighth straight but need one more to lock up the division. A victory combined with defeats for Denver and New England lands the No. 1 seed in Duval County. Lose, and Houston can keep the AFC South with a win. Remaining schedule: at Titans

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7), AFC North leaders: They failed to win the division crown at Cleveland . Now they'll have to beat Baltimore in Week 18. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens

x − 5. Houston Texans (11-5), wild card No. 1: They've won nine of 10, including eight in a row after last Saturday's triumph over the Chargers , but haven't been able to overtake similarly surging Jacksonville yet for the top spot in the AFC South. Still, that victory over the Bolts clinched at least a wild-card berth for Houston, which has a shot to win the division for a third straight season − now needing just a Week 18 win and loss by the Jags. The Texans ' sweep of the Chargers and Bills currently has them sitting in the fifth seed. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts

x − 6. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5), wild card No. 2: Last weekend's stumble against Houston ended their bid to rally for the AFC West title. Now the Bolts will have to chart their postseason path as a wild-card entrant, which is why Herbert won't play in Week 18. Remaining schedule: at Broncos

x − 7. Buffalo Bills (11-5), wild card No. 3: Sunday's oh-so-narrow loss to Philadelphia wiped out their hopes of a sixth straight AFC East title. The Bills fall to the seventh spot due to the Chargers' two-game advantage (5-1) in the common-games tiebreaker. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets

9. Baltimore Ravens (8-8), in the hunt: (The eliminated Colts are technically in eighth place in the AFC.) Their Week 17 win at Green Bay plus Pittsburgh's loss means the Steelers and Ravens will vie for the AFC North crown on Sunday night. Remaining schedule: at Steelers