NFL Playoff Power Rankings: Seahawks, Broncos top conferences as No. 1 seeds

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NFL Playoff Power Rankings: Seahawks, Broncos top conferences as No. 1 seeds

Mike Johrendt, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jan 8, 2026 ·

10 min read

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NFL Playoff Power Rankings: Seahawks, Broncos top conferences as No. 1 seeds appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The NFL playoffs are finally here, as the best 14 teams will face off to crown a new Super Bowl champion. Entering the Wild Card Weekend, there are plenty of exciting matchups that should make for great games – see how the AFC and NFC playoff brackets shake out in ClutchPoints' NFL Playoff Power Rankings.

1. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks earned a much-needed bye week, as they are the top seed in the NFC playoff picture. On the heels of a thrilling Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers , locking up both the NFC West and the top seed in the NFC means a lot for this team.

Sam Darnold has been playing inspired football over the past few weeks, and the two-headed tandem of Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker has helped anchor offensive coordinator Klink Kubiak's offense perfectly. A slight-susecptible defense could be this team's ticket to an early exit, but this is one of the most well-rounded teams in the entire playoff picture.

2. Los Angeles Rams

Sliding in as the fifth seed in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams check in as the second-best team in ClutchPoints' NFL Playoff Power Rankings. While it is likely a surprise seeing the Rams this high up, it remains to be seen if another NFL team can compete with the offensive firepower that the Rams have, but only when they are all healthy.

Welcoming Davante Adams back for LAR's Wild Card matchup with the Carolina Panthers would help this offense get back to full strength, as he is a missing piece in the red zone. But without Adams, Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua still form one of the league's best QB-WR tandems, with the Rams' defense showing signs of peaking just at the right time, especially with their pass rush.

3. Denver Broncos

The top seed in the AFC finds itself third in the NFL Playoff Power Rankings, as the Denver Broncos were not seen as a preseason contender for the top spot in their conference. Comfortably winning the AFC West, Bo Nix has been en fuego in Sean Payton's offense, finishing as the QB7 in fantasy football for the second straight season.

But while the offense earns the headlines, it is Vance Joseph's defense that is this team's calling card, as only the Houston Texans allow fewer yards per game than the Broncos (278.2). That, paired with being the only defense in the league to allow fewer than 30 touchdowns all year, will be a big reason why they can pull out a few ugly games this postseason, getting down and dirty and relying on a strong defensive secondary to lock down opposing pass catchers.

4. New England Patriots

Drake Maye 's MVP hype train has pushed the New England Patriots into the two seed in the AFC, and they have looked very strong as they head into the postseason. Maye's sophomore season in the NFL saw massive growth across the board, throwing 16 more touchdowns and two fewer interceptions than his rookie season.

A Wild Card matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers will present a tough matchup, but the New England defense is more than adept at answering that call. Look for the strong pass rush to make things tough for Justin Herbert , as Mike Vrabel looks to enjoy some postseason success with the same team he won three Super Bowls with.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

It has been quite the fun debut season for head coach Liam Coen, as the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a lasting impression on the AFC. Settling in as the three seed, Jacksonville won the AFC South for the first time since 2022, and a lot of that is thanks to the relationship between Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence .

Lawrence took a massive step forward this year, as Coen helped unleash the former first overall selection. With a plethora of targets involved in the passing game (even with Travis Hunter out for the year), the JAX offense is one of the most fun units to watch in the playoffs this season.

6. San Francisco 49ers

Losing to the Seahawks in Week 18 forced the San Francisco 49ers to tumble to the sixth seed in the NFC, giving them a super tough matchup in the Wild Card round. But facing the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs is nothing new for Brock Purdy and the Niners, as they will need to spring a road upset over the winners of the NFC East.

A bounce-back game from Purdy, Christian McCaffrey , and the rest of the season has to happen if San Francisco has any chance of earning a win. The overall team's performance in their loss to Seattle left a lot to be desired, and if that continues into the Wild Card round, it could be an early exit for a team that is one of the strongest in the NFC playoff bracket.

7. Buffalo Bills

The pressure is on Josh Allen and Sean McDermott to make some noise in the AFC playoffs, especially with Patrick Mahomes , Joe Burrow , and Lamar Jackson already in Cancun. But after failing to keep pace with New England in the AFC East race, Buffalo faces a tough opening test, having to travel south to face Jacksonville.

The run game, specifically how Allen is used in the run game, will dictate how things go for the Bills this week. If offensive coordinator Joe Brady leans on his superstar quarterback in both aspects of the offense, then this offense should move incredibly smoothly; if the offense becomes one-dimensional again and forces Allen to be a pocket passer all game, then things could come off the rails very quickly for Buffalo.

8. Houston Texans

The Houston defense has earned the vast majority of the headlines this season, as DeMeco Ryans has had this unit at the top of its game all year. But the connection between C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins will have to step up against a Pittsburgh defense that will make things tough for the running game to get moving.

Surprisingly not playing in the early Saturday time slot, the Texans get to showcase why they belong on the primetime, Monday night game in the opening round. A win here would be one of the best wins in the Ryans era, a victory that would potentially cement them as a fringe AFC contender moving forward.

9. Philadelphia Eagles

There isn't a lot of confidence in this Eagles roster heading into the Wild Card round, as the decision by Nick Sirianni to sit his starters in Week 18 resulted in Philly missing out on the second seed. Instead of an easier matchup, the Eagles now will play host to the Niners, a team that was on the cusp of clinching the top seed in the NFC before a Week 18 loss.

It hasn't been the headline-dominating year like usual for Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley , as the Philly offense has looked like a shell of itself. As a big-time benefactor of a weak division, the Eagles come in as the ninth-rated team in the NFL Playoff Power Rankings.

10. Chicago Bears

It was not an easy season for the Chicago Bears, as they faced a slow start and a tough NFC North division. But pushing through all of that earned Ben Johnson a postseason berth and a divisional title in his first year as head coach, but things only get tougher heading into the playoffs.

A rematch with the Green Bay Packers awaits the Bears on Saturday night, a game that will have the brightest of lights shining down on Soldier Field. As Caleb Williams looks to add another notch to his belt, the Bears will need to put their hatred of the Packers aside and focus on winning a home playoff game, which would be their first since 2010.

11. Los Angeles Chargers

Going up against the red-hot Patriots will be a tall order for the Chargers, as they enter the playoffs as the seven seed in the AFC. With Herbert needing to look like Hercules yet again behind the Chargers' offensive line, it remains to be seen just how cohesive this offense will look in the next four quarters.

The Chargers are strong in enough areas to make the playoffs in the AFC, but their roster as a whole has enough holes to not be expected to pull off the upset. But for the upset-minded Chargers, it will take a team effort on all sides of the ball, something that Jim Harbaugh will need to keep at the top of his mind come Sunday.

12. Green Bay Packers

Injuries have rocked the Packers all year, as they have lost Micah Parsons , Tucker Kraft , Elgton Jenkins , and countless others for the rest of the year. Needing to string together a makeshift starting lineup at times, the play of Jordan Love (when healthy) has helped get this team back to the postseason yet again.

However, their roster is as thin as it can get when compared to the rest of the playoff field, making their battle an uphill one against the Bears this weekend. Some reason seen as the favorite in Vegas, based on being 1.5-point favorites, it will be up to the right arm of Love and the brain of Matt LaFleur to help keep the Bears as the Packers' little brother.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers

A missed field goal at the buzzer is the only reason that the Steelers made the 2025-26 NFL playoffs, and while Aaron Rodgers usually finds a new gear come January, this roster screams early exit. A strong pass rush is quickly forgotten when looking at the defensive secondary, and the one-two combo at running back between Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren gets lost in the weeds when looking at the wide receiver depth chart behind DK Metcalf .

It will be up to Rodgers to work some Hall of Fame magic once again, as Mike Tomlin is looking for his first playoff win since January 15, 2017.

14. Carolina Panthers

The final team in ClutchPoints' NFL Playoff Power Rankings is the Carolina Panthers, who won the sluggish battle for the NFC South crown in tiebreaker fashion. Having lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18, the Panthers earned the divisional title because of a win by the Atlanta Falcons over the New Orleans Saints that same week, which is peak NFC South as it gets.

Bryce Young 's first taste of playoff football will come at home, as Carolina will look to have Bank of America Stadium rocking Saturday afternoon. Facing a Rams team that the Panthers somehow took down earlier this season, head coach Dave Canales will have his hands full keeping this roster in the moment, as they feel like they are still a year away from being a deserving playoff entrant.

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