Check out this weekend’s schedule, game times, networks and how to watch.
Wildcard weekend is finally here.
Six games will be played to determine which teams will advance to the regional round.
The Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers open the season on Saturday, January 10th, followed by the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Three more games will be played on Sunday, January 11th, followed by the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, January 12th.
2026 NFL Playoffs Bracket
To keep track of who’s playing who, here’s the early NFL playoff bracket. Always east.
If you can’t see the graphic, click here to reload the page.
How the NFL playoff format works
After this weekend’s games, the performance of the remaining four teams in each conference will determine the district championship standings.
◾ The No. 1 seeds — the Denver Broncos in the AFC and the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC — will host the remaining lowest seeds.
◾ The next highest remaining seed will host the winner of the other Wild Card weekend.
The NFL postseason is divided into four rounds, starting with Wild Card Weekend and culminating with the Super Bowl.
How to watch the 2026 NFL Wild Card weekend game
Always Eastern:
Looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Division Round
After the wild card weekend, the divisional round begins with two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday.
- Saturday, January 17: 2 games – 4:30pm and 8:15pm
- Sunday, January 18: 2 games – 3pm and 6:30pm
Contributor: Ayrton Ostley, USA TODAY
