As the 2025 NFL playoffs progress, we inch closer to Super Bowl 59. The divisional round has further narrowed the field, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the final matchups.

Wild Card Weekend Recap

Six teams exited the competition during the wild card weekend:

• AFC Eliminations: Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos.
• NFC Eliminations: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers.

The divisional round brings just four games, compared to six during the wild card phase. By the end of this round, only four teams—two from each conference—will remain to compete in the AFC and NFC championship games.

Familiar Faces in the Final Four

Three of last season’s final four teams are still in contention. Here’s an overview of the 2025 NFL playoff bracket and the latest results.

NFL Playoff Bracket 2025

AFC

• Divisional Round
  • No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 4 Houston Texans
  • No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens
• Conference Championship
  • No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Winner of Buffalo Bills/Baltimore Ravens

NFC

• Divisional Round
  • No. 1 Detroit Lions vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders
  • No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams
• Conference Championship
  • Winner of Detroit Lions/Washington Commanders vs. Winner of Eagles/Rams

NFL Playoff Scores and Results

Results will be updated as games conclude.

Saturday, January 18

• Chiefs 23, Texans 14
• Lions vs. Commanders (ongoing)

Sunday, January 19

• Eagles vs. Rams
• Bills vs. Ravens

Remaining NFL Playoff Schedule

(All times Eastern Time)

Divisional Round

• AFC
  • Saturday, Jan. 18: No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs 23, Houston Texans 14
  • Sunday, Jan. 19: No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens, 6:30 p.m.
• NFC
  • Saturday, Jan. 18: No. 1 Detroit Lions vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders, 8:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, Jan. 19: No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams, 3:00 p.m.

Conference Championships

• Sunday, Jan. 26:
  • NFC Championship Game: 3:00 p.m.
  • AFC Championship Game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 59

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025
• Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• TV: FOX

How Does the NFL Playoff Bracket Work?

Since 2020, the NFL playoffs have included seven teams from each conference:

• No. 1 Seed: Receives a bye in the first round.
• Seeds 2-4: Division winners, ranked by record.
• Seeds 5-7: Wild card teams, ranked by record.

Wild Card Round Format

• No. 2 vs. No. 7
• No. 3 vs. No. 6
• No. 4 vs. No. 5

Divisional Round Format

• No. 1 seed hosts the lowest remaining seed.
• Remaining two teams play, with the higher seed hosting.

Conference Championships

• Winners of the divisional round compete, with the higher seed hosting.

Super Bowl

• AFC champion faces NFC champion in the grand finale.

Stay tuned as the playoff excitement unfolds and teams battle for the ultimate prize—the Lombardi Trophy.

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The Kansas City Chiefs secured a narrow 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday, thanks in part to a late-game error by the Raiders. With just 11 seconds remaining, Las Vegas turned the ball over in field goal range, ending their comeback attempt and handing the Chiefs the win.

This holiday matchup, featuring Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champions, started sluggishly. Both teams struggled to find rhythm in the first half, which ended with Kansas City holding a modest 10-3 lead. The uninspired play led to comparisons to last year’s Black Friday game, leaving many fans wondering if Amazon might reconsider its NFL investment.

Raiders Rally in the Second Half

Las Vegas came alive after halftime, led by rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell orchestrated a pair of touchdown drives, connecting with Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker to take the lead. The Chiefs were suddenly on their heels, and the game appeared to be swinging in the Raiders’ favor.

However, Kansas City kicker Matthew Wright proved to be the deciding factor. Wright nailed four field goals throughout the game, ensuring the Chiefs stayed ahead when it mattered most.

Chiefs Struggle in the Red Zone

Despite the win, the Chiefs’ offensive woes were on full display. Kansas City’s red-zone inefficiency and shaky offensive line play left Mahomes visibly frustrated. The star quarterback faced relentless pressure, forcing him into uncomfortable situations for much of the second half.

Still, Mahomes had a milestone moment during the game, breaking the Chiefs’ all-time passing touchdown record. His second-quarter touchdown to Justin Watson brought his career total to 238, surpassing franchise legend Len Dawson.

Chiefs Clinch Playoff Spot

With the victory, Kansas City became the first NFL team in 2024 to clinch a playoff berth. However, their performance left much to be desired. If the Chiefs hope to make another Super Bowl run, they’ll need to address their offensive inconsistencies and improve protection for Mahomes.

The Black Friday matchup provided moments of drama, but the Chiefs ultimately capitalized on the Raiders’ critical mistake to secure the win. As the holiday season continues, Kansas City will look to fine-tune their game and solidify their position as Super Bowl contenders.

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Despite being the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and the only undefeated team in the NFL and having three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes under center, the Kansas City Chiefs were not the team most likely to win the Super Bowl entering Wednesday, according to the SportsLine Projection Model. That honor — or burden, depending on the point of view –belonged to the Buffalo Bills, who had a 15.7% chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy, slightly better than the Chiefs, at 14.5%.

But that all changed on Wednesday with the reported trade of receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Titans to Kansas City. The Chiefs, who have been shorthanded at wideout with the injuries to top pass catchers Marquise Brown (out for the season) and Rashee Rice (most likely out for the season), reportedly will send a conditional fifth-round draft pick to Tennessee for Hopkins.

Though the 32-year-old Hopkins has just 15 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown this season, he has a résumé that’s better than those of the other Kansas City receivers combined. He has three first-team All-Pro honors, five Pro Bowl selections and seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

The acquisition of Hopkins makes the Chiefs the team to beat for the Lombardi Trophy, according to the SportsLine Projection Model. The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception, says Kansas City now has an 18% chance of winning the Super Bowl. That’s up from 14.5% before the trade and more than the Bills, who are now down to 15%. The Ravens, who had the third-best probability at 14.3% prior to the trade, still rank third but are now at 13%.

“Hopkins is a big addition for the Chiefs,” Stephen Oh, SportsLine’s principal data engineer and the man behind the model, said about the trade. “Hopkins will not only help Mahomes’ completion percentage and touchdown production but also cut down on Mahomes’ high interception rate by providing a security blanket at receiver that Mahomes does not have due to injuries.”

Though Hopkins is well past his prime, he immediately upgrades a Kansas City passing game that has struggled this season. The Chiefs are averaging just 221.5 passing yards per game, which is the team’s fewest since the fall of 2015 when Mahomes was still a sophomore at Texas Tech.

Mahomes’ issues this season have served as the fodder of talk shows across the country. He has thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six) and ranks 23rd in the league in passer rating (82.5), behind the likes of Geno Smith, rookie Drake Maye and former first-round bust Sam Darnold.

As for the Chiefs’ Week 8 game on Sunday against the Raiders, the SportsLine Projection Model is calling for one team to cover 53% of the time. However, that game isn’t one of the two with A-grade spread picks based on model simulations for Week 8. You can find those top-tier Week 8 NFL picks at SportsLine.

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