Look, the NFL playoffs are a meat grinder. We start with 14 hopefuls in early January, and by the time you're waking up on this Sunday, January 18, 2026, that number has been hacked nearly in half. If you haven't been glued to the TV, you've missed some serious drama. The "Wild Card" label lived up to its name this year, and frankly, some of the outcomes were just plain weird.
Right now, 6 teams are still technically alive in the 2026 NFL playoffs, but that number is dropping by the hour.
Yesterday changed everything. On Saturday, January 17, we watched two teams punch their tickets to the Conference Championships, while two others had their seasons unceremoniously ended. The Denver Broncos survived an absolute thriller against the Buffalo Bills, winning 33-30 in overtime. If you didn't see that game, you missed Josh Allen and the Bills fighting back only to be stalled by a relentless Denver defense in the extra period. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks reminded everyone why Lumen Field is a house of horrors, absolutely dismantling the San Francisco 49ers 41-6.
The Remaining Field: How Many Teams Left in Playoffs Today?
As of Sunday morning, we have two spots left in the final four. The bracket is narrowing fast.
The two teams already through to the next round are the Denver Broncos (AFC) and the Seattle Seahawks (NFC). They get to sit back today, nurse their bruises, and watch the remaining four teams beat each other up for the right to face them next week.
Sunday’s High-Stakes Doubleheader
Today, January 18, features the final two games of the Divisional Round. This is where the last "how many teams left in playoffs" question gets answered for the weekend.
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- Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots: This kicks off at 3:05 p.m. ET. Houston came off a dominant 30-6 win over the Steelers in the Wild Card round, but going into Foxborough in January is a different beast entirely. Drake Maye has the Patriots looking surprisingly disciplined for such a young squad.
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears: Scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. This is the one everyone is talking about. Caleb Williams vs. Matthew Stafford. Old guard vs. new blood. The winner here has to travel to Seattle next week, which... good luck with that.
Basically, by tonight, we will be down to the Final Four.
Why the Bracket Looks So Different This Year
If you feel like the usual suspects are missing, you aren't crazy. The 2025-26 season was a bit of a reset for the league. Think about it: no Patrick Mahomes. No Joe Burrow. No Lamar Jackson. They’re all watching from home.
Instead, we have the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks as the #1 seeds. That hasn't happened in a long time. Seattle secured the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, which clearly paid off given how fresh they looked while hammering San Francisco yesterday. Denver did the same in the AFC, and while they struggled a bit more with Buffalo, they had the home-field advantage they needed to survive that overtime period.
Teams Already Eliminated
To understand why only a few are left, we have to look at who's gone. Wild Card weekend was a graveyard for favorites.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Lost a heartbreaker to the Bills (27-24).
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Got throttled by the Texans.
- Philadelphia Eagles: Lost a close one to the 49ers (23-19).
- Green Bay Packers: Couldn't handle the Bears in a 31-27 loss.
- Los Angeles Chargers: Only managed 3 points against New England.
- Carolina Panthers: Fell to the Rams in a 34-31 shootout.
And as of yesterday, we add the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers to the "maybe next year" list.
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What Happens After Today?
Once the dust settles on the Texans-Patriots and Rams-Bears games, the path to Super Bowl LX becomes crystal clear.
The AFC Championship Game is set for Sunday, January 25, at 3:05 p.m. ET. The Denver Broncos will host the winner of today’s Texans-Patriots game. Denver's thin air and playoff experience make them a nightmare to play at home, especially with the way their run defense has been playing lately.
Over in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks will host the winner of the Rams-Bears game later that same evening (6:40 p.m. ET). After watching Seattle put up 41 points yesterday, whoever wins today’s NFC matchup is going to have a massive mountain to climb.
Super Bowl LX Outlook
Everything is leading to February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. It’s funny—the 49ers were hoping to play a home game for the Super Bowl, but they were the first ones kicked out of the Divisional Round this weekend.
Honestly, the parity in the league right now is wild. You've got teams like the Texans and Bears—who were struggling not too long ago—now just two wins away from the biggest stage in sports.
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Tracking the Numbers
If you're keeping a running tally of the 2026 postseason structure:
- Start of Playoffs: 14 teams.
- After Wild Card Round: 8 teams remained.
- Start of Today (Sunday): 6 teams are still in (2 advanced yesterday, 4 play today).
- End of Today: 4 teams will remain.
It’s a quick slide from "everyone has a chance" to "only the elite survive." If you're looking to place bets or just win an argument at the bar, remember that home-field advantage has been the deciding factor so far this weekend. Denver and Seattle both protected their turf. If New England and Chicago do the same today, we’re looking at a Conference Championship round featuring only the top seeds.
The logic is simple. Keep an eye on the injury reports for the Texans and Rams specifically. Both teams had some "walking wounded" coming out of the Wild Card round, and in a game of inches, that's usually where the wheels fall off.
Track the weather in Foxborough and Chicago today too. It’s mid-January. It’s cold. The "finesse" teams usually struggle when the thermometer drops, and that favors the grit of the Patriots and the Bears' rejuvenated defense.
Keep your eyes on the final scores tonight to see which four teams officially move into the penultimate weekend of the season.