It's that weird, mid-January limbo. You wake up on a Thursday, look at the calendar, and realize the regular season is a distant memory. If you're wondering what week of NFL football is it, the answer isn't a number anymore—it's a name.
Technically, we are in the "Divisional Round" week of the 2025-2026 NFL postseason. Today is January 15, 2026. Wild Card Weekend just wrapped up on Monday night with the Houston Texans handling the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now we're staring down a four-game slate this coming Saturday and Sunday.
Football schedules are basically a second language for most of us. For 18 weeks, we count. Week 1, Week 2, all the way to that final chaotic Week 18. But once the playoffs hit, the league drops the numbers. It’s a mental shift. You stop looking for "Week 20" and start looking for "Divisional Saturday."
What Week of NFL Football Is It Right Now?
We are currently in the gap between the Wild Card round and the Divisional round. In the traditional counting of the season, if you really wanted to stick to the numbers, this would be Week 20.
The regular season lasted 18 weeks.
Wild Card Weekend was Week 19.
The Divisional Round, starting January 17, is Week 20.
But nobody actually calls it that. If you walk into a sports bar and ask if people are ready for "Week 20," they’ll probably look at you like you’ve got two heads. It’s the Divisional Round. It’s arguably the best weekend of football in the entire year because the top seeds—the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks this year—finally take the field after their first-round byes.
The stakes are higher. The teams are fresher.
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The Upcoming Schedule (January 17-18, 2026)
The NFL doesn't do "days off" during the playoffs, but they do give us this mid-week breather to argue about point spreads. Here is how the "week" actually shakes out for the games everyone is waiting for:
Saturday, January 17
The action starts in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills travel to Denver to face the top-seeded Broncos at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Later that night, it’s an NFC West slugfest. The San Francisco 49ers, fresh off a narrow win against Philly, head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
Sunday, January 18
Sunday kicks off with the Houston Texans visiting the New England Patriots at 3:00 p.m. ET. This one is on ABC and ESPN. To close out the weekend, the Los Angeles Rams head into the cold of Soldier Field to play the Chicago Bears at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Why Does the NFL Stop Using Week Numbers?
It’s mostly a branding thing, honestly. "Wild Card" sounds way more exciting than "Week 19." By the time we get to mid-January, the league wants to emphasize that the "season" is over and the "tournament" has begun.
The rhythm of the week changes too. In the regular season, you have your Thursday Night Football, your Sunday window, and Monday Night. In the playoffs, especially this week, the NFL condenses everything. They want your undivided attention on those two weekend days.
If you're trying to track what week of NFL football is it for betting purposes or just to manage your social calendar, keep in mind that the Super Bowl (Super Bowl LX) is scheduled for February 8, 2026.
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That means we have three big "weeks" left:
- The Divisional Round (This weekend)
- Conference Championships (January 25)
- The Super Bowl (February 8)
There is a "gap week" in there. Between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl, the NFL takes a break for the Pro Bowl Games. So if you're counting weeks, that empty space can really mess with your internal clock.
The Drama Leading Into the Divisional Games
What makes this specific week so tense is the "rest vs. rust" debate. The Broncos and Seahawks haven't played a meaningful snap in nearly two weeks. Meanwhile, the Bills and 49ers are coming off emotional, high-intensity Wild Card wins.
Usually, the home team with the bye has a massive advantage. But history is littered with No. 1 seeds who came out flat after sitting on the couch for a week. Denver has looked dominant all year, but Josh Allen and the Bills are playing with "house money" right now.
Over in Chicago, fans are losing their minds. The Bears hosting a playoff game at Soldier Field in single-digit temperatures? That is exactly what the NFL is made for. The Rams are a dome team coming into the freeze. That weather factor is something you don't really have to worry about in Week 4, but in this week of the playoffs, it’s everything.
How to Keep Track of the Postseason Calendar
If you find yourself constantly Googling the schedule, you're not alone. The NFL’s move to an 18-week regular season a few years ago shifted everything. The Super Bowl used to be in January. Now, it’s firmly a February holiday.
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The best way to stay on top of the schedule is to focus on the four "tentpole" events:
- Wild Card: Six games, three days.
- Divisional: Four games, two days.
- Championship: Two games, one day.
- Super Bowl: The finale.
We are currently in that quiet Tuesday-to-Friday window where the rosters are frozen and the injury reports are the only "news" we get. Most teams have their rosters locked down as of Wednesday, following the final regular-season weekend.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
Since we are currently in the Divisional Round week, you should probably check your local listings or streaming apps like Paramount+, Peacock, and ESPN+ early. The playoff broadcast rights are split across almost every major network.
If you’re planning a watch party, Saturday's games are traditionally the "big" windows for the AFC and NFC West. Sunday's games usually feature the classic "legacy" matchups. Make sure you've updated your apps because there's nothing worse than trying to find a login five minutes before kickoff in the most important week of the year.
Stay tuned for the injury reports coming out of Denver and Chicago specifically—the weather and health of the quarterbacks in those two cities will likely dictate who moves on to the Conference Championships next Sunday.