The regular season is a long, grueling marathon, but the real season—the one where legacies are forged and hearts are shattered—doesn't start until the winter air turns sharp. If you are wondering when does nfl playoffs begin, you’re looking at a calendar that traditionally kicks off in mid-January. For the current 2025-2026 cycle, the postseason officially got underway on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
It’s a frantic, three-day sprint known as Super Wild Card Weekend.
Honestly, the NFL has perfected the art of the slow burn. We spend months analyzing Draft picks and fantasy lineups just to reach this point. But once January hits, the tempo changes. It isn't just about winning anymore; it's about not being the team that has to pack their lockers on a Monday morning.
The Breakdown of the 2026 Playoff Schedule
The road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara is mapped out with precision. Because the league expanded to a 17-game regular season a few years back, the start dates have drifted slightly deeper into January than they used to be back in the 2000s.
For this year, the calendar looks like this:
- Super Wild Card Weekend: January 10–12, 2026.
- Divisional Round: January 17–18, 2026.
- Conference Championships: Sunday, January 25, 2026.
- Super Bowl LX: Sunday, February 8, 2026.
Wild Card Weekend is the busiest stretch. You have two games on Saturday, three on Sunday, and that standalone Monday night game that usually decides who gets the least amount of rest heading into the next round. This year, the action started with the Los Angeles Rams traveling to Charlotte to face the Panthers, while the Chicago Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers in a classic divisional rivalry match that kicked off the late-night Saturday slot.
Why the Start Date Matters for Your Team
Seedings are everything. If you're a fan of the Denver Broncos or the Seattle Seahawks this year, the answer to when does nfl playoffs begin was actually "a week later than everyone else."
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By clinching the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC respectively, these teams earned the only available first-round byes. While the other 12 teams were bruising each other on January 10th, the Broncos and Seahawks were sitting at home, recovering from injuries and watching film. It’s a massive advantage. Statistically, teams with that week of rest have a significantly higher probability of reaching the Super Bowl, though the "rust vs. rest" debate remains a favorite topic for sports talk radio every single winter.
Understanding the New Playoff Format
The NFL changed the rules recently, and some folks are still catching up. We used to have six teams per conference. Now we have seven.
This means 14 teams total make the cut. Only the top dog in each conference gets to skip the opening weekend. Everyone else? You’re playing. This change was basically designed to make the final weeks of the regular season more chaotic and to ensure that Monday night Wild Card game became a permanent fixture of our TV schedules.
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The Divisional Round Push
Once we move past the opening salvos, the Divisional Round takes place. For 2026, this is happening right now, January 17th and 18th.
The matchups are set:
On Saturday, January 17, the Buffalo Bills head into the thin air of Denver to take on the Broncos at 4:30 PM ET. Later that night, at 8:00 PM ET, the San Francisco 49ers visit the Seattle Seahawks in what promises to be a physical NFC West showdown at Lumen Field.
Sunday, January 18, keeps the momentum going. The Houston Texans play the New England Patriots at 3:00 PM ET, followed by the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field at 6:30 PM ET.
It’s a gauntlet. If you lose here, the season is over. No second chances. No "we'll get 'em next week."
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Factors That Can Shift the Calendar
While the NFL tries to keep these dates set in stone, nature sometimes has other plans. We’ve seen games moved due to massive snowstorms in Buffalo or ice in Kansas City. However, the "start" week almost always holds firm. The league would rather move a game from Sunday to Monday than push the entire postseason back by a week.
Television networks like NBC, CBS, FOX, and ESPN/ABC also have a huge say in the specific kickoff times. They want the biggest markets in the primetime slots. That’s why you’ll often see teams like the Cowboys, Packers, or Bears headlining the night games—the ratings are simply too high to ignore.
How to Prepare for the Postseason
If you’re planning a watch party or just trying to clear your schedule, keep the three-week block from mid-January to late January open.
- Check the Seeding: The final regular-season games (Week 18) usually end on the first Sunday of January. That is when the official "When do the playoffs start" announcement happens with specific times.
- Verify the Broadcaster: Games are split between multiple networks. You might need a mix of cable and streaming services like Peacock or Paramount+ to catch every snap.
- Watch the Weather: Winter playoff football is notoriously unpredictable. A "Frozen Tundra" game in Green Bay or a windy night in Chicago can completely change how a team plays, often favoring the squad with a better run game over a high-flying passing attack.
The energy around the league changes the second that first Wild Card game kicks off. It's faster. The hits are harder. The mistakes are magnified.
To stay ahead of the curve for the rest of this postseason, make sure you have the updated bracket saved. The Conference Championships on January 25th will determine who heads to Levi's Stadium for the big one on February 8th. Keep an eye on the injury reports for the No. 1 seeds, as their health after the bye week is usually the biggest X-factor in who actually makes it to the trophy presentation.