Football fans are kinda stressed right now. It's mid-January, the regular season drama is in the rearview mirror, and everyone is asking the same thing: When is the playoffs NFL? Specifically, when does the real "win or go home" pressure start for the heavy hitters like the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks?
Honestly, we are already in the thick of it. The 2025-2026 postseason officially kicked off on January 10, 2026. If you missed Wild Card weekend, you missed a few heart-stoppers, like the Rams barely edging out the Panthers in a 34-31 shootout. But don't worry. The biggest games—the ones that decide who actually gets a ring—are happening right now and over the next few weekends.
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The 2026 NFL Playoff Calendar: Mark These Days
If you're trying to plan your life around the TV schedule, basically just clear your Saturdays and Sundays for the next three weeks. The NFL doesn't mess around with its scheduling; they want maximum eyeballs, which means most of the action happens when you're off work.
Divisional Round: The Heavyweights Enter
This is where things get real. The No. 1 seeds—the Denver Broncos in the AFC and the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC—finally get off the couch. They had a "bye" week, meaning they got to rest while everyone else beat each other up.
- Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026: * Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos (4:30 PM ET on CBS)
- San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (8:00 PM ET on FOX)
- Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026:
- Houston Texans at New England Patriots (3:00 PM ET on ABC/ESPN)
- Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears (6:30 PM ET on NBC)
Conference Championships: The Final Four
One week later, the winners of those games meet to decide who represents their conference. This is usually the best football of the entire year.
- Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026:
- AFC Championship Game: 3:00 PM ET (CBS/Paramount+)
- NFC Championship Game: 6:30 PM ET (FOX/Fox One)
The Big One: Super Bowl LX
The whole circus ends in Santa Clara, California.
- Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026: Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM ET at Levi’s Stadium. You can catch this one on NBC or stream it on Peacock.
Why the Schedule Feels Different Lately
You've probably noticed that the playoffs aren't just a Saturday/Sunday thing anymore. Since 2020, the league expanded to 14 teams. This changed everything. Now, only the top seed in each conference gets a week off. Everyone else has to play in "Super Wild Card Weekend," which now stretches into Monday night.
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We just saw this play out on January 12th when the Houston Texans traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on a Monday night. It’s a move for ratings, sure, but it also creates a weird "short week" for whichever team wins that Monday game.
How to Watch Without Losing Your Mind
Broadcasting rights are a total maze these days. It’s not just "turn on channel 4" anymore. To see every game in the 2026 playoffs, you sort of need a master's degree in streaming services.
NBC and Peacock have the Super Bowl this year. CBS and Paramount+ are your home for the AFC side of the bracket. FOX (and their new "Fox One" service) generally handles the NFC. And then you have Amazon Prime Video, which held an exclusive Wild Card game between the Packers and Bears. If you’re a "cord-cutter," you basically need a rotating door of subscriptions or a live TV service like YouTube TV or Fubo to keep up.
What Most People Get Wrong About Seeding
There’s a common misconception that the bracket is fixed. It’s not. The NFL uses "re-seeding." This means after the Wild Card round, the No. 1 seed always plays the lowest remaining seed.
Let's say the No. 7 seed pulls off a massive upset. They don't just move into a pre-determined slot. They immediately get sent to play the No. 1 seed. This ensures that the teams who worked hardest during the 17-game regular season get the "easiest" possible path (on paper, anyway) to the Super Bowl.
Actionable Steps for the Rest of the Postseason
If you want to actually enjoy the games instead of hunting for a stream ten minutes after kickoff, do this:
- Check your local listings for CBS and FOX: Most Divisional and Championship games are still on "over-the-air" TV. A cheap digital antenna can often get you these in HD for free.
- Audit your streaming apps: If you don't have cable, make sure your Paramount+ and Peacock subscriptions are active before the Conference Championships. You don't want to be entering credit card info while a touchdown is happening.
- Track the injuries: Keep an eye on the Friday injury reports. In a single-elimination tournament, one star player with a "questionable" tag can shift the betting lines and the outcome of the entire season.
- Prep for Super Bowl Sunday: Since the game is Feb. 8, start looking at your hosting or viewing plans now. Santa Clara is on Pacific Time, so the 6:30 PM ET kickoff is actually quite early (3:30 PM) for those on the West Coast.
The path to Super Bowl LX is already narrowing. Whether you're rooting for a dark horse like the Texans or a powerhouse like the Broncos, the next few weeks are basically a national holiday for sports fans.