Welcome The athletics‘s 2026 NFL Playoff Simulator, an interactive tool that lets you ask and answer any question about your team’s path to the playoffs.
Here are our predictions for the most likely teams to make the playoffs in all seven races in the AFC and NFC. These become more uncertain as the season progresses.
AFC
No. 1 seed + wellDiv. Champ., wild card hostWild card
NFC
No. 1 seed + wellDiv. Champ., wild card hostWild card
Latest predictions for all 32 teams
Below you’ll find our latest predictions for a variety of outcomes – from making the playoffs, winning the division, earning the No. 1 seed and winning the Super Bowl.