NFL Playoff Bracket Predictions 2026: Super Bowl Pick & Projected Scores for Every Game

With the 2026 NFL playoffs kicking off this weekend, I'm breaking down the entire field with my NFL playoff bracket predictions for every game from Wild Card Weekend to the Super Bowl - including expert analysis and projected scores for all 13 matchups.

In addition to our experts' NFL playoff predictions for every wild-card matchup this weekend, here are my bracket picks and score predictions along with my pick to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

🆚 2026 NFL playoff bracket

Check out our free printable NFL playoff bracket for the full playoff schedule, or click on the bracket image below to fill out your own bracket for the 2026 NFL playoffs.

🏈 NFL Wild Card Weekend picks

Rams vs. Panthers prediction

The Panthers won this exact matchup six weeks ago by controlling the ball and forcing Matthew Stafford into multiple miscues, which is clearly the roadmap for pulling off the home upset on Wild Card Weekend. Carolina should be able to run the ball again, but I trust Matthew Stafford - who tops our NFL playoff QB rankings - to take care of the football this time around and make enough plays to survive a tricky road test.

Projected score: Rams 35, Panthers 27

Packers vs. Bears prediction

The Packers simply haven't been the same group lately with injuries piling up down the stretch - none bigger than the loss of All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons for the season. Meanwhile, the Bears have improved throughout the year and beat Green Bay in this building three weeks ago. With Rome Odunze likely returning this week and Chicago's run game poised to dominate this depleted Packers front, Ben Johnson should have a winning formula in his playoff debut as a head coach.

Projected score: Bears 27, Packers 21

Bills vs. Jaguars prediction

While all of the attention is on reigning MVP winner Josh Allen and his quest for his first Super Bowl ring, this Bills offense is built around James Cook and a bulldozing offensive line. That makes this an especially tough matchup against the Jaguars, who were one of three teams this century not to allow a 75-yard rusher all season. With Trevor Lawrence playing like a star in Liam Coen's offense, Jacksonville profiles as the better team on paper, even if Allen can win this one on his own with enough superstar plays of his own.

Projected score: Jaguars 24, Bills 20

49ers vs. Eagles prediction

Kyle Shanahan deserves credit for carrying a battered 49ers roster to another double-digit win season and playoff berth. It sure feels like the road ends here, though, against an Eagles team that should be able to run all over San Francisco's beleaguered front. Philly's defense looks like a Super Bowl-winning unit again, so while its offense is prone to frustrating droughts, this matchup plays right to the home team's strengths.

Projected score: Eagles 23, 49ers 17

Chargers vs. Patriots prediction

While Drake Maye has played like one of the two best quarterbacks on the planet this season, this is still a tricky test for the sophomore QB in his first-ever playoff spot - especially against an opportunistic Chargers defense led by Jesse Minter, a hot name in the NFL head coach tracker. Yet Los Angeles' offensive line is arguably the single-worst position group of the postseason, and the Patriots' front has enough playmakers inside to make the Bolts pay and send Justin Herbert home with another playoff loss.

Projected score: Patriots 27, Chargers 21

Texans vs. Steelers prediction

The Steelers needed some magic to survive Week 18 and clinch the final playoff berth, but this is a brutal matchup against the Texans' ferocious defense, which thrives in man coverage and against the quick passing game - which is Aaron Rodgers' bread and butter in this Pittsburgh offense. Houston's attack can be hit or miss, but the Texans can generate explosives through the pass game on this Steelers defense, which nearly cost its team last week with two 50-yard touchdowns allowed in the fourth quarter.

Projected score: Texans 20, Steelers 13

🏈 NFL Divisional Round picks

Eagles vs. Bears prediction

Both of these teams love to run the ball down the opponents' throat, but the Bears have a more dynamic offense - at least that we've seen in practice this year - with Caleb Williams growing by the week in Johnson's multi-faceted scheme. Is that enough against Vic Fangio and this tenacious Eagles defense, which has the personnel to match Chicago on the outside and force Williams into sophomore miscues? Philly's offense hasn't shown much this season, but the Bears' defense is seriously outmatched on paper. If Jalen Hurts can remain patient and pick his spots downfield, that'll be enough to hold on.

Projected score: Eagles 20, Bears 17

Rams vs. Seahawks prediction

It's a shame this matchup could come in the divisional round, because this feels like a title matchup between the two favorites by the latest Super Bowl odds. The Rams likely should have held on in that 1-point loss in Week 16, when the Seahawks rallied from down 16 in the fourth to win in overtime, but Seattle can say the same about a 2-point loss in Week 11 that saw Sam Darnold turn it over four times. These offenses are the best in football, but the Seahawks' defense has been the better unit over the final month of the season - give me the hotter side with home-field advantage and more ways to win.

Projected score: Seahawks 23, Rams 21

Texans vs. Broncos prediction

The two best defenses in the AFC meet in a dream matchup for fans of tight coverage, exotic blitz packages, and game-swinging plays on the defensive end. The biggest difference in this matchup is the Broncos' ability to generate offense in the second half behind Bo Nix, who has a penchant for making defenses pay in the fourth quarter. This one could come down to one or two explosives - I like Denver's ability to limit those on one side of the field and make enough plays to survive.

Projected score: Broncos 17, Texans 13

Jaguars vs. Patriots prediction

The Patriots finished with one more win than the Jaguars in the regular season, though Jacksonville faced a much tougher path to this point while winning eight straight entering the postseason with Lawrence and Coen finding their stride down the stretch. Unlike in the wild-card round, this feels like the ultimate test for a flawed New England team that will be forced into a one-dimensional attack too soon against this elite run defense. Conversely, the Jags' offense is even more explosive when Travis Etienne can find space between the tackles, which isn't hard to do against this Patriots front.

Projected score: Jaguars 31, Patriots 21

🏈 NFL Conference Championship picks

Jaguars vs. Broncos prediction

When these teams faced off in Denver in Week 16, with both teams still in the running for the No. 1 seed, the Jaguars looked like the better team from the jump - scoring the first touchdown and responding to a 10-7 deficit by scoring 24 of the next 31 points for a statement win on the road. I'm not sure why we'd expect a different result in the rematch: Jacksonville is playing like the best team in the AFC with a dialed-in offense and a surging defense that shut down Denver's run game and forced Nix into inefficient throws.

Projected score: Jaguars 28, Broncos 24

Eagles vs. Seahawks prediction

After surviving the toughest test of the postseason in the divisional round, there is some real letdown potential for Seattle in the NFC Championship. Still, the Seahawks' defense should have a field day against a curiously coached Eagles offense that has the tools to win in so many ways but seems deadset on leaving them in the garage. Sam Darnold will have his hands full against Philly's defense, too, but I trust Mike Macdonald in this spot with an assist from one of the NFL's best home-field advantages.

Projected score: Seahawks 17, Eagles 13

🏆 Super Bowl pick & score prediction

Jaguars vs. Seahawks prediction

Both of these teams entered the season as long shots to make the Super Bowl, but these truly are two of the three best teams in the NFL (besides the Rams) with a versatile offense and a modern defense built to put opponents in a bind.

The Seahawks' attack leans heavily on the run game while mixing in play action with various personnel groupings to force the defense into unfavorable spots, only for Darnold and this explosive passing game - led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba amid a historic campaign - to pick you apart. The Jaguars' run game is hit or miss, but Lawrence is playing the best football of his life with the most touchdowns (24) since Week 11 during this win streak.

The difference to me comes down to balance. Seattle has so many different ways to win a football game from the deep and intermediate passing game to defensive and special teams scores or even outright shutouts, while Jacksonville has leaned on a layered passing game to cover up limitations elsewhere. Those small margins become amplified on the biggest stage, and I simply trust the 'Hawks more than any other team in football.

Projected score: Seahawks 27, Jaguars 23

📅 NFL playoff schedule 2026

See the latest NFL odds and our expert NFL picks for every playoff matchup.

NFL Wild Card Round schedule

Saturday, Jan. 10

• Rams (-10.5) at Panthers, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Packers (-1.5) at Bears, 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

Sunday, Jan. 11

• Bills (-1.5) at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
• 49ers at Eagles (-4.5), 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Chargers at Patriots (-3.5), 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Monday, Jan. 12

• Texans (-3) at Steelers, 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)

NFL Divisional Round schedule

Saturday, Jan. 17

• TBD vs. TBD, 4:30 p.m. ET (TBD)
• TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET (TBD)

Sunday, Jan. 18

• TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. ET (TBD)
• TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. ET (TBD)

NFL Conference Championship schedule

Sunday, Jan. 18

• AFC Championship, 3 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFC Championship, 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX)

Super Bowl 2026 schedule

Sunday, Feb. 8

• AFC vs. NFC, 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC)