The 2026 NFL playoffs begin with Wild Card Weekend, featuring six games from Saturday to Monday as 12 teams vie for spots in the divisional round. Top seeds Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos earn byes, while defending champions Philadelphia Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers. SportsLine's model provides predictions after simulating each game 10,000 times.
The 2026 NFL Wild Card Weekend schedule kicks off on Saturday, January 10, with the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Carolina Panthers at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Green Bay Packers at the Chicago Bears at 8 p.m. ET. Sunday's slate includes the Buffalo Bills at the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. ET, the 49ers at the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the Los Angeles Chargers at the New England Patriots at 8 p.m. ET. The weekend concludes Monday with the Houston Texans at the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8 p.m. ET on "Monday Night Football."
Key storylines abound across the matchups. The Steelers, who clinched the AFC North with a Week 18 win over the Ravens, face the Texans, who enter on a nine-game winning streak and boast the NFL's top-ranked total defense, allowing just 277.2 yards per game. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin praised Houston's edge rushers Danielle Hunter (15 sacks) and Will Anderson Jr. (12 sacks), calling them "the most dynamic edge rush tandem in the National Football League in 2025." The model predicts a close 22-21 Texans win but backs the over on 39.5 points.
In the NFC, the Bears host the Packers in a heated rivalry renewed for the third time in a month after splitting regular-season games. Chicago, the No. 2 seed, is favored at home despite Green Bay's historical dominance. The model leans toward the Bears covering as 1.5-point underdogs, projecting a 25-23 Chicago victory.
Odds highlight tight spreads, with the Rams favored by 10.5 over the Panthers and the Eagles by 4.5 against the 49ers. Fresh playoff teams like the Jaguars (eight-game streak) and Patriots (13-1 in last 14) add intrigue. Super Bowl LX looms on February 8 in Santa Clara, California, as these games set the postseason tone.
