Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers - NFL 2025
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The NFL playoffs are finally here after 272 regular-season games, and the bracket is set after a parity-filled 2025 regular season.

The 2026 NFL postseason features an all-time record five teams -- the New England Patriots, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chicago Bears the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers -- following seasons with 11-plus losses the year prior. Three division winners -- the Patriots, Bears and Panthers -- made worst-to-first turnarounds, the most in a single season in NFL history. 

That parity sets up an NFL playoff bracket carrying a vibe that anything could happen at any moment. The AFC-leading Denver Broncos (14-3) and the NFC-leading Seattle Seahawks (14-3) will be able to kick back and relax with first-round byes, which provides us with six scintillating wild card-round showdowns. Two games will feature regular-season rematches: the Los Angeles Rams at the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers at the NFC North champion Chicago Bears. 

With all the layers to all six games, we've decided to stack every game and rank them, along with giving you everything you need to know about where and when to watch them.   


All NFL odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

6. (5) Rams at (4) Panthers

Date: Saturday, Jan. 10 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
TV: Fox | Stream: fubo (try for free)    
Follow: CBS Sports App 
Odds: Rams -10, O/U 32.5

This wild card showdown is the first of two rematches from the 2025 regular season. The host Panthers triumphed over the then-No. 1 Rams 31-28 in a rain-soaked affair back in Week 13. Carolina's defense coerced Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford into a season-high three turnovers, a lost fumble and two interceptions -- including a 48-yard pick six to Panthers cornerback Michael Jackson. 

The Rams enter this rematch as the NFL's top scoring offense, averaging 30.5 points per game, with Stafford leading the league in passing yards (4,707), passing touchdowns (46) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (5.8, 46-8). The Panthers return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when then-NFL MVP Cam Newton led Carolina to an NFC title and an appearance in Super Bowl 50. Carolina's -69 point differential this season is the third-worst by a division champion since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger. 

This matchup is last among the six because there's a chance it could get out of hand early as the 10-point spread in favor of the visiting Rams indicates. 

5. (5) Texans at (4) Steelers

Date: Monday, Jan. 12 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh)
TV: ABC/ESPN | Stream: fubo (try for free)    
Follow: CBS Sports App 
Odds: Texans -3, O/U 39.5 

The Houston Texans enter the playoffs as the NFL's hottest team, tying franchise records for consecutive wins (9) and wins in a season (12). Houston possesses the NFL's No. 2 scoring defense (17.4 points per game allowed) and the league's No. 1 total defense (277.2 total yards per game allowed) thanks in large part to fielding the best pass-rush duo in football: five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter (15.0 sacks this season, the third-most in the NFL) and two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. (12.0 sacks this season, tied for the eighth-most in the NFL). When C.J. Stroud and the offense can make enough plays and produce 20 or more points in a game this season, Houston is 11-0. When scoring under 20 points, the Texans are 1-5. 

Four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers guided the Pittsburgh Steelers back to the playoffs at the age of 42 after his 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin held up as the game winner in Game No. 272 against the Baltimore Ravens thanks to a missed 44-yard Ravens field goal at the buzzer. 

The key this one will be Rodgers vs. the Texans' pass rush. If Pittsburgh can give him time to throw, the Steelers have a shot. If not, it could be a long game for the 42-year-old. 

4. (7) Chargers at (2) Patriots

Date: Sunday, Jan. 11 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
TV: NBC   
Follow: CBS Sports App 
Odds: Patriots -3.5, O/U 45.5

The New England Patriots (14-3) enter the 2025 playoffs fresh off tying the best year-over-year wins increase (10 wins, 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 in 2025) in NFL history with the 1999 Indianapolis Colts and the 2008 Miami Dolphins. New England was the beneficiary of playing the NFL's easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots are led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who at 23 years old, is the youngest quarterback in NFL history to lead the NFL in both completion percentage (72%) and yards per pass attempt (8.9). 

He'll square off opposite rocket-armed Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, whose 24,820 career yards passing are the second-most in a player's first six seasons in NFL history. Only Peyton Manning (24,885) had more in the first six years of his career. Both the Patriots (18.8 points per game, the fourth-best in the NFL) and the Chargers (20.0 points per game, the ninth-best in the NFL) are top 10 scoring defenses. 

However, the Chargers' injury-plagued offensive line could stand to ruin this top tier quarterback duel. Herbert is the most pressured (263 quarterback pressures faced) and hit (129 quarterback hits taken) quarterback in the NFL by a noticeable margin this season. 

3. (6) 49ers at (3) Eagles

Date: Sunday, Jan. 11 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
TV: Fox | Stream: fubo (try for free)    
Follow: CBS Sports App 
Odds: Eagles -3.5, O/U 46.5  

This playoff matchup features the NFC Super Bowl representative in four of the last six Super Bowls with the Philadelphia Eagles entering the 2025 postseason as the defending champions. This game also marks the first playoff matchup since the 2022 NFC championship game in Philadelphia, a game the host Eagles won 31-7 after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy tore his UCL in his right, throwing elbow. The 49ers won the last meeting in Week 13 of the 2023 at the Eagles, a game San Francisco steamrolled their way to a 42-19 victory. 

Two of the best running backs in the league, and the last two NFL Offensive Player of the Year winners, will oppose each other with the 49ers Christian McCaffrey and the Eagles' Saquon Barkley leading the way for their respective offenses. The difference in this game could be the 49ers' lackluster pass rush that finished with just 20 sacks, the fewest in the NFL this season, and a 30.6% quarterback pressure rate, the third-lowest in the league this season. San Francisco hasn't been able to recover from All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa tearing his ACL in Week 3, which could be the difference for reigning Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts and his stout offensive line. 

2. (6) Bills at (3) Jaguars

Date: Sunday, Jan. 11 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (try for free)      
Follow: CBS Sports App 
Odds: Bills -1.5, O/U 51.5  

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, enters the 2025 postseason with seven playoff wins, the most without a Super Bowl appearance in NFL history. This game represents the first in Allen's latest and best chance to win the AFC with Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs and Joe Burrow's Bengals, the two teams who have combined to eliminate the Bills in the last five playoffs, both watching from the couch this postseason. However, Allen's Bills are 0-4 on the road in the postseason, so it will be interesting to see if that's a trend Buffalo can flip this time around. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the playoffs as one of the NFL's hottest teams, currently on an eight-game winning streak -- a stretch in which they have combined to outscore their opponents by a whopping 153 points. That's  the fourth-best point differential in a team's final eight games in the last 35 seasons, per CBS Sports Research. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has produced 38 total touchdowns in 2025, the most in a season in team history, and he's playing the best football of his career over the last six games with 19 total touchdowns to just one turnover in that span. He joins Aaron Rodgers (2020) and Drew Brees (2019) as the only three quarterbacks in NFL history with 19 or more total touchdowns and 1 or no turnovers in their final six games of a regular season, per CBS Sports Research. 

This could be an incredibly fun duel between two of the NFL's top dual-threat quarterbacks. 

1. (7) Packers at (2) Bears

Date: Saturday, Jan. 10 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Soldier Field (Chicago)
Stream: Amazon Prime Video  
Follow: CBS Sports App 
Odds: Packers -1.5, O/U 45.5

The Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears, the NFL's oldest/most-played rivalry with 213 games played including their upcoming playoff matchup, will be renewed for a third time in the 2025 season. Each team won at home in the regular season with both games ending in a one-score win. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw an interception with 27 seconds to play to seal a 28-21 Packers home win in Week 14 while Williams threw a 46-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver DJ Moore in a 22-16 overtime win in Week 16. 

In that Week 16 game, Packers quarterback Jordan Love was knocked out of the action with a concussion, but he'll be back for this matchup after sitting out the final two games of the regular season. Green Bay is making its third playoff appearance in three seasons with Love as the team's starting quarterback while Chicago is making its first playoff appearance since 2020 and first of Williams' career under the tutelage of first-year head coach Ben Johnson. 

A Packers-Bears rubber match at Soldier Field in the playoffs after two thrilling, one-possession wins for each team this regular season? This is the best matchup of the wild card round.