NFL Playoffs 2025/26 Overview & Betting Odds

The NFL’s regular season is over and the countdown to Super Bowl LX is officially underway. With the Wild Card round taking place last weekend, the NFL Playoffs are in full swing and the best teams in the league are preparing for their biggest games of the year. Here at Spreadex, we have a plethora of markets for both fixed odds and spread betting so you can bet on all the action. Read on below for our betting preview, with key dates, information and betting odds.

When are the NFL Playoffs?

January 10th – February 8th, 2026. The Wild Card Round ran from the 10th – 13th January, with the Divisional Round and Conference Championships to be played over the next two weekends before Super Bowl LX concludes the season on February 8th.

How do the NFL Playoffs work?

The winners of each of the four divisions in each conference during the regular season automatically progress to the Playoffs and are seeded 1-4 in their conference based on record. Then the three teams from each conference with the best records (excluding division winners) will be seeded 5-7. Higher seeded teams always play at home, and the number one seed of each conference gets a bye through the Wild Card Round.

The Wild Card Round is followed by the Divisional Round and then the Conference Championships, where AFC and NFC champions are crowned. The two champions then meet in the Super Bowl.

Who qualified for the Playoffs?

AFC – 1. Denver Broncos, 2. New England Patriots, 3. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5. Houston Texans, 6. Buffalo Bills, 7. Los Angeles Chargers.

NFC – 1. Seattle Seahawks, 2. Chicago Bears, 3. Philadelphia Eagles, 4. Carolina Panthers, 5. Los Angeles Rams, 6. San Francisco 49ers, 7. Green Bay Packers.

Some notable absentees include the Kansas City Chiefs, who had featured in the last three Super Bowls, winning two of them, and the Detroit Lions who were the number one seed in the NFC last season. Star quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are also missing after their teams, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, failed to make the post-season.

What has happened so far in the playoffs?

AFC Wild Card Round:

(3) Jacksonville Jaguars 24 – 27 Buffalo Bills (6) 
(2) New England Patriots 16 – 3 Los Angeles Chargers (7)
(4) Pittsburgh Steelers 6 – 30 Houston Texans (5)

NFC Wild Card Round:

(4) Carolina Panthers 31 – 34 Los Angeles Rams (5)
(2) Chicago Bears 31 – 27 Green Bay Packers (7)
(3) Philadelphia Eagles 19 – 23 San Francisco 49ers (6)

What’s next in the NFL playoffs?

With the Wild Card Round in the books, the NFL’s best eight teams remain in play for the Divisional Round. The rested number one seeds in each conference will take on the lowest-seeded team to progress through the Wild Card Round in their conference. See this weekend’s full schedule below.

Saturday, 17 January:
(6) Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos (1) - 21:30
(6) San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks (1) - 01:00 (Sunday morning)

Sunday, 18 January:
(5) Houston Texans @ New England Patriots (2) - 20:00
(5) Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears (2) - 23:30

How to bet on the NFL Playoffs:

We have markets live now for this weekend’s divisional round, as well as markets for the winners of each conference and the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have the shortest odds to be crowned Super Bowl champions in February, currently priced at 27/10. The NFC’s number one seed boasts formidable units on both sides of the ball, and a quarterback playing some of the best football of his career in the recently rejuvenated Sam Darnold. Their division rivals the Los Angeles Rams have the second shortest odds, at 16/5 to win it all. Head coach Sean McVay and potential MVP quarterback Matt Stafford are no strangers to deep playoff runs, having won Super Bowl LVI back in the 2022/23 season. The Buffalo Bills can be backed at 5/1. Led by reigning MVP Josh Allen, the Bills have been eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs in the last two post-seasons. With their nemesis notably absent from this year’s playoffs, can the Bills make a deep run?

Longer odds belong to the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers, at 16/1 and 20/1 respectively. The Bears haven’t reached the Divisional Round since 2010, but with home-field advantage, fans will be desperate for their young side to break new ground. The Niners were runners up in Super Bowl LVII back in the 2023/24 season and still have the same core group which led the team on such a run. You can find our outright fixed odds markets for the Super Bowl, as well as for the Conference Championships, here.

If you’re interested in spread betting this NFL post-season, you can check out our Super Bowl Index market. This makes up at 100 for the Super Bowl champion, 70 for the runner up, 50 for Conference Championship losers and 33 for Divisional Round losers. The Seahawks once again lead the way here, with a spread of 60.5-62.5. The New England Patriots, who won three Super Bowls during the 2010s, have a spread of 53.5-55.5. The 49ers currently have the lowest spread, at 39-41, with injuries haunting the team all season.

We also offer markets for fixed odds and spread betting on each individual game in the lead up to Super Bowl LX. Our markets for the Divisional Round match-ups are live now on the Spreadex site, including our individual player markets like the player passing yards market. This allows you to bet on the number of yards a player will pass for during their game. You can back reigning MVP Josh Allen to pass for over 275 yards in his game against a strong Denver defence at 7/2. You can also back New England’s sophomore star Drake Maye to have over 275 passing yards against Houston at 5/2.

Need help understanding American Football spread betting?

You can visit our American Football spread betting education centre for all the information you need to understand our spread betting markets. See examples of how spread betting works, watch short explainer videos, and try interactive betting widgets to see how win or loss levels work on different bets.

Please note that this preview is not designed to offer any betting advice or suggestions. All prices quoted correct as of 9am 14th January. Price Boosts and other markets will be added closer to kick-off time.