Bleacher Report

NFL Playoff Bracket 2025: Updated Picture, Schedule After Wild Card Results

Doric Sam

NFL Wild Card Weekend ended with a slate of four more exciting games.

The AFC East-champion Buffalo Bills opened the day by defeating the Denver Broncos and were followed by a pair of NFC matchups featuring the Philadelphia Eagles outlasting the Green Bay Packers in the matinee and the Washington Commanders upsetting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the nightcap.

The Wild Card Round concluded with the Los Angeles Rams dominating the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

Let's take a look at the updated playoff bracket following the results.

NFL Playoff Bracket

AFC Wild Card Round

No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (bye)

No. 2 Buffalo Bills def. No. 7 Denver Broncos, 31-7

No. 3 Baltimore Ravens def. No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14

No. 4 Houston Texans def. No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers, 32-12

AFC Divisional Round

No. 1 Kansas City Chief vs. No. 4 Houston Texans, Jan. 18, 4:30 p.m. ET

No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens, Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m. ET

AFC Championship Game

TBD vs. TBD, Jan. 26

NFC Wild Card Round

No. 1 Detroit Lions (bye)

No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles def. No. 7 Green Bay Packers, 22-10

No. 6 Washington Commanders def. No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20

No. 4 Los Angeles Rams def. No. 5 Minnesota Vikings, 27-9

NFC Divisional Round

No. 1 Detroit Lions vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders, Jan. 18, 8:00 p.m. ET

No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams, Jan. 19, 3:00 p.m. ET

NFC Championship Game

TBD vs. TBD, Jan. 26

Super Bowl LIX

AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion, Feb. 9

Bills 31, Broncos 7

The Bills rode Josh Allen to their fifth straight wild-card round victory, as the presumptive frontrunner for the 2024 NFL MVP award put on a scintillating performance while becoming the franchise's all-time leader in passing touchdowns.

Allen threw for 272 yards, two scores and no interceptions on 20-of-26 passing to spearhead the victory. He also added 46 rushing yards on eight carries.

In addition to Allen's strong outing, Bills running back James Cook racked up 120 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Buffalo totaled 200 yards on the ground and dominated the time of possession.

Despite Allen's perennial brilliance, the Bills have not advanced past the Division Round of the playoffs since 2020. Buffalo will be facing another tough test this year when it meets the Baltimore Ravens, so Allen will need to be at his absolute best if he hopes to keep up with reigning two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

Eagles 22, Packers 10

It wasn't easy, but the Eagles emerged victorious over the Packers in a chippy battle at Lincoln Financial Field. The two teams combined for 15 penalties, eight by Green Bay, but Philadelphia managed to overcome the sloppy performance to reach the Divisional Round for the second time in the last three years.

The Eagles took advantage of an early mistake from the Packers as Keisean Nixon fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Jahan Dotson.

After the early lead, Philadelphia's No. 1-ranked defense showed up in a big way and pitched a shutout in the first half. The Eagles picked off two passes from Packers quarterback Jordan Love in the second quarter and had another interception in the fourth quarter to seal the game.

Hurts added a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert in the third quarter to provide some breathing room. Green Bay made it a one-possession game with a one-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs early in the fourth quarter, but Philadelphia pulled away with a pair of field goals by Jake Elliott and a strong finish by the defense.

Hurts finished with 131 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions as well as 36 rushing yards. Star running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 119 yards on 25 carries in his playoff debut for the Eagles.

Commanders 23, Buccaneers 20

In arguably the most exciting game of the wild card weekend, the Commanders doinked their way into the Divisional Round with a game-winning field goal by Zane Gonzalez to take down the Buccaneers. It's Washington's first playoff victory since 2005.

The Commanders are the first road team to earn a win this weekend, and they did so with a rookie quarterback leading the way.

Jayden Daniels went toe-to-toe with Bucs veteran signal-caller Baker Mayfield and rose to the occasion, throwing for 268 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding a team-high 36 rushing yards in the win. His touchdown pass to star receiver Terry McLaurin after veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner recovered a fumble by Mayfield early in the fourth quarter gave Washington a 20-17 lead.

After the Bucs tied the game with a field goal, Daniels marched the Commanders down the field for the game-winner. While Gonzalez's kick wasn't pretty, the ball went through the uprights for Washington.

The Commanders' win earns them a date with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Detroit Lions. It can already be expected that Daniels will be ready to deliver on the big stage once again, so fans should surely be excited about next week's matchup.

Rams 27, Vikings 9

Despite having their home game moved to a neutral site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, due to ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, the Rams overcame a tumultuous week with a dominant win over the Vikings.

The Rams tied an NFL playoff record by sacking Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold nine times. On back-to-back Minnesota possessions in the second quarter, Los Angeles recorded an interception and then forced a fumble by Darnold that rookie edge rusher Jared Verse returned for a 57-yard touchdown.

With the defense making a statement, the Rams offense had an easy day. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 209 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on 19-of-27 passing. Los Angeles totaled just 90 yards on the ground.

Despite dealing with a difficult situation off the field, the Rams appear motivated to take down whoever is in front of them. With their defense performing at such a high level, they will have a legitimate chance to upset the Eagles in the Divisional Round next week.

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
Breaking News. Scores. Highlights. Your Teams.
(120K+)