2026 NFL playoff bracket updated after Patriots-Chargers in Wild Card round

The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers changed the tone of what had been an electric Wild Card round filled with fast-paced matchups. Instead, the two AFC sides clashed in an authentic chess match at Gillette Stadium. In the NFL playoffs, though, the only thing that matters is winning, and the Pats will gladly take the victory and move on to the Divisional Round, where they already know who they will face next.

Going into the first-round showdown between Mike Vrabel’s Patriots and Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, many expected both defenses to be the name of the game. That was definitely the case.

Still, despite the low scoring, the game was filled with emotion and nail-biting moments. When it was all said and done, New England squeaked by to secure the win, punching its ticket to the Divisional Round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs.

Who will the Patriots play next?

New England will stay home for the Divisional round when it hosts the winner between the No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers and No. 5 Houston Texans. The Patriots lost to the Steelers back in Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season, but have evolved into a different beast ever since.

Updated NFL Playoffs bracket

As for the Texans, the Pats haven’t faced them since Week 6 of the 2024 campaign, when they lost 41-21. The Texans will take on the Steelers on Monday night to determine who travels to Foxborough to play for a spot in the AFC Championship Game.

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Completing the rest of the AFC playoff bracket are the No. 1 Denver Broncos who are coming off a first-round bye. The Broncos will host the No. 6 Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. Denver will be looking for some revenge of its own as Buffalo knocked them out of the NFL Playoffs last year in the Wild Card round.

NFC playoff bracket is decided

While the AFC is still awaiting the matchup between the Steelers and Texans, in the NFC everyone already knows what lies ahead. The No. 1 Seattle Seahawks will host NFC West rivals, the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, in what will be the third meeting of the season between the two divisional foes. So far, each side has secured one victory over the other.

Rounding out the bracket will be an electric showdown between the No. 2 Chicago Bears and the No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. The winners of each Divisional Round matchup will advance to the NFC Championship Game, which will be held at the home of the higher-ranked team.

As a result, the 49ers’ home—Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California—is guaranteed not to host that game. However, that stadium will serve as the venue for Super Bowl LX, meaning the Niners are just two road wins away from returning home for the biggest game of the year.