The regular season is over and the playoff bracket is set after a wild final weekend in the NFL.
A win in Washington coupled with a Minnesota Vikings loss allowed the Philadelphia Eagles (9-6) to squeak into the playoffs. They’ll begin defence of their Super Bowl title on the road in Chicago against the Bears (12-4), the same team that did them a favour by beating the Vikings in Week 17.
After a one-year absence, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks (10-6) are a playoff team once again. The Seahawks will play in Dallas against the Cowboys (10-6) in the NFC’s other wild card weekend matchup.
All six AFC playoff teams won their final regular season games, including the Indianapolis Colts (10-6), who took the do-or-die Sunday Nighter against the Tennessee Titans.
Waiting for the Colts next week are the AFC South Division champion Houston Texans (11-5). The other AFC wild card game features the Los Angeles Chargers (12-4) against the Baltimore Ravens (10-6).
The New Orleans Saints (13-3) and Los Angeles Rams (13-3) get a first-round bye in the NFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) and New England Patriots (11-5) get a week off in the AFC.
Here’s the playoff bracket:
The #NFLPlayoffs are SET! pic.twitter.com/O7ytoh8Tl9
— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2018
Here’s playoff schedule, which begins next week.
Wild card weekend
Saturday, January 5
- Houston Texans (3) vs Indianapolis Colts (6):Â 1:35 pm PT / 4:35 pm ET
- Dallas Cowboys (4) vs Seattle Seahawks (5):Â 5:15 pm PT / 8:15 pm ET
Sunday, January 6
- Baltimore Ravens (4) vs Los Angeles Chargers (5): 10:05 am PT / 1:05 pm ET
- Chicago Bears (3) vs Philadelphia Eagles (6): 1:40 pm PT / 4:40 pm ET
Divisional round
Saturday, January 12
- Kansas City Chiefs (1) vs TBD: 1:35 pm PT / 4:35 pm ET
- Los Angeles Rams (2) vs TBD: 5:15 pm PT / 8:15 pm ET
Sunday, January 13
- New England Patriots (2) vs TBD: 10:05 am PT / 1:05 pm ET
- New Orleans Saints (1) vs TBD: 1:40 pm PT / 4:40 pm ET
Super Bowl LIII is scheduled for February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Saints are the early favourites to win it all.