The “wild card race” is the chase for the three playoff spots in each conference that are not won by a division champion. Understanding it is mostly a matter of knowing which comparisons the NFL actually makes, because they are narrower than the standings table suggests.
What is being decided
Each conference awards seven playoff berths:
| Seeds | How they are earned |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | The four division champions, ordered by overall record |
| 5–7 | The three best overall records among all remaining teams in the conference |
The wild card race only concerns seeds 5, 6 and 7. A team eliminated from its division title chase is still in the wild card race, and a team can finish with a better record than a division champion and still be seeded below it — division winners always occupy seeds 1 through 4. Seeding matters beyond the berth itself: seeds 5, 6 and 7 all open the playoffs on the road, and the No. 7 seed draws the conference’s No. 2 seed.
What breaks a tie
The NFL does not play tiebreaker games. Ties inside a division are resolved first, so that only the top-ranked club from each division remains in the comparison; after that the conference criteria apply, beginning with head-to-head results where applicable, then conference record, then record in common games, then strength of victory and strength of schedule. Divisional finish is not itself a criterion, so a division runner-up has no automatic advantage over a third-place team from another division. The complete ordered list is on NFL wild card tiebreakers.
Two practical consequences:
- Conference games are worth more than they look. Conference record sits near the top of the conference criteria, so a loss to a non-conference opponent hurts less in a tiebreaker than a loss inside the conference.
- Seeds are locked once assigned. If several teams are tied, the order decided at the end of the regular season holds for the rest of the postseason, even if the lower-seeded team of a tie goes further.
2026 season status
As of October 10, 2026, no 2026-season playoff berths, seeds, wild card teams or matchups have been decided. All of them are to be announced after the final week of the regular season, and Wild Card Weekend itself begins Saturday, January 16, 2027. We do not publish projected standings, playoff percentages or odds. When the field is official, it will appear on NFL Wild Card Weekend 2027.
Sources: NFL Football Operations (“2026 NFL Schedule Announced”); Wikipedia, “NFL playoffs”, citing the NFL’s tiebreaking procedures.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many wild card spots are there per conference?
Three. They go to the three teams with the best overall records among clubs that did not win their division.
Can a wild card team have a better record than a division winner?
Yes, and it still gets a lower seed. Division champions always take seeds 1 to 4.
Where are this season's standings?
We do not publish live standings or projections. The 2026 season's wild card teams are to be announced after the final week of the regular season.