NFL Conference Standings 2026
NFL Standings 2026 at a Glance
Updated October 26
- Best record
- Minnesota Vikings 6-0
- AFC No. 1 seed
- Kansas City Chiefs 5-1
- AFC playoff line
- 7th Bengals 4-2 · 8th Patriots 4-3
- NFC No. 1 seed
- Minnesota Vikings 6-0
- NFC playoff line
- 7th Packers 4-3 · 8th Seahawks 4-3
- Clinched / eliminated
- 0 clinched · 0 eliminated · 10 games left at most
NFL conference standings for 2026, seeded for the playoffs and updated October 26, 2026. In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs sit top at 5-1.
The Cincinnati Bengals hold the seventh and final seed at 4-2, and the New England Patriots are the first team outside the line. In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings lead at 6-0.
The Green Bay Packers hold the seventh and final seed at 4-3, and the Seattle Seahawks are the first team outside the line.
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | HOME | AWAY | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L5 | WCGB | PROJ | NEXT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City ChiefsKCAFC West leader |
5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 5-0 | 143 | 103 | +40 | L1 | 4-1 | +1.5 | 14 | @ DEN Sun 11/1 |
| 2 |  Buffalo BillsBUFAFC East leader |
5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 0-1 | 3-1 | 197 | 171 | +26 | W2 | 4-1 | +1.5 | 14 | vs BAL Sun 11/1 |
| 3 |  Cleveland BrownsCLEAFC North leader |
5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 3-0 | 2-2 | 2-0 | 3-2 | 133 | 146 | -13 | W2 | 4-1 | +1 | 12 | @ PIT Sun 11/1 |
| 4 |  Jacksonville JaguarsJAXAFC South leader |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 3-2 | 154 | 104 | +50 | L1 | 3-2 | +0.5 | 11 | vs IND Sun 11/1 |
| 5 |  Denver BroncosDENAFC West |
5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 3-0 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 144 | 141 | +3 | W3 | 4-1 | +1 | 12 | vs KC Sun 11/1 |
| 6 |  Pittsburgh SteelersPITAFC North |
5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 3-0 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 153 | 138 | +15 | W3 | 4-1 | +1 | 12 | vs CLE Sun 11/1 |
| 7 |  Cincinnati BengalsCINAFC North |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1-1 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 3-2 | 163 | 122 | +41 | W2 | 3-2 | +0.5 | 11 | vs TEN Sun 11/1 |
| Playoff cutoff | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 |  New England PatriotsNEAFC East |
4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 3-0 | 1-3 | 2-0 | 4-1 | 160 | 143 | +17 | L1 | 3-2 | 0.5 | 10 | @ MIA Sun 11/1 |
| 9 |  Baltimore RavensBALAFC North |
4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1-2 | 3-1 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 169 | 167 | +2 | L2 | 3-2 | 0.5 | 10 | @ BUF Sun 11/1 |
| 10 |  Las Vegas RaidersLVAFC West |
3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 1-3 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 2-3 | 183 | 197 | -14 | L4 | 1-4 | 1.5 | 7 | @ NYJ Sun 11/1 |
| 11 |  New York JetsNYJAFC East |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 137 | 150 | -13 | L2 | 1-4 | 2.5 | 5 | vs LV Sun 11/1 |
| 12 |  Indianapolis ColtsINDAFC South |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 1-4 | 154 | 180 | -26 | L3 | 2-3 | 2.5 | 5 | @ JAX Sun 11/1 |
| 13 |  Houston TexansHOUAFC South |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 0-4 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-3 | 165 | 170 | -5 | L1 | 2-3 | 2.5 | 5 | @ LAC Sun 11/8 |
| 14 |  Miami DolphinsMIAAFC East |
1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 0-2 | 1-3 | 1-0 | 1-3 | 98 | 157 | -59 | W1 | 1-4 | 3 | 3 | vs NE Sun 11/1 |
| 15 |  Tennessee TitansTENAFC South |
1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1-4 | 108 | 156 | -48 | L1 | 1-4 | 3.5 | 2 | @ CIN Sun 11/1 |
| 16 |  Los Angeles ChargersLACAFC West |
0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-4 | 90 | 151 | -61 | L6 | 0-5 | 4 | 0 | @ LA Sun 11/1 |
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | HOME | AWAY | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L5 | WCGB | PROJ | NEXT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota VikingsMINNFC North leader |
6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 3-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 4-0 | 125 | 74 | +51 | W6 | 5-0 | +2.5 | 17 | @ DET Sun 11/1 |
| 2 |  San Francisco 49ersSFNFC West leader |
6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | 4-0 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 4-1 | 197 | 139 | +58 | L1 | 4-1 | +2 | 15 | vs LV Sun 11/8 |
| 3 |  New York GiantsNYGNFC East leader |
4 | 2 | 1 | .643 | 3-1 | 1-1-1 | 1-0-1 | 2-2-1 | 163 | 161 | +2 | W1 | 3-1-1 | +0.5 | 10 | @ PHI Sun 11/8 |
| 4 |  Carolina PanthersCARNFC South leader |
3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 3-2 | 159 | 166 | -7 | L1 | 3-2 | - | 9 | @ GB Thu 10/29 |
| 5 |  Chicago BearsCHINFC North |
5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 3-1 | 2-1 | 0-2 | 3-2 | 180 | 143 | +37 | W2 | 4-1 | +1 | 12 | @ SEA Mon 11/2 |
| 6 |  Detroit LionsDETNFC North |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 3-0 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 3-1 | 184 | 165 | +19 | W2 | 3-2 | +0.5 | 11 | vs MIN Sun 11/1 |
| 7 |  Green Bay PackersGBNFC North |
4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 3-3 | 144 | 145 | -1 | L1 | 3-2 | - | 10 | vs CAR Thu 10/29 |
| Playoff cutoff | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 |  Seattle SeahawksSEANFC West |
4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 3-1 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 168 | 125 | +43 | W1 | 2-3 | - | 10 | vs CHI Mon 11/2 |
| 9 |  Atlanta FalconsATLNFC South |
3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 1-3 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 3-2 | 171 | 173 | -2 | W1 | 3-2 | 1 | 7 | @ TB Sun 11/1 |
| 10 |  Los Angeles RamsLANFC West |
3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 1-3 | 2-1 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 170 | 159 | +11 | W1 | 2-3 | 1 | 7 | vs LAC Sun 11/1 |
| 11 |  Philadelphia EaglesPHINFC East |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 1-3 | 106 | 137 | -31 | L4 | 1-4 | 1.5 | 6 | vs DAL Mon 10/26 |
| 12 |  Dallas CowboysDALNFC East |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 151 | 159 | -8 | L2 | 2-3 | 1.5 | 6 | @ PHI Mon 10/26 |
| 13 |  Tampa Bay BuccaneersTBNFC South |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 0-4 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 2-2 | 162 | 151 | +11 | W1 | 2-3 | 2 | 5 | vs ATL Sun 11/1 |
| 14 |  New Orleans SaintsNONFC South |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 0-4 | 2-1 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 162 | 194 | -32 | L1 | 1-4 | 2 | 5 | vs CLE Sun 11/8 |
| 15 |  Arizona CardinalsARINFC West |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 142 | 208 | -66 | L1 | 1-4 | 2 | 5 | @ DAL Sun 11/1 |
| 16 |  Washington CommandersWASNFC East |
1 | 4 | 1 | .250 | 1-1-1 | 0-3 | 0-2-1 | 1-3-1 | 132 | 172 | -40 | L1 | 1-3-1 | 2 | 3 | vs PHI Sun 11/1 |
- #
- Playoff seed
- W
- Wins
- L
- Losses
- T
- Ties
- PCT
- Winning percentage
- HOME
- Home record
- AWAY
- Away record
- DIV
- Division record
- CONF
- Conference record
- PF
- Points for
- PA
- Points against
- DIFF
- Point differential
- STRK
- Current streak
- L5
- Last 5 games
- WCGB
- Games behind the last playoff spot (+ = games clear of the first team out)
- PROJ
- Projected final wins at the current rate
- NEXT
- Next game
- x
- Clinched playoff berth
- y
- Clinched wild card
- z
- Clinched division
- *
- Clinched division and home-field advantage
- e
- Eliminated from playoff contention
- ▲ ▼
- Moved up or down since the last games
- Playoff cutoff (conference view)
Standings are updated with the completion of each game. Ties count as half a win. Clinch tags use wins-only maths and appear once a spot is mathematically settled.
How conference seeding works
This view shows how the playoff field would look if the season ended today. The four division leaders in each conference take seeds 1 to 4 by record, the three best remaining teams fill seeds 5 to 7, and the dashed line marks the cutoff.
Only the No. 1 seed rests on Wild Card weekend.
Why the NFL conference standings decide the playoffs
The NFL conference standings are the only table that matters for the postseason.
Division tables decide who wins a division, but the seed a team gets, whether it plays at home and whether it rests on Wild Card weekend all come from its place among the 16 teams in its conference.
Seeds 1 to 4 go to the four division winners in order of record. Seeds 5 to 7 go to the three best teams that did not win their division.
That rule means a division winner with a losing record still ranks above a 12-5 wild card, and hosts it in the first round.
How the seeds play out
The No. 1 seed in each conference gets the only bye and home-field advantage through the Conference Championship game. Seeds 2, 3 and 4 host seeds 7, 6 and 5. After Wild Card weekend the bracket reseeds, so the top seed always meets the lowest surviving seed in the Divisional round.
Because of this, the gap between the No. 2 seed and the No. 5 seed is one home game, and the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is a full week off.
Late-season games between the top four teams in a conference often matter more than the records suggest.
Reading this page
The dashed line after seed 7 is the playoff cutoff. Teams above it are in today; teams below are in the hunt, with games back measured against the No. 7 seed.
Clinch tags appear once a seed is mathematically settled: x for a playoff berth, y for a wild card, z for the division, * for the division and home-field. Arrows mark movement since the last games.
When two teams in the same conference have the same record, head-to-head decides only if they played; otherwise conference record does. The CONF column shows that record for every team, which is why it is on the table. Full details are on the tiebreakers page.
When the conference standings are final
Seeds are set after the last game of Week 18 in early January. Until then the order changes every week, and a single result can move three or four teams at once, so check back after Sunday night and Monday night games.
NFL Conference standings FAQ
Who has the No. 1 seed in the AFC?
The Kansas City Chiefs at 5-1 as of October 26. The No. 1 seed gets the only first-round bye.
Who holds the last playoff spot in the AFC?
The Cincinnati Bengals are the No. 7 seed at 4-2. The New England Patriots (4-3) are first outside the line.
Who has the No. 1 seed in the NFC?
The Minnesota Vikings at 6-0 as of October 26. The No. 1 seed gets the only first-round bye.
Who holds the last playoff spot in the NFC?
The Green Bay Packers are the No. 7 seed at 4-3. The Seattle Seahawks (4-3) are first outside the line.
How many teams from each conference make the NFL playoffs?
7. Division winners take seeds 1 to 4, then the 3 best remaining records fill the wild card seeds.
Why is a division winner seeded above a wild card with a better record?
League rules seed the four division winners first regardless of record, so a wild card team with more wins can still be the No. 5 seed and play on the road.
What does the dashed line mean?
It is the playoff cutoff after seed 7. Teams above it are in today; teams below are chasing, with games back measured against the No. 7 seed.
Updated · last result change Oct 25