NFL Wild Card Weekend 2026: Schedule, Teams, and How to Watch
The NFL Wild Card Weekend 2026 is finally here. The playoff season kicks off soon, and the excitement is real.
After a wild finish to the 2025 NFL regular season, fans are buzzing about the upcoming matchups. No NFL games are happening tonight, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, but the weekend is packed with Wild Card action.
College football folks, don’t worry—you’ve got the Indiana vs. Oregon game to tide you over tonight. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming up in both the NFL playoffs and college football this weekend.
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Weekend NFL Wild Card Games Schedule
The NFL Wild Card Weekend starts Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. Two games are lined up to get things rolling.
Here’s the full schedule:
- Saturday, Jan. 10:
- Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox
- Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears at 8 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video
- Sunday, Jan. 11:
- Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. ET on CBS
- San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox
- Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots at 8 p.m. ET on NBC
- Monday, Jan. 12:
- Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC
You can catch these games on Fox, Amazon Prime Video, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and ABC. For streaming, check out Fubo, Amazon Prime, ESPN+, Sling, Peacock, or Paramount+—plenty of ways to tune in, honestly.
College Football Action Tonight
No NFL tonight, but college football steps up. Indiana and Oregon square off in the CFP Peach Bowl.
This one decides who meets Miami in the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 19, 2026. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, and you can stream it free on Fubo if you’re hunting for a stream.
Key Details of Tonight’s College Football Game
- Matchup: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Oregon Ducks
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- Watch on: ESPN, ESPN+, Fubo
Miami punched their ticket to the championship by edging out Ole Miss, 31-27, on Jan. 8, 2026. Whoever wins tonight faces Miami in what’s shaping up to be a pretty wild final.
Teams with First-Round Byes in the NFL Playoffs
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks grabbed the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC, so they get to skip the Wild Card round. Both teams are back in action for the divisional round on Jan. 17 or Jan. 18, 2026.
Potential Divisional Round Matchups
- Denver Broncos: Could play the No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers, No. 5 Houston Texans, No. 6 Buffalo Bills, or No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers.
- Seattle Seahawks: Might face the No. 4 Carolina Panthers, No. 5 Los Angeles Rams, No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, or No. 7 Green Bay Packers.
2026 NFL Draft Preview
The regular season’s over, which means non-playoff teams are already thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Raiders landed the first overall pick and rumor has it they’re eyeing Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Top Draft Picks
- 1. Las Vegas Raiders: Probably taking a quarterback for the first time since 2007.
- 2. New York Jets: They’ve got four of the top 50 picks. Not bad.
- 3. Arizona Cardinals
- 4. Tennessee Titans
- 5. New York Giants: Slid to fifth after beating the Cowboys.
The rest of the draft order gets sorted after the playoffs wrap up. For the full breakdown, check out North Jersey Sports.
Super Bowl 2026
Super Bowl 2026 lands on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the San Francisco 49ers, hosts the big game.
This is the second Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium. Super Bowl 60 will air on NBC, so mark your calendar—or don’t, but you’ll probably hear about it anyway.
Current Super Bowl Predictions
- Favorites: Seattle Seahawks (+375)
- Close Contenders: Los Angeles Rams (+425)
- Dark Horses: Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos (odds at +1000 or shorter)
Sports bettors are already jumping in, and right now, the Seahawks are sitting as the favorites to win it all.
The Rams, Eagles, and Broncos? They’re not far behind, and a lot of folks think they’ve got a real shot, too.
If you’re hungry for more NFL playoff details or want to keep tabs on the latest football buzz, check out North Jersey Sports.
