A Wide Open Field Sets the Stage for Chaos as the NFL Playoffs Begin

NFL League Archives |
Written By Nick Crain | Published at January 9, 2026
Jan 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs onto the field before the game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

As the NFL playoffs begin and Wild Card Weekend brings excitement to fans around the league, perhaps the biggest storyline of this upcoming playoff stretch is just how open the field is. This season was unique in the sense that many of the teams that were expected to win their division and be suitable contenders didn’t make the playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs are not in it this year. The Baltimore Ravens missed the playoffs after a disappointing season. The Detroit Lions, coming off a fantastic campaign, couldn’t get it done and will miss the postseason this year.

And conversely, there have been several significant surprises. The Carolina Panthers won their division over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chicago Bears won their division over the Green Bay Packers, though the Packers still made the playoffs via the Wild Card. The Denver Broncos won their division.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won theirs, though in both of those cases, the Chargers were second in the division behind the Broncos, while the Texans were the same behind the Jags and still made it as a Wild Card. Then the NFC West was just a gauntlet, with three teams winning at least 12 games and all three making the playoffs. One of those teams is the Seattle Seahawks, who earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC and will get a bye through Wild Card Weekend.

It was just an interesting season, and with all the parity of the regular season and no really clear No. 1 team, it’s setting up for a postseason that feels more volatile than usual. There are teams that look like favorites, sure, but there’s no one that feels head and shoulders above everybody else, as we’ve seen in past years. The odds (via FanDuel) reflect that too.

It feels like this is one of the most open playoff races we’ve seen in a long time, and that makes it even more exciting because after this weekend, six teams will be going home and the field will get trimmed down quickly. And there’s no question, across the six games happening this weekend, there will be some upsets. With no juggernaut and a balanced field, it’s more crowded towards the middle than it is at the top of the board, and the Wild Card teams that didn’t win their division are not just filler this year. Green Bay, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others, are teams that made it via the Wild Card in their respective conferences but absolutely have what it takes to make a deep playoff push.

The only real long shot in the mix is Carolina, which is a big underdog in its opening matchup against the LA Rams. But outside of that, even the teams near the bottom of the odds board aren’t sitting in some hopeless range. Pittsburgh at +5000 is second-lowest on the board, and that’s still indicative of what kind of year this is when the Seahawks are the favorite at +390, and it’s not that far back to teams like the Rams at +440 and the Broncos at +650. Even the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles are fourth on the board at +800.

Now, some of these teams are playing well, leading up to the playoffs. Others are trending in the wrong direction. Either way, the parity is going to show up again, just like it did all season long, and that’s why this upcoming playoff slate has a chance to be one of the best we’ve seen in recent history. It’s going to be full of upsets, chaos and the kind of unpredictability that makes the NFL playoffs what they’re supposed to be.

All Odds as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Jan. 9

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