With eight teams left in the NFL postseason, the remaining clubs include some of the league’s most successful teams along with fledgling franchises clamoring for a breakthrough.
Note: This is now updated with the results of the Conference Championship games.
The NFL Divisional Round is finally here, with the league’s eight remaining playoff teams facing off for bids in the Conference Championship Games just three weeks ahead of Super Bowl LX.
While the weekend of Divisional Round games is routinely among the best on the calendar for football fans, the 2025-26 playoffs offer another layer of intrigue with the absence of several preseason title contenders, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.
With a relatively wide-open field, the remaining teams offer a wide range of storylines for neutral fans this postseason. The Buffalo Bills, who famously lost four Super Bowls in a row in the 1990’s, are still aiming for their first-ever championship, while the Chicago Bears search for their first title in 40 years.
On the flip side, other franchises are looking to further add to an already stacked trophy case. Chief among them are the New England Patriots, who will look to win their first title outside of the Brady-Belichick era this season and their seventh overall in franchise history.
While one of the most decorated teams in NFL history, the San Francisco 49ers have been without a Super Bowl championship since the 1994 season, with the odds decisively stacked against them as they take on the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks on the road without their star tight end in George Kittle.
All four matchups this weekend feature plenty of drama and storylines to accompany them as well, with the Bills and Denver Broncos facing in a rematch of the 2024 AFC Wild Card Round, while the Seahawks and 49ers add another chapter to what is already a fierce and storied rivalry.
On Sunday, the Houston Texans will look to break through to their first-ever AFC Championship Game, needing to get past the Patriots without star wide receiver Nico Collins to accomplish the feat in what would be their eighth postseason win in franchise history.
To close out the weekend, the Los Angeles Rams will aim to continue their quest for their second Super Bowl title of the 2020’s against an underdog Bears team in what will be a frigid Soldier Field.
The Bills and Texans stand as the two remaining teams who have never won a Super Bowl title, with the Texans being the lone team to have never appeared in a Super Bowl or even an AFC Championship Game.
The playoff histories between the franchises vary widely as well – while the Texans will be playing in just their 16th postseason game in team history on Sunday, the 49ers’ Saturday night contest will be their 66th in team playoff history.
With the Lombardi Trophy seemingly as up for grabs as it has been in recent memory, here’s a look at the all-time playoff records for the eight remaining teams, along with their most recent Super Bowl victory:

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