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Predicting the full 14-team NFL playoff bracket entering Week 4 with a surprise No. 1 seed in NFC

Following a chaotic third week of professional football, a computer simulation of the remainder of the 2026 campaign offers a fresh look at the postseason picture. Analytics expert Stephen Oh mapped out the final 224 regular-season matchups and 13 playoff games to crown a champion and project the fourteen postseason participants.

While most divisions see familiar power dynamics, the projections point to several surprising contenders emerging in both conferences, including an unexpected top seed taking over the NFC. In the American Football Conference, the Jacksonville Jaguars stand out as the only squad expected to defend their division title, which would mark their first consecutive crown since the late nineteen-nineties.

The simulated playoff bracket places the Kansas City Chiefs atop the West and the Buffalo Bills leading the East, alongside the Baltimore Ravens and the Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, and Indianapolis Colts round out the projected AFC field, though struggling winless squads like the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers face steep odds to recover.

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