With the regular season coming to an end, the schedule for the coming season is becoming increasingly clear. The teams’ division results are of considerable importance in this regard.

Shortly before the end of the regular season, some franchises are not focusing on the playoffs, but already on the coming season.

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Even for teams that can no longer reach the postseason, the final games are still significant. The focus is on the teams’ performance in their respective divisions, which will have an impact on their opponents in the coming year.

NFL schedule 2026: How the matchups are determined

The NFL determines its schedule using a specific formula that determines the opponents of the 32 franchises. Fourteen of the 17 games on the NFL schedule are determined independently of the previous season’s results:

– Home and away games against the three opponents in its division (six games in total)

– Games against four teams from another division within its conference in a rotating three-year cycle (2026: AFC East vs. AFC West, AFC North vs. AFC South, NFC East vs. NFC West, NFC North vs. NFC South)

– Games against four teams from a division in the other conference in a rotating four-year cycle (2026: AFC East vs. NFC North, AFC North vs. NFC South, AFC South vs. NFC East, AFC West vs. NFC West)

Three additional matchups on the schedule are determined based on the previous season’s results.

– Two opponents within the conference, based on the previous year’s standings. In these games, the first-place team will face the first-place teams from the two divisions of the same conference that the team will not play this season. The second-, third-, and fourth-place teams in a conference will compete against each other in the same manner.

– One opponent from another conference, based on the previous year’s standings in a rotating four-year cycle. In these games, the top-ranked team in a division will face the top-ranked team in a division of the other conference that it will not play this season. The second-, third-, and fourth-ranked teams in each division will compete against each other in the same manner. The home team for this game will alternate. (2026: AFC East at NFC West, AFC North at NFC East, AFC South at NFC North, AFC West at NFC South)

2026 NFL schedule: Special situation for Detroit Lions

After their 10-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17, it is certain that the Detroit Lions will not participate in the postseason in 2025 after two consecutive years of playoff appearances.

The loss leaves the team led by star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown currently in last place in the NFC North. With a home win for the Vikings against the Green Bay Packers or a Lions loss to the Chicago Bears on the final day of the season – or if both games end in a draw – the Lions would finish fourth in the division.

NFL: What’s (still) at stake on Week 17

This would also give the Lions the schedule of the bottom team in the table in 2026, which leads to matches against weaker teams.

So far, home games against division rivals Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings, as well as NFC South teams New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and AFC East clubs New England Patriots and New York Jets have been confirmed. In addition to the Bears, Packers, and Vikings, they will also play away games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins (AFC East) as well as the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons (NFC South).

The games against teams in the same position in the NFC East and AFC South (both at home) and NFC West (away) will be decided by their position in the division. Fourth place would mean games against the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals, while third place would mean games against the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, and San Francisco 49ers. With an eye on the playoffs next season, these three matchups could tip the scales.