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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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The Los Angeles Rams entered Week 18 with a simple mission: win and lock up the NFC’s No. 5 seed in the NFL playoffs, get the more favorable wild card matchup, and drop the division rival San Francisco 49ers to the No. 6 seed.
That’s exactly what the Rams did, running through the Arizona Cardinals 37-20 on Sunday to finish in second place in the NFC West behind the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks.
Two of the Rams’ division rivals are in the NFC playoff field, and there’s a good chance they could see one or both during their postseason run.
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Who Do the Rams Play in the Wild-Card Round?
Because they’re the No. 5 seed in the AFC, the Rams have a road date with the No. 4-seeded Carolina Panthers, who won the NFC South.
L.A. certainly got the most favorable matchup of the wild-card round. Carolina finished 8-9 and only won its division because the Atlanta Falcons edged out the New Orleans Saints and kept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in second place.
If the Rams win their wild card matchup, they will likely face either the No. 3 seed Philadelphia Eagles or No. 2 seed Chicago Bears. There’s a chance they play the top-seeded Seahawks if both the No. 6 seed 49ers and No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers lose to the Eagles and Bears, respectively.
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2026 NFL Playoff Schedule
The full 2026 NFL playoff schedule, complete with dates and times for all wild card matchups, plus dates and times for the divisional round games and AFC/NFC Championship games and the Super Bowl are below.
Jan. 10: Rams vs. Panthers, 4:30 p.m. Fox
Jan. 10: Packers vs. Bears, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime
Jan. 11: Bills vs. Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Jan. 11: 49ers vs. Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Jan. 11: Chargers vs. Patriots, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Jan. 12: Texans vs. Steelers, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Jan. 17: Divisional round, 4:30 p.m. ET, TBA
Jan. 17: Divisional round, 8:15 p.m. ET, TBA
Jan. 18: Divisional round, 3 p.m. ET, TBA
Jan. 18: Divisional round, 6:30 p.m. ET, TBA
Jan. 25: AFC Championship Game, 3 p.m. ET, CBS
Jan. 25: NFC Championship Game, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Feb. 8: Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC
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