New-Look Wild Card Field Ready for Kick-Off

Wild Card weekend ushers in a new-look playoff field that hardly resembles the year before.
New-Look Wild Card Field Ready for Kick-Off
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 2025. Joe Sargent/Getty Images
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The NFL has hit a sweet spot on parity with a vast turnover between this year’s playoff field and the year before.

Seven new division champions and six new playoff teams filled this year’s playoff bracket. Two first-year head coaches guided their teams to the playoffs, and three of four first-time playoff quarterbacks will make their postseason debuts for the Wild Card round this weekend.

Matthew Davis
Matthew Davis
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Matthew Davis is an experienced, award-winning journalist who has covered major professional and college sports for years. His writing has appeared on Heavy, the Star Tribune, and The Catholic Spirit. He has a degree in mass communication from North Dakota State University.