With the Wild Card round complete, the NFL Divisional matchups are officially locked in, setting the stage for a thrilling weekend of postseason football.
Saturday’s Divisional Round Games
To begin the weekend, the Buffalo Bills head west to Denver to take on the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM Eastern, with CBS Sports carrying the broadcast. Buffalo earned its spot by edging the Jacksonville Jaguars 27–24 in a tightly contested Wild Card matchup. Quarterback Josh Allen delivered an efficient performance, completing 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards while accounting for three total touchdowns — one through the air and two on the ground.
Later that evening, the San Francisco 49ers will clash with the NFC’s top seed, the Seattle Seahawks, at 8:00 PM Eastern on FOX. San Francisco advanced after knocking off the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, 23–19. Brock Purdy sealed the victory with a late six-yard touchdown strike to Christian McCaffrey, while a creative trick play featuring a touchdown pass from wideout Jauan Jennings. The divisional rivals split their regular-season meetings, with San Francisco winning 17–13 in Week 1 before Seattle responded with a dominant 13–3 victory in Week 18 to secure the NFC West crown and home-field advantage.
Sunday’s Divisional Matchups
Sunday afternoon is expected to feature a defensive showdown when the Houston Texans travel to New England to face the Patriots. The game kicks off at 3:00 PM Eastern and will air on ESPN and ABC. Houston enters the matchup after overwhelming the Pittsburgh Steelers, limiting them to just 175 total yards of offense. The Texans’ league-leading defense recorded two touchdowns of its own and brought down quarterback Aaron Rodgers four times.
For New England, Sunday night’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers marked a rare postseason appearance, as the franchise’s last playoff victory came in Super Bowl LIII back in February 2019. Houston, meanwhile, is seeking to overcome its postseason struggles — the Texans have reached the Divisional Round six times since joining the NFL in 2002 but have yet to secure a win at this stage.
The weekend concludes with the Chicago Bears hosting the Los Angeles Rams at 6:30 PM Eastern on NBC. Chicago is riding momentum after its seventh comeback win of the season, once again eliminating the Green Bay Packers with a dramatic 31–27 Wild Card victory. However, the Bears face injury concerns, as linebacker T.J. Edwards is sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken fibula, and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo is also ruled out due to a knee injury.
The Rams arrive in Chicago after surviving a scare against the Carolina Panthers Saturday afternoon. While Los Angeles struggled early, veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford delivered when it mattered most, orchestrating a 71-yard drive by completing six of seven passes. The drive ended with a precise 19-yard touchdown throw to Colby Parkinson with just 38 seconds remaining, securing a thrilling 34–31 comeback win to open the NFL playoffs.
