What if the last games counted? Who would advance in the NFL Divisional Round

With the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs set for this weekend (Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18), there’s no shortage of speculation about which four teams will advance to the Conference Championships. But what if the most recent matchups between these teams were the ones that counted?

Bills aim to repeat past dominance over Broncos

Saturday kicks off with the Buffalo Bills visiting the Denver Broncos, who make their postseason debut after clinching the No. 1 seed in the regular season. The teams haven’t faced each other this year, but they do have a high-profile meeting in the not-too-distant past.

A little over a year ago, the Bills crushed the Broncos’ Super Bowl hopes with a 31-7 victory in the Wild Card round at Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen, just for a change, was stellar, completing 20 of 26 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Buffalo outscored Denver, who had started well, 28-0 after the first quarter.

49ers-Seahawks fresh in the memory

Later Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers face the Seattle Seahawks, and this is the only Divisional Round matchup that has already occurred this season. You’ll remember the teams met in Santa Clara less than two weeks ago, with Seattle’s 13-3 victory cementing their spot as the AFC’s top seed.

Texans look to repeat Patriots rout

Sunday begins with the New England Patriots hosting the Houston Texans. The visitors will be hoping for a repeat of their last trip to Gillette Stadium. In October 2024, Houston won 41-21 on the road, with C.J. Stroud and rookie Drake Make each throwing three touchdowns.

The Patriots, with the impressive Maye continuing to grow, will be expecting to offer a much sterner test this time around.

Rams face tough road challenge against Bears

Finally, the Los Angeles Rams travel to the Chicago Bears, aiming to avoid a second straight defeat at Soldier Field. A 24-18 victory in September 2024 was one of only five wins for the Bears all season, which also happened to be Caleb Williams’ rookie year as quarterback.

Similarly, both Chicago and Williams have improved significantly over the past year and will draw confidence from having previously defeated Matthew Stafford and Co. not too long ago.

NFL Divisional Round playoff schedule

Saturday, Jan 17., 2026

• Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos | 4:30 p.m. ET
• San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks | 8:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan 18., 2026

• Houston Texans at New England Patriots | 3:00 p.m. ET
• Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears | 6:30 p.m. ET

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