The 2025 NFL regular season is officially behind us, and after a chaotic Wild Card Weekend that saw multiple road teams pull off upsets, the Divisional Round is set. We are down to the “Elite Eight,” and this weekend features two massive rematches and two matchups involving rested #1 seeds.
Here is your full preview for the NFL Divisional Round (January 17–18, 2026).
Saturday, Jan 17: The Rematches
(6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos
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Time: 4:30 PM ET | TV: CBS/Paramount+
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The Line: Bills -1.5 | O/U: 46.5
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The Story: In a rare twist, the #6 seed Buffalo Bills have opened as road favorites over the #1 seed Broncos. Buffalo is coming off a thrilling 27-24 win over Jacksonville, while Denver is coming off a bye week where they watched several other top seeds fall in the college ranks.
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Key Factor: Can Bo Nix maintain his “clutch” regular-season gene against a Bills defense that just held the Jaguars to zero touchdowns in the second half?
(6) San Francisco 49ers at (1) Seattle Seahawks
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Time: 8:00 PM ET | TV: FOX
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The Line: Seahawks -7.5 | O/U: 45.5
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The Story: This is a heavyweight NFC West trilogy. The Seahawks won the division in Week 18 by beating the 49ers, but San Francisco just proved they are a different animal in January by upsetting the defending champion Eagles 23-19.
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Injury Cloud: The 49ers are dealing with a massive blow as star TE George Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the Wild Card round. They are also monitoring All-Pro LB Fred Warner (ankle), who is pushing to return after missing several months.
Sunday, Jan 18: The Defensive Battles
(5) Houston Texans at (2) New England Patriots
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Time: 3:00 PM ET | TV: ESPN/ABC
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The Line: Patriots -2.5 | O/U: 40.5
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The Story: The Texans just put on a defensive clinic, dismantling Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers 30-6 on Monday night. Now, DeMeco Ryans’ “S.W.A.R.M.” defense travels to Foxborough to face the presumptive MVP, Drake Maye.
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Key Factor: This game features the lowest total of the weekend. If Houston can harass Maye like they did Rodgers (two defensive TDs in the 4th quarter), we could see another massive road upset.
(5) Los Angeles Rams at (2) Chicago Bears
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Time: 6:30 PM ET | TV: NBC/Peacock
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The Line: Rams -3.5 | O/U: 50.5
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The Story: The Bears survived a scare against Green Bay (31-27) to keep the “Caleb Williams Era” alive. They host a Rams team that just dominated Carolina 34-31.
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Key Factor: Matthew Stafford’s hand. The line has already shrunk from -4.5 to -3.5 amid reports of a minor throwing hand injury for Stafford. If he is limited, the Bears’ defense (which leads the NFL in takeaways) will be looking to pounce.
