What a week it’s been in the AFC. Mike Tomlin steps down. Aaron Rodgers career might be over. Jim Harbaugh came close again and did what he typically does in the NFL playoffs. And the Jags? Well, it was a nice season, and a reporter even went out of her way to tell Liam Coen that. Now there are four teams remaining. Here’s our preview of the 2025 season AFC Divisional Round games
Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos
Here’s one of the best heavyweight matches that we are going to see this weekend. It’s Josh Allen trying to get the job finished in a year where there is no Mahomes, Burrow, or Jackson. If there was ever a year for the Bills to finally break through and get back to the Super Bowl, this is the year. In Round 2, they’ve got to face the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Broncos enter the playoffs as the hottest team in all of football. The Broncos had just three losses all season and two of them came in Weeks two and three. For most of this season, they were unbeatable.
The Bills are going to have to figure out how to penetrate one of the best defenses in the league. They are thin at wide receiver with one of the most banged up rooms in the league. But they still have Josh Allen and James Cook. While I have loved everything that I’ve seen from Bo Nix, we don’t have a ton of playoff tape to go from. I think the moment is too big for the young QB and Allen marches on. Prediction: Bills 28 Broncos 24
Houston Texans vs New England Patriots
How about these defenses? These two didn’t allow a single offensive touchdown in the Wildcard round. How about that? The Texans employed the best defense in the league for a majority of the season. It bailed out C.J. Stroud and an offense that was lackluster against the Steelers. They scored 14 points on defense, which was good because the Texans racked up yards but couldn’t punch it into the end zone more than once. They will need both sides working against the Patriots.
The Pats defense was maybe equally as good considering they faced a better offense and still allowed just three points. The Chargers did absolutely nothing. Herbert had just 159 passing yards, the rushing attack never got off the ground and points were few and far between. The biggest question for New England was how Drake Maye would play in his playoff debut. 268 passing yards with a score and interception. If he can manage a few scores in this game, the Pats shouldn’t have an issue moving on. Prediction: Texans 18 Patriots 26