The Buffalo Bills are hoping it’s finally their year.
Josh Allen, James Cook, and co. have consistently run into the Kansas City Chiefs‘ wall in January, but that won’t be the case this year. The Chiefs are home, meaning the AFC is as open as it has been in years. Whether Buffalo can take advantage of that remains to be seen, but they certainly have high hopes entering the dance.
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Those hopes were dashed slightly in Week 17, since the Bills were officially eliminated from AFC East contention. That means Buffalo will be a wild-card when the playoffs begin.
The Bills can slot in as the No. 5, 6, or 7 seed when the dust settles, creating some uncertainty about their first-round opponents heading into Week 18.
Here’s a look at who could be on Buffalo’s schedule to open the playoffs.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: The New England Patriots’ Robert Spillane (14) and Christian Elliss (53) tackle Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Raiders won the game, 20-13.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fumbles the ball on a tackle by Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. It was a rough Giants debut for Wilson (17 of 37 passing for 168 yards) as the Commanders won the game, 21-6.
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Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Fireworks go off before the NFL Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles opened the season with a 24-20 victory over their longtime NFC East rivals.
Who will the Bills play in playoffs?
The Bills will slot in as a wild-card team in the postseason. Here is who they could match up against:
Bills playoff scenarios
Here are the scenarios that would lead to each first-round matchup:
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Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers
Bills win (vs. NYJ) and Texans loss (vs. IND)
Denver Broncos
Bills win (vs. NYJ), Broncos loss (vs. LAC), Patriots loss (vs. MIA), Texans win (vs. IND) and Jaguars win (vs. TEN)
Bills win (vs. NYJ), Broncos loss (vs. LAC), Jaguars win (vs. TEN) and Texans loss (vs. IND)
Houston Texans
Bills win (vs. NYJ), Broncos loss (vs. LAC), Patriots loss (vs. MIA), Texans win (vs. IND) and Jaguars loss (vs. TEN)
Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills loss (vs. NYJ), Broncos win (vs. LAC), Patriots loss (vs. MIA), Texans win (vs. IND) and Jaguars win (vs. TEN)
New England Patriots
Patriots win (vs. MIA), Broncos win (vs. LAC) and Bills lose (vs. NYJ)
Patriots loss (vs. MIA), Broncos win (vs. LAC), Bills win (vs. NYJ), Jaguars win (vs. TEN) and Texans win (vs. IND)
NFL playoff schedule
The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend before concluding on Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Super Wild Card weekend
All times Eastern
Wild Card weekend
All times Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 10
AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.
AFC/NFC wild card game: 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 11
AFC/NFC wild card game: 1 p.m.
AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.
AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 12
AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 17
AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.
AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 18
AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.
AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.
NFL conference championship round
Sunday, Jan. 25
AFC championship game: 3 p.m.
NFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.
Super Bowl 60
Location: Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
NFL playoff picture Week 17AFC
Denver Broncos (13-3, AFC West winners)*
New England Patriots (13-3, AFC East winners)*
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4, AFC South leaders)*
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7, AFC North leaders)
Houston Texans (11-5, wild card No. 1)*
Los Angeles Chargers (11-5, wild card No. 2)*
Buffalo Bills (11-5, wild card No. 3)*
In the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
NFC
San Francisco 49ers (11-4, wild card No. 1)*
In the hunt: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
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An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will Bills play in playoffs? Breaking down wild card scenarios