After a thrilling opening weekend, the NFL playoffs roll on with the divisional round this weekend.
The action begins with Bills vs. Broncos on Saturday, followed by 49ers at Seahawks. By the conclusion of Sunday’s two games — Texans at Patriots and Rams at Bears — the matchups for both of the conference championships will be set.
It all leads up to Super Bowl 60, which is set for Sunday, Feb. 8, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Here are some fun facts, storylines and what-ifs for each of the eight teams remaining in this year’s NFL playoffs.
AFC: 6 Buffalo Bills at 1 Denver Broncos
When and where: 1:30 p.m. PT Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver
TV: CBS/Paramount+
Odds: Broncos by 1.5; over/under: 45.5
Will Bo Nix stay clutch for Broncos?
During the regular season, quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to fourth-quarter comebacks five times. They overcame a 14-point deficit against the Philadelphia Eagles to win 21-17. They eked out a 13-11 win against the New York Jets. They trailed 19-0 against the New York Giants but won 33-32, scoring all 33 of their points in the fourth quarter. They rallied from eight points down to beat the Houston Texans 18-15. They were down by three against Kansas City but won 22-19. If the game was close and the Broncos needed a score, they could seemingly always rely on the former Oregon Ducks star to come through. If Nix can stay clutch during the playoffs, then good things might be ahead for the AFC’s top-seeded team. The Broncos face a formidable challenge in Josh Allen and the Bills, with Denver a narrow 1.5-point favorite. But the Broncos went 8-1 at home this season.
Can Josh Allen and Bills reverse the curse?
Surely the Bills aren’t cursed, but Buffalo fans could be forgiven for feeling that way. The Bills made the Super Bowl four consecutive times in the 1990s, only to lose each time. Fast forward a few decades, and the team has been trying to make it back ever since. Josh Allen is the reigning NFL MVP but has lost both times he and the Bills have advanced to the AFC championship game. To get back to the Super Bowl this year, and potentially deliver the first Super Bowl victory for the franchise, Allen will need to turn the No. 6 seed Bills into road warriors. They would need to win at Denver, then at either New England or Houston, to advance to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California. The Bills-Broncos game is a rematch from last year’s wild-card playoffs, with Buffalo thumping Denver 31-7 in that one.
NFC: 6 San Francisco 49ers at 1 Seattle Seahawks
When and where: 5 p.m. PT Saturday at Lumen Field in Seattle
TV: Fox
Odds: Seahawks by 7; over/under: 45.5
Can Seahawks extend the trend?
The Seahawks have advanced to the Super Bowl three times in franchise history, in the 2005, 2013 and 2014 seasons. Although they won it all just once, clobbering the Broncos 43-8 to end the 2013 season, there was a common theme to all three Super Bowl berths. Each time, the Seahawks were the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That is the case once again this season, so Seattle of course will look to extend the trend. To get to Super Bowl 60, quarterback Sam Darnold will need to win a playoff game for the first time in his career, and then do it again. The first order of business is getting past the division-rival San Francisco 49ers, whom Seattle beat 13-3 just two weeks ago in the regular-season finale. Darnold is listed as questionable with an oblique injury but said Thursday that he expects to play.
Comfort of Levi’s for 49ers?
Super Bowl 60 is set to be played at Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers. If the 49ers can make the Super Bowl as the No. 6 seed, they would be just the third team to play in the big game in their home stadium. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did so to cap off the 2020 season, with Tom Brady leading them to a 31-9 victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. And the very next year, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to win the Super Bowl on their home field, SoFi Stadium. But for decades before that, many considered it a curse for a team to host the Super Bowl because reaching the game proved elusive for so many teams for so long. Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey lead a potent 49ers offense, but that unit will be without the injured George Kittle. And defensive star Fred Warner also is out for San Francisco.
AFC: 5 Houston Texans at 2 New England Patriots
When and where: Noon PT Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
TV: ESPN/ABC
Odds: New England by 3; over/under: 40.5
Are the Patriots on the verge of another dynasty?
We’ve heard this one before: A star quarterback emerges for New England, and the Patriots go on to rack up the wins and championships. Tom Brady is gone, but has the torch of greatness been passed to Drake Maye? And does the second-year quarterback have New England on the verge of another dynasty? Maye was stellar throughout the 2025 regular season, leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record and the AFC’s No. 2 seed in the playoffs. After making short work of the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend, Maye and New England now play host to the league’s best defense in the Houston Texans. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combined for 27 sacks during the regular season and tacked on 1.5 more in their playoff opener. But Maye directs an offense that has been humming along quite nicely. And the Patriots boast a top 10 defense as well, with that unit allowing just 207 yards to the Chargers.
Could Texans host AFC title game?
The Houston Texans started the season 0-3 and sat at 3-5 after a home loss to Denver on Nov. 2. They haven’t lost since, reeling off nine consecutive wins to close out the regular season and then crushing the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Monday night. If the No. 5 seed Texans and their fearsome defense can take down the Patriots, they would advance to the AFC championship game. And if Josh Allen and the No. 6 Buffalo Bills also can pull the road upset against Denver, then the Texans improbably would host the AFC title game. Going from 0-3 to conference championship host would be quite a feat. Only seven teams in the Super Bowl era have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, and none of the previous six made it that far. The Texans also are the only team of the eight left in the playoffs that has never reached a Super Bowl.
When was each playoff team last in the Super Bowl?
Seattle Seahawks: Super Bowl 49 in 2015 — New England 28, Seattle 24
San Francisco 49ers: Super Bowl 54 in 2020 — Kansas City 31, San Francisco 20
Chicago Bears: Super Bowl 41 in 2007 — Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17
Los Angeles Rams: Super Bowl 56 in 2022 — L.A. Rams 23, Cincinnati 20
Denver Broncos: Super Bowl 50 in 2016 — Denver 24, Carolina 10
Buffalo Bills: Super Bowl 28 in 1994 — Dallas 30, Buffalo 13
New England Patriots: Super Bowl 53 in 2019 — New England 13, L.A. Rams 3
Houston Texans: No appearances
NFC: 5 Los Angeles Rams at 2 Chicago Bears
When and where: 3:30 p.m. PT Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago
TV: NBC/Peacock
Odds: Rams by 4.5; over/under: 48.5
Will the Loveland connection continue?
The Bears are getting big contributions from several of their young stars, first and foremost second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. But tight end Colston Loveland has been Williams’ top target across the past three games, with the former Michigan star racking up 24 catches for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow rookie Luther Burden also has stepped it up, with 20 receptions for 299 yards and a touchdown in the past four games. With receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze ever present as well, the Bears’ passing game has been thriving. If Williams can continue to deliver the ball to his playmakers while also using his feet to elude defenders — he has been sacked just twice in the past four games — then No. 2 seed Chicago will continue to be dangerous.
Can Matthew Stafford thrive in the cold?
Quarterback Matthew Stafford is the favorite to win NFL MVP this year and is just four years removed from winning the Super Bowl. But this week Stafford and the fifth-seeded Rams will go from the 80-degree weather of L.A. to the frigid, near 20-degree weather of Chicago. Stafford has been here before, though. He played 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions and played plenty of cold-weather games at Chicago and Green Bay. “We don’t care what the weather is here, what it is there, just go play,” Stafford told reporters this week. He has a great set of offensive weapons around him to do just that, from receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to running back Kyren Williams to a productive tight end corps that includes former Oregon Ducks standout Terrance Ferguson.
Odds to win Super Bowl 60
Two NFC West teams are the favorites to win the Super Bowl, according to oddsmakers at Draft Kings:
Seattle Seahawks: +270
Los Angeles Rams: +320
New England Patriots: +600
Buffalo Bills: +650
Denver Broncos: +700
Houston Texans: +850
Chicago Bears: +1600
San Francisco 49ers: +2000