The 2026 NFL playoffs roll on to the Divisional Round. The winners in this round will advance to their respective conference championships, with the winners of those games playing in Super Bowl 60.
The Denver Broncos will host the Buffalo Bills in one of the two AFC Divisional Round matchups. The Broncos came into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They earned a Wild Card Round bye and will now play for the first time since Week 18. The Bills entered the postseason as the AFC's No. 6 seed and went on the road to beat the No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 to advance.
The Broncos and the Bills will start the divisional round on Saturday, Jan. 17. Kickoff for the game from Empower Field at Mile High Stadium is set for 4:30 p.m. ET, and the winner will have to wait until Sunday to find out who they are playing in the AFC Championship.
Here is more on who the Bills or Broncos could play next in the 2026 NFL playoffs.
MORE 2026 NFL PLAYOFFS:
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- Updated NFL playoff bracket
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- NFL divisional round picks against the spread
Who could the Bills or Broncos play next?
The Bills and Broncos share the same potential opponent for the next round of the NFL playoffs. The winner of their game will advance to the AFC Championship game, where they will play the winner of the Patriots-Texans game.
If the Broncos win, they will be at home for the AFC Championship Game. If the Bills win, no matter if the Patriots or the Texans win, they will have to go on the road for the AFC Championship Game.
No. 2 Patriots
The Patriots went 14-3 in the regular season to earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The pairing of new head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye has already paid dividends as Maye had his name firmly in the MVP conversation just his second season in the league. He played in all 17 games and threw for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
New England hosted the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round. The Patriots emerged victorious from an ugly game with a 16-3 win.
No. 5 Texans
The Texans boast one of the best defenses in the NFL. While the New York Jets made history as the first team to not have any interceptions over the course of a season, the Texans had four players with four interceptions apiece. Add in Danielle Hunter with 15 sacks, and Will Anderson Jr. With 12, and Houston has been terrorizing offenses all season.
The Texans had to go on the road in the wild card round, and they took on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was 10-6 in Houston's favor with 11:23 left. The Texans' defense had a scoop and score touchdown, the offense scored a touchdown, and the defense had a pick-six to finish the game 30-6.
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NFL playoff bracket 2026
