NFL 2025-2026 Divisionals Prequel
The 2025-2026 NFL Wildcards are in the history books.
The Divisionals are set.
Saturday, January 18, 2026, 4:30pm on CBS
AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos (-1 1/2) — The Bills won a thriller at Jacksonville while the Broncos had the bye week off. The Bills have the better offense and the Broncos have the better defense. Weather and home field will not be a factor. Josh Allen and Bo Nix are both playing well. Sean Payton has a Super Bowl ring, but the Broncos are a young and inexperienced team. The Bills know this may be their last and best shot to win it all with this team. Go with the team under pressure to produce right now. Upset special, Bills win outright
8pm on FOX
NFC: (5) San Francisco 49ers at (!) Seattle Seahawks (-7 1/2) — In Week 1, the 49ers went into Seattle and beat them 17-13. Two weeks ago with the top seed on the line in San Francisco, the Seahawks defense suffocated the 49ers offense in a 13-3 Seahawks win. The 49ers are the more experienced team but they are also injured. They lost George Kittle in their tough Wildcard win last week at Philadelphia. These teams know each other inside out. The Seahawks got the bye week off and are rested and healthy. These teams are too competitive to justify the high spread. Both defenses can hit the other one in the mouth. Even without Kittle, Kyle Shanahan will pull out all the stops. Upset special, 49ers win outright
Sunday, January 19, 3pm ON ESPN
AFC: (5/4) Houston Texans at (2) New England Patriots (-3) — The Patriots won their Wildcard match with little offense and a suffocating defense that is built Mike Vrabel tough. Their offense did just enough against Jim Harbaugh’s tough defense. Now they host Demeco Ryans and the top defense in the league. CJ Stroud is playing well but defense is carrying the Texans. Cold weather benefits the Patriots. The Texans dispatched Pittsburgh, but New England is a far sterner test. It is hard to go against New England’s toughness at home, but Houston has more playoff experience than this New England team. CJ Stroud has to be more careful with the football, but his defense will get to Drake Maye. Upset special, Texans win outright
6:30PM on NBC
NFC: (5) Los Angeles Rams (-3 1/2) at (2) Chicago Bears — The Rams offense at its best is a pinball machine. The Bears offense tends to play like garbage for three quarters as their defense keeps them in the game. Sean McVay and Ben Johnson are both offensive masterminds, but McVay has the more experienced team. The Bears looked awful against Green Bay, falling behind 21-3. Yet they scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Rams barely survived a Carolina team with a losing record. Matthew Stafford is the 2025 regular season passing leader. Every time the Bears are called frauds, they go out and win. Either the experts are all wrong or at some point that luck has to run out. Go with the experience of the Rams, but this will not be a blowout. Rams win but fail to cover
eric