NFL divisional round picks: Consider the Broncos, Bears and Texans this week
Lorenzo Reyes explains why he’s looking at underdogs for an NFL regional round pick.
Will it be the best weekend on the NFL calendar? Depending on who you ask, of course, the league’s playoff-style divisional round is pretty awesome. It will feature the top seeds from both conferences, as well as six other teams who earned wild-card wins and advanced to the de facto quarterfinal round.
this year?
Now, the first game of the 2025 postseason quartet most certainly hints at another frenetic weekend on the heels of a very interesting wild-card round. The Denver Broncos (sort of) survived the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime in the Mile High City. That game, which included the shocking postgame revelation that Broncos QB Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury, apparently swallowed all of Saturday’s drama — the Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in a night game.
There were a lot of winners and losers in this divisional weekend on Saturday, and here are the results.
winner
NFL
This postseason has a chance for epic success early on. Five of the first seven playoff games were decided by four points or less.
denver defense
As advertised…for the most part. Sure, the Broncos gave up 449 yards to Buffalo, but they also caught Bills QB Josh Allen three times. Far more important were the five points, most notably Allen’s interception in overtime by Jaquan McMillian that sparked Denver’s victory.
Kenneth Walker
In his playoff debut at Lumen Field in Seattle, he scored three touchdowns and 116 rushing yards. With backfield buddy Zach Charbonnet leaving the game early with a knee injury, Walker could very well have to shoulder another big load with Super Bowl 60 next weekend on the cards.
Marvin Mims
The Broncos’ receivers, who averaged just 2.5 catches per game during the regular season, had a game-high eight receptions for 93 yards. Despite appearing to hurt his back, he made a 26-yard TD catch in the final moments of the fourth quarter, briefly giving Denver the lead. Mims then drew a pass interference penalty on Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White in overtime, setting up Will Lutz’s 23-yard chip shot field goal to set up the victory.
sean payton
Now in his third season as the Broncos’ manager, his goal of becoming the first coach to win a Super Bowl with a different franchise remains alive for at least another week. Denver also broke a 10-year drought without winning the playoffs.
Sam Darnold
Seattle’s Pro Bowl pass suffered an oblique injury in practice that made him questionable on the injury report ahead of Saturday’s game, but Darnold was active and capable. He passed for 124 yards and a TD in the Seahawks’ victory over the Niners, but thanks to the heroics of his teammates, Darnold didn’t have to do much, throwing just 17 passes. The eight days between games should give Darnold a significant advantage heading into the NFC title game, where he will be seeking his second playoff win in his eight-year career.
No.1 seed
Four of the past six teams with home-field advantage and first-round byes have gone to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks and Broncos have each made good use of their off weeks and are moving closer to winning the big game.
Hailee Steinfeld
She couldn’t lose! Either the Bills, led by her husband (Josh Allen), would take another step toward their first Super Bowl championship, or the Broncos, whom she cheered to victory the last time they won the Lombardi Trophy 10 years ago, would advance to their first AFC title game since the 2015 team was led by Peyton Manning’s quarterback and “no-fly zone” defense.
Houston Texans? New England Patriots?
Whichever team wins Sunday’s second-round divisional game will likely be the heavy favorite for the AFC Championship Game, whether or not it will be played in Denver due to Nix’s passing.
Rashid Shahid
He may have been the most important acquisition at the trade deadline this season. The Seahawks’ versatile playmaker took the first kickoff 95 yards to pay dirt. The 49ers never recovered.
james cook
In some respects, the NFL’s 2025 rushing champion was the best player on the field with 141 yards from scrimmage.
bo nicks
The second-year quarterback from the University of Denver had a strong game, outscoring Allen with 279 total yards and three TDs. The Knicks’ interception in the third quarter was nullified when Allen later served up on two plays of his own. The Knicks had a chance to become one of those rare second-year passers — think Ben Roethlisberger or Russell Wilson — and win a Super Bowl, except…
loser
bo nicks
…He broke his ankle, ending his dream of playing on Super Sunday this year. And probably his team too.
james cook
In other respects, Cook’s second-quarter fumble was one of Buffalo’s costliest, and the only fumble that directly led to a Denver TD. This season, the Bills fell to 11-2 in games in which Cook gained at least 100 total yards.
49ers injuries
The dam finally burst. No George Kittle. No Nick Bosa. There is no Fred Warner. No Brandon Aiyuk. Christian McCaffrey was hurt in this match. And the defense was put in bad positions so many times with turnovers and missed fourth downs that it could no longer keep up.
buffalo’s mistake
Maybe it’s not as simple as the Bills’ five turnovers right before Denver’s 16 points. But with an OT crusher? It’s pretty close.
Second half Broncos
Payton came out of halftime saying he expected the second half to be an advantage for teams that rested at higher altitudes. However, the Broncos were lucky to escape with a win, winning 20-10 in the third and fourth quarters.
brandin cooks
The Bills are the sixth different franchise he has played for, and the sixth franchise he has not won a ring with. Cooks previously overcame Super Bowl losses with both the Patriots and Rams. But this playoff heartbreak will be tougher than ever for the 12-year veteran, whose failure to convert Bills QB Josh Allen’s overtime rocket led to a decisive comeback.
Sean McDermott
The Bills have made the playoffs in all but one of his nine seasons as head coach. But while they are currently 8-8 in the postseason with a .500 average, Buffalo was unable to rack up enough wins in January to reach the Super Sunday stage for the first time in 30 years. McDermott seems very likely to overcome the postseason failure that plagued his College of William & Mary teammate Mike Tomlin, but for how long?
Josh Allen
The narrative heading into the 2025 playoffs was that this was supposed to be the year for the reigning league MVP and his long-suffering franchise, which famously and infamously lost four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s. (The Bills’ only championship came in the AFL just days before the first Super Bowl.) After all, Allen and co didn’t have to contend with Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals (a team that has been a bigger postseason pain for the Bills mafia in recent years), or even Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in their recent effort to bring Western New York its first Lombardi.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Allen went 0-7 in overtime during his eight-year career and is now 0-3 in overtime in the playoffs. And while his numbers on Saturday were mostly good (283 yards, 3 passes, 66 yards rushing), his four turnovers were the collective killer. His fumbles on either side of halftime led to two field goals for the Broncos, and an interception in overtime powered Denver to the victory. Allen could have ended the game in regulation, but his takedown of tight end Dawson Knox with five seconds left in the fourth quarter likely cost Buffalo the winning TD and forced the Bills to settle for a field goal and overtime.
Another long, cold winter is coming to Buffalo.
All your NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th Monday Newsletter.
