Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills are hoping to finally make another deep playoff run after three straight exits in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. It will start by trying to achieve victory over the Denver Broncos.
Beating the Broncos won’t be easy. They may be the No. 7 seed in the AFC, but they sport one of the best defenses in the NFL and possess an offense that has slowly but surely made progress under the rookie quarterback. Bo Nix.
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That said, the Invoices have made four straight trips to the divisional round of the playoffs while the Broncos haven’t played in a playoff game since Super Bowl 50. That should give Buffalo a clear advantage and could allow the Bills to advance to the playoff round. division, where a difficult opponent will be waiting around the corner.
Who could the Bills play next in the playoffs? Here’s what you need to know about the AFC playoff bracket and Buffalo’s path to Super Bowl 59.
Who will Bills play next?
The Bills will play Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional round if they beat the Broncos in the wild card round.
The Ravens established themselves as Buffalo’s only potential playoff opponent after crushing the Pittsburgh Steelers in a wild-card match on Saturday. Baltimore ran roughshod over Pittsburgh, racking up 299 yards in the contest with Derrick Henri contributing 186 and Lamar Jackson representing 81.
The Bills vs. Ravens game would be a rematch of their meeting in Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season. The Ravens won that game 35-10 thanks to a 199-yard performance from Henry. Baltimore took a 21-3 halftime lead in that game, which was eerily similar to its Saturday night domination of the Steelers, who trailed 21-0 at halftime.
The good news for Bills fans? The game against the Ravens took place in Baltimore. If they play again, the Bills will host Jackson and Co. at Highmark Stadium.
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NFL playoff bracket
AFC playoff picture
Below is a look at what the AFC Divisional Round matchups would look like if the Bills beat the Broncos.
In the event the Broncos upset the Bills, they would face the Chiefs while the Texans and Ravens would face off in a rematch of their Christmas Day matchup.
NFC playoff bracket
All three AFC playoff games are scheduled to be played before the NFC contests on wild-card weekend. As such, the divisional round on the NFC side remains unstable.
The Eagles vs Packers game will be the first in the group to be played. The conference playoff scenarios will become clear after this competition.
This article originally appeared on the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who will Bills play next? The impact of the Bills’ victory on the playoff bracket
