The Athletic has live coverage of the Bills vs. Broncos from the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Last Saturday’s football playoff program was pure delirium, a two-part firecracker with pounded drums and shredded cheese. This Saturday renews the TV energies meeting. It also reintroduces the NFL’s top seeds to roaring stadiums.
Our window opens with Josh Allen trying to climb mountains. His Buffalo Bills visit the Denver Broncos, on the prowl with their world-class pass rush. Then we head west to welcome the “12th Man” in fluorescent green. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers face off for the third time this season, pitting Christian McCaffrey against the league’s No. 1 defense. All systems opt for divisional action.
NFL Divisional Playoff Guide (Saturday)
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| Game | Time (ET) | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bills at the Broncos |
4:30 p.m. |
CBS |
|
|
49ers at Seahawks |
8 p.m. |
Fox |
CBS and Fox are free over the air. CBS also streams on Paramount+ and Fox also streams on Fox One.
Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos
Bills (13-5, No. 6 seed): The trip to Duval was stressful, then successful. Buffalo defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 to reach the divisional round for a sixth straight year. Allen rumbled for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:04 on the clock, just after his initial heroics were ruled fair on review. Cole Bishop then picked up the game-clinching pick on Tre’Davious White’s pass deflection. As Dion Dawkins waxed poetic in the Jags’ stadium pool, the Bills earned their first road playoff victory since the 1992 season.
Sean McDermott’s team now moves from humidity to high altitude. The colder weather should demand more from James Cook, the league’s best runner who was bottled up last weekend. Khalil Shakir is solid in the slot and he caught all 12 of his targets in Jacksonville. After a quiet fall, Greg Rousseau arrives with five sacks in his last four games. While there is plenty of talent on the roster, the spotlight mostly shines on Allen as he pursues a Super Bowl breakthrough.
Broncos (14-3, No. 1 seed): The AFC’s top seed is unmatched at the line of scrimmage. Denver’s defense paced the league in sacks, and its offensive line is tied for fewest sacks allowed. According to NFL Media, the Broncos’ plus-45 sack differential is an all-time single-season record.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph draws a real challenge in Josh Allen, who plays like a rocket launcher-snowplow hybrid. But the Broncos create turbo pressure from all angles. Nik Bonitto (14 sacks) and Jonathon Cooper (8) come off the edge as 3-4 linebackers. John Franklin-Myers (7 1/2) and Zach Allen (7) give way to forward protection. Lurking behind them in the secondary are All-Pros Pat Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga.
This stacked group makes life easier for second-year quarterback Bo Nix. The same goes for left tackle Garett Bolles, who earned first-team All-Pro honors and was the highest-rated pass blocker on Pro Football Focus. Nix is followed by rookie burster RJ Harvey. He throws to two huge players, Courtland Sutton (6-foot-4) and Troy Franklin (6-foot-3).
As the shifty QB settles in for his second career playoff game, Sean Payton is banking on history. No head coach has won the Super Bowl with two different franchises. Payton, who led the New Orleans Saints to a title 16 years ago, is trying to become the first.
Broadcast: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are in the booth, while Tracy Wolfson is the sideline reporter. It will be “it all comes down to this” at least once. Nantz, in particular, has a knack for calling Allen a hustler:
“WHAT AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT. INDESTRUCTIBLE.” –JIM NANTZ pic.twitter.com/3iyUvclvOf
– NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 11, 2026
Last match: It was January 12, 2025, during a wild card match in Orchard Park, New York. Nix started his postseason tenure with an opening touchdown against Franklin…then the Bills scored 31 straight points. Allen’s final passing line: 20 for 26, 272 yards and two touchdowns.
Playoff history: This is the teams’ third pairing in the playoffs. In addition to last season’s no-hitter, Buffalo also beat Denver in the 1991 AFC Championship Game. That one was much closer at 10-7. Jim Kelly threw two interceptions, but John Elway was picked off by a Carlton Bailey pick six. Broncos kicker David Treadwell missed three field attempts.
Bills to Broncos odds
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
49ers (13-5, No. 6 seed): Kyle Shanahan’s team upset the defending champions last Sunday and looks to take down the conference giant six days later. The Niners approach the fight with indestructible vibes, like a “James Bond” character made of nuclear goo. They remained with the Philadelphia Eagles even after George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon. Then Brock Purdy threw a touchdown to McCaffrey with less than three minutes left, and Eric Kendricks made the final stop on fourth down deep in 49ers territory for the road victory.
San Francisco’s defense held up despite zero downs and pressure from the QB. He gave up touchdowns early in the first and second quarters, then gave up six points over the final seven series. Leading corner Deommodore Lenoir was thrown eight times and allowed just 47 yards. The first seven “unnamed” wounded showed a disproportionate heart.
With Kittle on the ice, Purdy can turn to electric gadget Jauan Jennings (what a dimer) or physical Demarcus Robinson (111 yards and a TD in the wild-card round). His compatriot Ricky Pearsall, who has been absent for the last two games, is suffering from a knee injury but said he intends to play on Saturday. It appears Shanahan may hold open searches for any eligible receiver.
No matter where San Francisco ends up heading, it won’t happen quietly. Every glimmer of hope has a touch of gold and purple.
Seahawks (14-3, No. 1 seed): The host has the profile of a traditional favorite of the title. Seattle finished its regular season ranked third in points per game and first in points allowed. He finished second in net yards per dropback on offense and defense. According to NFL Media, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the league’s first leading receiver on a top-seeded team since Jerry Rice with the 1994 Niners – who won Super Bowl XXIX.
Sam Darnold is no longer seeing ghosts, despite being added to the injury report Thursday with an oblique injury. He said he expects to be “ready to go” Saturday in his first playoff start for Seattle, a sentiment echoed by head coach Mike Macdonald.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak opens space for his QB with out-of-zone runs and play-action plays under center. Darnold completed 73.5 percent of his passes, at high volume, targeting Smith-Njigba, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet have combined for nearly 1,800 rushing yards in 17 games, and Seattle as a whole has scored at least 30 points eight times.
The Seahawks defense has fielded three All-Pros: Leonard Williams anchors the roaring D-line, Ernest Jones is a complete playmaker at linebacker and Devon Witherspoon puts clamps on opposing WR1s. Macdonald was brilliant throughout in his second season in Seattle. Let’s see what he dials up in his playoff debut.
Broadcast: We have Kevin Burkhardt for narration and Tom Brady for analysis. Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi report from the field. Jennings and McCaffrey took this pit duo to its platonic ideal last Sunday, with Burkhardt kicking into high gear as Brady screamed in shock:
TRICK GAME!! 🚨
49ERS TD! 😱
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/bhhRmh5szb
– FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 12, 2026
Last match: Their previous confrontation is why Saturday will take place near Pioneer Square in Seattle. Exactly two weeks prior, these teams met in their regular season finale. The Niners took their home turf with six straight wins, then scored just three points in the close loss in Week 18. The Seahawks defense gave up 173 total yards and held steady on third downs — San Francisco’s offense went just 2 of 9 on its attempts. With the 13-3 victory, Seattle clinched the NFC West title, the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
A lot has changed in terms of momentum and personnel, but the 49ers won the Week 1 game at Lumen Field. McCaffrey turned 31 touches into 142 yards from scrimmage, and the visitors took a late lead on Purdy’s impressive TD to Jake Tonges.
Playoff history: Like Bills-Broncos, Saturday marks the third playoff matchup between the two rivals. Shanahan’s Niners beat Pete Carroll’s Hawks in a 2022 wild-card scrimmage; San Francisco had 505 yards of offense and won 41-23. In the 2013 NFC Championship Game, an argument took place, a pass was thrown, and a classic was created:
49ers alongside the Seahawks
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