NFL 2025: Divisional Round Picks

With Wildcard Weekend behind us, just eight teams remain in the 2025-26 NFL Playoffs, all with their sights on Super Bowl 60 in San Francisco.

The Divisional Round kicks off with the well-rested #1 seeds finally taking the field on Saturday. First, Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos will be looking for revenge after last year’s playoff loss to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Then, in the nightcap, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will face off for the second time in three weeks, with Brock Purdy and the 49ers looking to avenge their 13-3 loss to Sam Darnold’s Seahawks in Week 18 with the NFC’s top seed on the line.

On Sunday, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears will look to keep their strong season going as they host Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Then, on Sunday night, Drake Maye and the New England Patriots will host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans with a trip to the AFC Championship on the line.

Read on for my 2025-26 NFL Divisional Round Picks, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any picks, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter/X, on Facebook, or by commenting directly on this post!

Picks Record

Regular Season: 171-100-1 (63%)

Wild Card: 5-1

Saturday Games

#6 Buffalo Bills (13-5) at #1 Denver Broncos (14-3)

Time: 4:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM MT on CBS

Line: Broncos by 1.5 points

There’s so many factors to consider in this game: last year’s blowout Buffalo Bills win in the same matchup, the fact the game will be played at Empower Field at Mile High this time where the Denver Broncos are 8-1, the Bills are banged up, the Broncos are rested. The Broncos have second-year quarterback Bo Nix, while the Bills have potential all-time great Josh Allen, still looking for his 1st Super Bowl. This game probably warrants a full preview, but for now, I’m sticking with the oddsmakers who insinuate this will be a 1 or 2-point game: give me Allen in such a scenario.

Bills win 21-20

#6 San Francisco 49ers (13-5) at #1 Seattle Seahawks (14-3)

Time: 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT on Fox

Line: Seahawks by 7.0 points

It’s hard to predict just how this game will go. I don’t really like the 7-point line at all here, but to be fair, the Seattle Seahawks did take care of business in Week 18, shutting down the San Francisco 49ers offense in a 13-3 win at Lumen Field with the NFC’s #1 seed on the line. Also, while the 49ers upset the Eagles on the road last week in the Wildcard Round, San Francisco was an A.J. Brown drop or two away from losing that football game.

So while I can’t say Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and the George Kittle-less 49ers will win this football game, I think there’s still an opportunity for the winning margin to be much tighter than a full touchdown. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks offense have put up some huge games this season, but can also slow it way down for a game like this.

Seahawks win 17-13

Sunday Games

#5 Houston Texans (13-5) at #1 New England Patriots (14-3)

Time: 3:00 PM ET on ESPN/ABC

Line: Patriots by 3 points

I projected this matchup in my NFL Playoff Bracket and Super Bowl 60 Prediction, and I’m sticking with my gut: Drake Maye and the New England Patriots won’t be able to get away with another ugly offensive performance like they turned in last Sunday night, not against this defense. C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans have some cleaning up on offense to do as well, but this might be the game where the Patriots finally get exposed as a team that only looks great against non-playoff teams. I could be wrong, but again, last Sunday night’s playoff debut for Maye and the Patriots wasn’t exactly inspiring.

Texans win 20-17

#5 Los Angeles Rams (13-5) at #2 Chicago Bears (12-6)

Time: 6:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM CT

The Los Angeles Rams have all the talent in the world to win this game, and I definitely see why they’re favored. But then why did they let Bryce Young and the 8-9 Carolina Panthers play around with them last week? Los Angeles also should have been right there in the race for the #1 seed leading up to Week 18, but fell short (albeit, just short) in some of their biggest games of the season.

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears can’t expect to replicate last week’s magical win over the Green Bay Packers, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, comebacks like that just don’t happen very often, and secondly, the Rams are more disciplined on both sides of the football, and would be more likely to hold on to a lead.

But something about this Chicago team is very different from years past, and again, for some reason, the Rams seem to flinch a little in this big games, despite having Super Bowl-winning experience on the roster. Give me the Bears in a nail-biter.

Bears win 26-23