Bills Survive Jacksonville, Now Eye Mile High Test in AFC Divisional Round
The road to Super Bowl 60 isn’t just metaphorical for the Buffalo Bills-it’s literal. As the AFC’s No. 6 seed, the Bills are locked into an all-road playoff run.
But after edging out the No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars in a 27-24 thriller, they’ve already cleared the first hurdle.
Now, the stakes only get higher.
Next up: a showdown with the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m.
ET on Saturday, Jan. 17.
The Broncos, who finished the regular season 14-3, earned the AFC’s lone first-round bye and will be well-rested. The Bills?
They’re coming in battle-tested-and confident.
If Buffalo can pull off the upset in Denver, it’ll mark their second straight trip to the AFC Championship Game. But the path doesn’t get any easier from there.
No matter what happens elsewhere in the bracket, the Bills are guaranteed to be on the road again in the conference title game. That’s just the reality of being a lower seed in the NFL’s playoff format: higher seed hosts, no exceptions.
Who Could the Bills Face in the AFC Championship?
Buffalo’s potential opponents in the next round come down to two teams: the New England Patriots or the Houston Texans.
Here’s how it breaks down:
- If the Patriots beat the Texans on Sunday, the Bills would head to Foxborough for a classic AFC East clash with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
- If the Texans pull off the road win, Buffalo would travel to Houston instead.
The Texans-Patriots game kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan.
- So by the time the Bills wrap up their game in Denver, they’ll still have to wait a day to see who’s next-assuming they handle business against the Broncos first.
The Road Ahead
If the Bills want to reach Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, they’ll need three straight road wins. One’s already in the books. Two more would put them in rare company.
It’s a tall task, no doubt. But this is a team that’s shown it can win tough games in tough places. And with momentum on their side after surviving Jacksonville, confidence won’t be an issue.
AFC Playoff Snapshot
Here’s how the AFC playoff seeding currently stacks up:
- Denver Broncos (14-3)
- New England Patriots (14-3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) - Eliminated
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
- Houston Texans (12-5)
- Buffalo Bills (12-5)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) - Eliminated
What’s Next
Divisional Round - Saturday, Jan. 17
- Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
- San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
Divisional Round - Sunday, Jan. 18
- Houston Texans at New England Patriots, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears, 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Conference Championships - Sunday, Jan. 25
- AFC Championship Game, 3 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+
- NFC Championship Game, 6:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Super Bowl 60 - Sunday, Feb. 8
- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
The Bills are two wins away from a Super Bowl appearance, but both games will be away from the comfort of Orchard Park. If they want to keep dancing, they’ll have to keep winning on the road. The next test comes in the thin air of Denver, where playoff dreams either take flight-or come crashing down.