The 2025 NFL playoffs got off to a rousing start on Saturday. The Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears orchestrated fourth-quarter comebacks to knock off the Panthers and Packers. The four teams combined for a whopping 123 points.
Now the AFC teams swing into action. The Buffalo Bills are in Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Chargers clash with the Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday. On Monday night, the Steelers host the Houston Texans.
Just as was the case with the NFC, here’s a statistical and historical look at the AFC’s seven playoff teams for 2025.
2025 NFL Playoffs: Postseason guide for the AFC
1. Denver Broncos (14-3)
Coaching Resume: Sean Payton is 9-9 in postseason play (9-8 with Saints, 0-1 with Broncos).
Postseason Resume: Broncos are making their 24th overall playoff appearance (24th since merger), 23-20 in postseason play (23-20 since merger).
Notable: Broncos are making their second straight playoff appearance. They are AFC West champions for the first time since 2015. That’s also the last time the team won a playoff game, knocking off the Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Denver led the league in sacks (68) for the second consecutive year. Sean Payton’s team finished an NFL-best 8-1 at home. Denver allowed exactly 311 points for the second straight season.
2. New England Patriots (14-3)
Coaching Resume: Mike Vrabel is 2-3 in postseason play (2-3 with Titans).
Postseason Resume: Patriots are making their 29th overall playoff appearance (28th since merger), 37-22 in postseason play (36-21 since merger).
Notable: The Patriots’ 10-win turnaround (4-13 in 2024) is tied for the best turnaround in NFL history. The team has won the AFC East for the first time since 2019, and also seeks the franchise’s first playoff win since beating the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye led the NFL in completion percentage (72.0). The Pats finished second in the NFL with 490 points, 201 more points than in ‘24 (289).
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)
Coaching Resume: Liam Coen is making his first postseason appearance as an NFL head coach.
Postseason Resume: Jaguars are making their 9th overall playoff appearance (9th since merger), 8-8 in postseason play (8-8 since merger).
Notable: The Jaguars are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, when they opened 4-8 and won the AFC South with a 9-8 mark. They began that postseason by beating the Chargers, 31-30, after falling behind 27-0 in the second quarter, and eventually fell to the Super Bowl LXVII champion Chiefs. Coen’s feisty team finished second in the NFL in takeaways (31). A year ago, the team forced only nine turnovers.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Coaching Resume: Mike Tomlin is 8-11 in postseason play.
Postseason Resume: Steelers are making their 36th overall playoff appearance (35th since merger), 36-29 in postseason play (36-28 since merger).
Notable: Pittsburgh won the AFC North for the first time since 2020, and has more division titles (25) than any team in the NFL since the merger. Steelers have lost six straight playoff contests dating back to the 2016 AFC title game at New England, by a combined 230-148 score. They allowed 36, 45, 48, 42, 31, and 28 points, respectively, in those losses. Tomlin’s team totaled 42 offensive TDs, the most since 2020 (47).
5. Buffalo Bills (12-5)
Coaching Resume: Sean McDermott is 7-7 in postseason play.
Postseason Resume: Bills are making their 25th overall playoff appearance (21st since merger), 21-22 in postseason play (19-20 since merger).
Notable: Bills are making their seven consecutive postseason, currently the longest-active streak in the NFL. A year after ranking with a league-best plus-24 turnover differential, McDermott’s club was plus-1 in this category. The team totaled 12 fewer takeaways and committed 11 more turnovers. James Cook ran for 1,621 yards. He’s the first Bills’ player to lead the NFL in rushing since O.J. Simpson in 1976.
6. Houston Texans (12-5)
Coaching Resume: DeMeco Ryans is 2-2 in postseason play.
Postseason Resume: Texans are making their 9th overall playoff appearance (9th since merger), 6-8 in postseason play (6-8 since merger).
Notable: Texans are making a franchise-record third straight trip to the playoffs and ninth postseason appearance since 2011. This marks the first time the team has taken the wild card route, and owns a 0-6 lifetime road playoff record. This season the Texans once again overcame a 0-3 start to reach the playoffs. They are the first franchise in league history to overcame such a start and make the playoffs twice.
7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
Coaching Resume: Jim Harbaugh is 5-4 in postseason play (5-3 with 49ers, 0-1 with Chargers).
Postseason Resume: Chargers are making their 22nd overall playoff appearance (17th since merger), 12-20 in postseason play (11-16 since merger).
Notable: The Chargers are playoff-bound for the second straight year, something the franchise hasn’t managed to do since it won the AFC West four consecutive years from 2006-09. The team seeks its first postseason victory since beating the Ravens in Baltimore in 2018. Harbaugh’s club turned over the ball 21 times this season, up considerably from 2024 (9) and equaling the club’s turnover total from 2023.