And now it's official; the NFL Divisional Round is set for January 17th and January 18th. We're already approaching the two-week window between the end of the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. This season has truly flown by, and that isn't just a cliche.
There are some flat-out insane matchups on the schedule and some shocking teams that have made it thus far. If you would have told us that the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks would have been the first seed in each conference this year, you would have gotten stared at, but here we are
The Divisional Round is going to be ultra entertaining and is sure to bring some wild, dramatic endings. We have picked and predicted the scores in each week of the 2025 NFL Season. Let's unveil our picks and predictions for the next four games.
NFL picks and score predictions for every Divisional Round game in 2025
Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos
Saturday, January 17th, 4:30 PM ET
The Denver Broncos face off against the Buffalo Bills, a team they lost to in the Wild Card Round back in the 2024 NFL Season, but the circumstances are a lot different - Denver was playing with house money in 2024 and just did not have nearly as good of a team as they have this year.
Heck, I'd even argue that the Buffalo Bills have regressed a bit. Not only that, but Denver gets this game at home, is on extended rest, and sport the best pass rush in the NFL. It might be easy to predict Josh Allen and the Bills in this one, but there is more to the Bills roster than just the QB.
Buffalo has allowed 40 regular season sacks this year, and the Broncos' defensive backs matchup well against a below-average play-making unit. That should give the pass rush enough time to get home if there aren't many open windows. Furthermore, the Bills also sport one of the weaker run defenses in the NFL.
The Broncos aren't going to run away with this game or anything, but they have a formula to win - I would expect the Broncos to come out and look to extend drives with an emphasis on running the football. On the defensive side of the ball, I would not be shocked to see Denver sell-out to stop the run since the secondary should hold up against a weaker play-making unit. Denver wins this one by a field goal.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-21
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Saturday, January 17th, 8:00 PM ET
The San Francisco 49ers square off against the Seattle Seahawks for a third time this year. The 49ers played the Seahawks in Seattle in Week 1 and actually beat them, but that was months ago at this point. In Week 18, the Seahawks overwhelmed the 49ers and clinched the no. 1 overall NFC seed with that win, and I do believe that is where we are trending in this one.
The 49ers are not only banged up on both sides of the ball, but George Kittle tore his Achilles in the Wild Card Round, so the offense is down their best overall weapon. It'll be an even heavier dose of Christian McCaffrey, and the Seahawks secondary just should not have a tough time keeping this WR room contained, which has lost players like Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk.
The Niners' season will likely come to an end, but it's otherwise been a marvelous coaching job by Kyle Shanahan and his staff. If the Niners are able to win 12 regular season games with the amount of injuries they had, imagine how good they could be in 2026 with a healthier unit.
The Seahawks are coming into this one having the first-round bye and a ton of time to rest. At this point in the season, that rest is so crucial. Seattle hurts you by simply being too explosive on both sides of the ball. The defense gets to the QB at a high level, and this unit is physical and will attack the ball.
On offense, they can throw the ball down field with ease, as that's something that Sam Darnold has really excelled at this year. The underdog story here would be fun to pick, but there really isn't a path for the 49ers to win this one unless the Seahawks decide to not show up.
San Francisco should hold their heads high, though, as they've had a great season and did just come off a down 2024 season where they won just six games. I believe Seattle wins this one by 10 points.
Prediction: Seahawks win 27-17
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
Sunday, January 18th, 3:00 PM ET
Oh boy, this could be a good one. The Houston Texans didn't start out great against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the defense really came through as the game went on, as the team unsurprisingly took down the Steelers. Houston has not gone 13-2 over their last 15 games after that horrid 0-3 start to begin the season.
CJ Stroud was once again good enough, and while we might criticize Stroud for not yet really hitting his stride this year, Houston is in the Divisional Round for the third year in a row with Stroud under center. The interesting thing here is that the Texans have actually never been to the AFC Championship Game, and they'll have to try to get there this year against the New England Patriots.
The Pats have taken advantage of an easier schedule this year and have beaten a ton of weaker opponents, but they did notch a 'good' win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round. With how good this defense is and how well Drake Maye has played this year, I am actually going to stick with the Patriots.
We do talk about the Patriots being the new kids on the block, but Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels are the two primary coaches here, and both of them have done quite a bit with this franchise and are very experienced in the playoffs.
This entire staff has had the team ready to roll all year, and I struggle to see how that isn't the case in the Divisional Round. CJ Stroud's game will really have to elevate if the Texans have a chance, and since we have not seen that quite yet, I am going to pick the Patriots to get a low-scoring victory.
This would mean, in our predictions, the Patriots visit the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, which also happened back in 2015.
Prediction: Patriots win 17-13
Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, January 18th, 6:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Rams face off against the Chicago Bears in what could be a massively entertaining game, and this could be the most entertaining game of the weekend, but how did we get here? The Los Angeles Rams saw their hopes for the no. 1 NFC seed go up in smoke with two brutal, late-season losses.
The Rams then had to 'settle' for the fifth seed, and that gave them a date with the Carolina Panthers, who were able to give LA some fits. They were going to win that game, though, as LA knew they had some bigger games on the schedule.
Matthew Stafford didn't play super well, and the defense was again shaky, so if those two things do not improve against a much more formidable Bears team, the Rams will be sent home much earlier than they would like.
The Chicago Bears, in the Wild Card Round, were trending toward being blown out by the Green Bay Packers, but then the fourth quarter happened. It was yet another fourth quarter comeback by this insanely dramatic team, and with a great team like the Rams coming to town, I struggle to see how the Bears would be able to do this again.
Chicago's season has been insanely fun to watch, but there comes a time where this team needs to play a more complete game. I just can't necessarily see them doing that just yet, as the defense is subpar in many respects, so Matthew Stafford should be able to have his way.
While Chicago is going to keep this one close, Los Angeles is a better overall operation right now. They should win this one. The comeback effort by the Bears won't be enough - but if this prediction does indeed come true and the Bears season ends, they should be very proud of how far they've come, as the growth in year one of the Ben Johnson era is noticeable.