NFL divisional round: Ravens-Bills, Texans-Chiefs in AFC
The Buffalo Bills took care of business at home Sunday against the Denver Broncos, securing a 31-7 victory to set up a highly anticipated divisional-round clash with the Baltimore Ravens next week.
Buffalo and Baltimore finished the regular season as the AFC's No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. The 4-seed Houston Texans - who defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday - will now travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes and Co. had a bye this weekend as the conference's top seed.
The Broncos wasted no time against the Bills, scoring a 43-yard touchdown on a Bo Nix pass to Troy Franklin on Denver's first offensive drive of the day. However, Buffalo stormed back as Josh Allen threw 272 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions. The Bills also dominated the Broncos in the run game, carrying the ball 44 times for 210 yards and one touchdown and controlling the time of possession (41:43-18:17).
Next week's heavyweight clash between Buffalo and Baltimore will feature this season's top MVP contenders in Allen and Lamar Jackson. The Bills star finished the regular season as the favorite for the NFL's main individual award, but Jackson is now viewed as the front-runner after earning a 2024 first-team All-Pro berth over Allen.
The Ravens blew out the Bills 35-10 during their Sept. 29 regular-season meeting.
For the NFC, the Wild Card Weekend will kick off Sunday when the Green Bay Packers visit the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Washington Commanders. The Los Angeles Rams play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday evening.
The NFL has yet to officially announce the dates, times, and TV broadcast details for its divisional round.