AFC Divisional Round Preview

CommRadio NFL AFC Divisional Round Preview

After a weekend that featured lopsided matchups in the Wild Card Round, the 2025 NFL Divisional Round has come, and it contains the AFC’s top four teams from last year.

These matchups are full of things to look at in anticipation of Saturday and Sunday, including a battle between the NFL’s two leading MVP candidates.

Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs

These two teams aren’t without playoff history, as the Texans have been on the wrong end of a 30-0 shutout in the 2016 Wild Card Round and a blown 24-0 lead in the 2020 Divisional Round.

The 15-2 Chiefs won this 2024 matchup, 27-19, on December 21, 2024, to help them inch closer to the first seed in the AFC.

The 10-7 Texans played with plenty of heart in their Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. They intercepted Justin Herbert four times en route to a 32-12 victory.

C.J. Stroud threw for 282 yards and a score, while Joe Mixon ran for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers, but it’ll be tougher sledding for them against the Chiefs, especially the latter.

Mixon was limited to 57 yards rushing, and Stroud threw two interceptions in the first meeting against the Chiefs.

Stroud will be without wide receiver Tank Dell, who suffered a brutal knee injury against the Chiefs in December, but Nico Collins will be a big part of the passing game plan despite the Chiefs’ success against No. 1 wideouts.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is excellent coming off a bye, so he’s almost guaranteed to have an excellent game plan for DeMeco Ryans’ Texans.

After plenty of stagnation on offense all season long, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes welcomed free agent signing wide receiver Hollywood Brown to the field for the first time in the 2024 season in that game, as Brown caught five passes for 45 yards.

Another reason for the Chiefs’ offensive improvement is the increased volume of rookie receiver Xavier Worthy. After getting only three touches in three of his first four career games, he’s gotten at least nine touches in each of the Chiefs’ last three meaningful games.

The Texans can mainly combat the Chiefs’ offensive attack with their excellent pass rush. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. have to be ecstatic to go against the Chiefs’ weak offensive tackle group, which was so bad they had All-Pro guard Joe Thuney play left tackle down the stretch.

It’s undecided who’ll play left tackle between Thuney and D.J. Humphries, but whoever will have a tall task in front of him.

If the Chiefs win this game, they’ll host the AFC Championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, but if the Texans win, they’ll go on the road to their first-ever AFC Championship.

This game will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills

The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, the Bills defeated the Ravens 17-3 in the 2021 Divisional Round, assisted by cornerback Taron Johnson’s 101-yard pick-six.

The show was supposed to be about these teams’ quarterbacks back then, and it’s more so now, given that Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are the two main MVP candidates.

However, when these teams met on September 29, 2024, Derrick Henry stole the spotlight with his 199-yard rushing performance in the Ravens’ 35-10 win over Buffalo.

Henry could be due for a similar performance after running for 186 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round, but the improvement of Bills linebacker Matt Milano from his biceps injury will make that tough.

Sean McDermott and the Bills held the Denver Broncos to 79 yards rushing in their wild-card game, and their quarterback, Bo Nix, led Denver in rushing with 43 yards.

Jackson’s scrambling ability will be another focus of Buffalo’s to defend, as his passing could be limited. Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers missed the wild-card game with a knee injury, and it’s not looking like he’ll be back.

Jackson could look to throw regularly to tight end Mark Andrews instead, who scored a touchdown in each of the regular season’s last six games.

When the Bills have the ball, they won’t be able to lean on Allen and James Cook in the run game, since John Harbaugh’s Ravens allow the fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL.

What Buffalo will be able to do, however, is attack Baltimore via the passing game, as the Ravens allow the second-most passing yards per game in the NFL.

Allen was limited to 180 yards passing in the Bills’ first meeting against the Ravens, but he did not have Amari Cooper at his disposal back then.

In addition, Khalil Shakir has developed into an excellent slot receiver, so he should get his fair share of targets, too.

The Ravens haven’t been tested lately against an excellent quarterback, as Russell Wilson and a Stroud still reeling from what happened against the Chiefs are the best ones they’ve faced since their bye.

If the Bills win, they’ll go to their second AFC Championship since 1994, but the Ravens will make it back-to-back appearances if they prevail.

This game will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.