Our early primer for the divisional round matchups: How e...

What’s Happening

Listen up: Let’s preview the divisional round matchups.

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(1:19) Alex Smith, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan and Randy Moss discuss the Rams’ 34-31 wild-card win over the Panthers.

The Details

(1:19) ESPN staff Jan 11, 2026, 11:35 PM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions The wild-card round of the 2025 NFL playoffs is nearing completion, and the divisional round matchups are taking shape. The NFC pairings are set: The San Francisco 49ers will play at the Seattle Seahawks , and the Los Angeles Rams will face the Bears in Chicago.

One AFC game is set, too, as the Buffalo Bills will play at the Denver Broncos on Saturday. The New England Patriots will host the winner of Monday’s wild-card game between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday.

Why This Matters

To look ahead at these games, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick out one thing we learned about the teams they cover during the wild-card round. (For the Seahawks and Broncos, who didn’t play this week, Brady Henderson and Jeff Legwold provided some information from what they did during the bye week. ) Seth Walder also explored how each team can win to advance to the conference championship games, and we provided projections from ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) and opening lines.

This could change the dynamics of the sport going forward.

Key Takeaways

• Let’s start with the 49ers versus the Seahawks.
• Jump to a matchup: SF-SEA | LAR-CHI BUF-DEN | TBD-NE NFC (6) San Francisco 49ers at (1) Seattle Seahawks When: TBD Saturday FPI projection: SEA, 60.

The Bottom Line

Jump to a matchup: SF-SEA | LAR-CHI BUF-DEN | TBD-NE NFC (6) San Francisco 49ers at (1) Seattle Seahawks When: TBD Saturday FPI projection: SEA, 60. 5) What we learned about the 49ers in the wild-card round: Common sense would suggest that a team playing without so many of its biggest stars — edge rusher Nick Bosa , linebacker Fred Warner and, as of Sunday , tight end George Kittle — would at some point run out of the magic that has defined its unlikely postseason run.

Are you here for this or nah?