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Who will Bills play in NFL playoffs? Updated opponent for Buffalo in 2026 NFL bracket originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While the Buffalo Bills' postseason status is not something NFL fans typically have to wonder about, who they might face is.
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The Bills' five-year control of the AFC East came to an end this season, as the New England Patriots captured the division title. Despite Buffalo's 12-5 record, they're the No. 6 seed in the AFC conference standings.
Josh Allen and James Cook III were the engines of this team all season. If the Bills were to make it to Super Bowl 60, there's little doubt it would be on the shoulders of those two.
Before the Bills Mafia can think about the Super Bowl, they'll have to face an opponent in the Wild-Card round.
he Sporting News breaks down Buffalo's first-round opponent in the 2026 NFL playoffs.
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MORE WEEK 18 NFL:
NFL playoff bracket 2026
Who will the Bills play in the playoffs?
As the No. 6 seed in the AFC, the Bills will face the Jacksonville Jaguars over Wild Card Weekend.
Heading into Week 18, the Bills had a shot at the No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 seeds in the AFC, but they left with the sixth seed.
Jacksonville Jaguars
If the Bills can jump the Los Angeles Chargers for the No. 6 seed and the Jags win the AFC South in Week 18, they would face one another in the Wild-Card round.
This required a Jags win, a Bills win and a Chargers loss in Week 18, all of which happened.
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Eliminated opponents
New England Patriots
Heading into Week 18, the Bills would have faced off against their division rival, the Patriots. These two organizations met twice this season and split the series, each winning once.
However, because Buffalo moved up to the No. 6 seed, this divisional matchup became obsolete for Wild Card Weekend.
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Denver Broncos
If the Patriots jumped the Broncos for the top seed in the AFC and Buffalo did not move, the Bills would have faced Denver in the Wild-Card round.
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However, the Broncos remained the AFC's top seed, while the Bills moved up to No. 6.
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Winner of the AFC North
The AFC North is up for grabs in Week 18 as the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will play each other for the honors. If the Bills had manage to jump two spots and get the No. 5 seed, they would have faced the AFC North champion in the Wild-Card round.
However, the Bills did not make this happen, finishing as the sixth seed.
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Houston Texans
If the Texans won the AFC South and Buffalo got the No. 6 seed, they would have met in the Wild-Card round. However, Houston lost its division.
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Los Angeles Chargers
Because the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots won their respective divisions, the Bills and Chargers cannot get a seed higher than No. 5.
As a result, these two teams will not face each other in the Wild-Card round.
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Indianapolis Colts
After starting the season as potential Super Bowl contenders, the Colts have been eliminated from the playoffs.
Once starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending injury, the team struggled to grab wins down the stretch.
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Loser of Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Whoever loses this game in Week 18 will not only lose the division title but also a playoff spot.
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