NFL playoffs Sunday watch guide: Bills-Jaguars, 49ers-Eagles, Chargers-Patriots
This is the sole day of the NFL playoffs with three games scheduled, and each matchup carries large national intrigue.
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Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville battle Josh Allen and Buffalo to open the Sunday broadcast window.
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We won’t see Jason Statham or Charlie Kelly, but Sunday brings us a loaded wild-card lineup. This is the sole day of the NFL playoffs with three games scheduled, and each matchup carries large national intrigue.
First, the Buffalo Bills visit the Jacksonville Jaguars — that’s Josh Allen versus Josh Hines-Allen, and Bills Mafia versus Du(uu)val. Next, a pair of NFC blue bloods duke it out, as the resilient San Francisco 49ers face the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. The slate concludes in Foxborough, with Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers challenging Drake Maye’s New England Patriots.
This playoff trio is spread across three different networks. Here’s what viewers need to know ahead of kickoffs.
NFL wild-card playoff guide (Sunday)
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills (12-5): Buffalo failed to win the AFC East for the first time since 2019, but Sean McDermott’s team still shined for most of the year. The Bills finished the regular season fourth in points per game and 12th in points allowed. Behind a backfield of Allen and James Cook, the offense ranked No. 1 in ground yards and touchdowns, while it put up the second-highest yards per carry mark at 5.0. Accordingly, Buffalo led the league in time per drive.
Allen, the 2024 MVP, was once again a singular force in red zone sets. Meanwhile, the dynamic Cook paced all rushers with 1,621 yards. On defense, the Bills had their pronounced struggles against the run (30th in yards per attempt at 5.1), but they were solid against opposing passers (fifth in net yards per dropback and tied for seventh in QB knockdown rate).
Per NFL Media, Allen’s 309.8 combined passing and rushing yards per game is a record for quarterbacks with at least 10 playoff starts. However, he’s never won away from home in the postseason (0-4) — and the Bills overall are 0-8 as the road team in the playoffs since their 1992 AFC Championship Game win in Miami.
Jaguars (13-4): Coming into 2025, Jacksonville had just one campaign of 10+ wins in its last 17 seasons. Against all odds, these Jaguars won 13 games with first-year head coach Liam Coen, and without No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter for the second half (he had right knee surgery after seven games).
The teal warriors pulled top-10 marks in scoring offense (sixth) and defense (eighth). They ended on an eight-game win streak, which included an inspiring road W against the top-seeded Denver Broncos in Week 16. Hines-Allen galvanized the defense with eight sacks. Safety Antonio Johnson and linebacker Devin Lloyd each snared five interceptions.
On the other side, Trevor Lawrence found a midseason spark under center, thanks to the trade deadline acquisition of wideout Jakobi Meyers. Fellow receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was also a rolling highlight down the stretch:
Lawrence had a career-high 29 passing touchdowns and nine rushing scores in 2025 — 19 of those through the air and five of them on the ground came during the Jaguars’ final eight games. He’s 1-1 in the postseason and threw four TDs in his playoff debut three years ago.
Broadcast: “Here we go, Jim!” CBS has Jim Nantz on play-by-play and Tony Romo on color commentary. Nantz’s work has a certain golden glow, perhaps because he is the longtime voice of The Masters in golf. Romo elevates a telecast with pure enthusiasm and giddiness. Tracy Wolfson joins the duo for sideline dispatches and injury updates.
Playoff history: These teams have two prior wild-card clashes, and Jacksonville won both of them. The Jags notched their inaugural postseason win in 1996, just their second year as a franchise. Natrone Means rushed for 175 yards at blustery Rich Stadium in that 30-27 victory. In the 2017 season, the “Sacksonville” squad eked out a 10-3 win at EverBank Field. Jalen Ramsey had one of two interceptions for the formidable Jaguars defense.
