Potential NFL Playoff Matchups I'd Love To See This Postseason

As the 2025 NFL regular season inches toward its conclusion, the playoff picture seems to shift every single week. That’s the beauty of December football, new scenarios open up and fanbases everywhere start calculating the most exciting matchups possible. With the first weekend of December upon us, here are the NFL playoff games I would love to see unfold which even includes my dream Super Bowl, these are the games football fans deserve.

Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens

One of the most compelling potential matchups is a rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional Round between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. The odds of this happening are high as Baltimore should win the AFC North and the Bills seem destined to finish as a wildcard team with the New England Patriots taking over the AFC East this season.

This game would be massive. Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson, with one of them going home in the wildcard round, an outcome that would spark serious questions about their championship futures. Both franchises expect deep playoff runs and an early exit could even cost a head coach his job. The Bills have taken the last two meetings, and seeing a third showdown in the postseason would be electric.

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots

Another must-have AFC matchup for me would be the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots in Foxborough with the Patriots likely securing a top two seed in the AFC this year.

You’d have, the old dynasty, the Patriots ushering in a new era with second year quarterback Drake Maye taking on the current dynasty, Chiefs led by Patrick Mahomes looking to get back to their fourth straight Super Bowl.

If Kansas City sneaks into the postseason, it means they’re heating up at the right time. And whoever wins this game, would be my pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this February. Two of the most dominant franchises of the century going at it in Foxborough would be historic.

AFC Title Game: New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos

Call it nostalgia, call it perfect symmetry, either way, an AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots would be incredible. It harkens back to the Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady classics, but with a modern twist: Bo Nix vs. Drake Maye, two second-year quarterbacks leading franchises that rebuilt at lightning speed.

Both teams feature strong defenses. Denver might have the best defense in the NFL right now, and New England’s unit has been impressive as well. Drake Maye looks like the better quarterback, but Bo Nix arguably has a stronger supporting cast. Add in a coaching chess match between Sean Payton and Mike Vrabel, and you get an ugly, gritty, old-school classic that would push either franchise to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance.

For the nostalgia alone, I need this matchup.

Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the best games of the NFL season, and I was there in person, was the showdown between Sam Darnold’s Seahawks and Baker Mayfield’s Buccaneers. It was nonstop action, elite quarterback play, and genuinely the best sporting event I’ve attended in a long time. When people talk about quarterbacks playing like gods, this was that game.

A playoff rematch would be phenomenal. The league needs this one again.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

The NFL’s oldest and most heated rivalry, the Chicago Bears vs. the Green Bay Packers, hasn’t graced the playoffs since their 2010 season NFC Championship game. Now we have a new era: Caleb Williams vs. Jordan Love, two young quarterbacks energizing historic franchises.

It doesn’t matter if the game is at Lambeau or Soldier Field, the environment would be hostile, electric, and deeply emotional. Two competitive teams, two young head coaches, and the league’s most storied rivalry renewed on the biggest stage. January football doesn’t get better than this.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams

This matchup is less likely now with the Cowboys’ recent loss, but if it happens, buckle up. The Los Angeles Rams are the better team with the better coach in Sean McVay, but the Dallas Cowboys match up surprisingly well.

The Rams’ weakness, interior O-line and secondary, is exactly where Dallas could take advantage. With Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams anchoring the interior defensive line and Dak Prescott slinging deep bombs to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, this could turn into the highest-scoring game of the entire postseason.

And with Matthew Stafford going against a shaky Cowboys secondary? Points. Lots of them.

Dream Super Bowl: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks

No matchup would mean more to me personally than Seattle vs. New England. There are deep family ties to both teams in my household, but beyond that, the storyline is perfect.

Both franchises took huge risks:

• The Seahawks moved on from Pete Carroll and Geno Smith, betting big on Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold, and it worked.

• The Patriots moved on from Bill Belichick, tried Jerod Mayo, realized it wasn't the long-term answer, and then hired Mike Vrabel, who has completely transformed the team in just one year.

To think that New England, a four-win team last season, could realistically reach the Super Bowl this year is surreal. These two franchises rebuilt quickly, aggressively, and successfully, showing the rest of the league that being bold pays off.

This is the Super Bowl I want, not just for the storyline, but for the personal meaning it holds.