NFL greed puts Bills at substantial disadvantage vs. Broncos in divisional round

The NFL's reconfigured wild-card playoff schedule, which features a Monday night game, is forcing the Buffalo Bills to play the divisional round on short rest

Dec 19, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks to throw against Denver Broncos defensive tackle McTelvin Agim (95) during the third quarter at Empower Field | Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills are going to have to do it the hard way.

As if the Denver Broncos didn't already have enough of a built-in advantage as the AFC's No. 1 seed, the NFL has made matters even more challenging for the Bills with the scheduling of the upcoming divisional round matchup by placing the game on a Saturday, January 17.

In addition to facing an opponent coming off a bye week, and doing so on the road, the Bills will have to play on short rest. While the Broncos enjoy 13 days of rest since their last outing, Buffalo has only five full days in between postseason games.

ONE more Divisional spot to be claimed. pic.twitter.com/cd6bO6OCMP

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 12, 2026

After winning their wild-card matchup over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, January 11, the Bills must fly out to Denver on Friday for the Saturday kickoff.

MORE: Ex-NFL team doctor says Josh Allen 'hurt, not injured' as Bills prepare for Broncos

Considering the Bills' long injury list, losing one day of recovery is a major disadvantage, especially when the Broncos are already the healthier team.

Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on after winning the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Essentially, Buffalo is forced into the AFC divisional round time slot on Saturday because the league has reserved the Sunday slot for the Monday night wild-card winner, which also faces a short week. The No. 2 seed New England Patriots will host the victor of the Monday night matchup, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans, on Sunday, January 18.

Tony Dungy calls out injustice

Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy knows how difficult it is for a team to string together three consecutive postseason wins in order to reach the Super Bowl. His 2006 Indianapolis Colts did just that.

Dungy, a Hall of Famer who moonlights as a studio analyst for NBC, called out the NFL for putting multiple wild-card teams at avoidable scheduling disadvantages in the following round.

RELATED: Bills' short week underscores NFL scheduling disadvantages in race vs. Patriots

"NFL playoff scheduling is not fair. It might produce good ratings but it’s not fair. This late in the season recovery time is crucial and it is not given equally," said Dungy in an X post.

NFL playoff scheduling is not fair. It might produce good ratings but it’s not fair.
This late in the season recovery time is crucial and it is not given equally. Rams & Bears played Saturday games. They will face each other on Sunday with an extra day of rest. 49ers played on… pic.twitter.com/JSwYeZTAEX

— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) January 12, 2026

Monday night profits over fairness

The idea of a Monday Night Football playoff game did not exist until the league expanded the postseason conference brackets to seven teams apiece in 2020, creating two extra Wild Card Weekend games.

Despite the two added games, which brought the Wild Card Weekend total to six, the NFL played only on Saturday and Sunday in 2020.

The Bills' 2020 wild-card win over Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts kicked off the Saturday triple header with a 1 p.m. ET start time. In 2021, however, the league eliminated the early Saturday game in favor of a more profitable time slot on Monday night.

MORE: Bills' players secure another NFL Playoffs cash bonus by winning in Jacksonville

"Don’t force San Francisco, Buffalo and Houston or Pittsburgh to play the most important game of their season on a short week just for TV ratings. That is not fair!" said Dungy.

There's still no excuse for the league refusing to put both AFC divisional round games on Sunday in years where the AFC draws the Monday wild-card matchup. At least, this would give the Bills a normal week with their opponent coming off a bye.

Jan 9, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws a pass while Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) moves in during the third quarter at Bills Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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