AFC divisional-round predictions: Will Bills' home 'vibe' be the difference vs. Chiefs?

In the divisional round, the Texans aim to upset the Ravens. The Bills, meanwhile, hope to avenge previous playoff disappointments against the Chiefs. Here are predictions for the AFC divisional round:

Houston Texans (11-7) at Baltimore Ravens (13-4) | Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+

In Week 1 in Baltimore, the Ravens crushed the Texans 25-9, sacking rookie QB C.J. Stroud five times. On Tuesday, Baltimore LB Odafe Oweh indicated the rematch won't be one-sided, calling Stroud "a whole different QB."

Stroud wowed in a 45-14 wild-card round victory against the Cleveland Browns, completing 16-of-21 passes for 274 yards and three TD passes. Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, he became the eighth rookie QB to win a playoff start in the Super Bowl era.  

While Stroud's progress is remarkable, Baltimore is still the better team and should win. In the regular season, the Ravens finished first in the league in points allowed (16.5) and fourth in points scored (28.4). As of Wednesday, FanDuel lists them as a 9.5-point favorite.

PREDICTION: Ravens 27-20

Kansas City Chiefs (12-6) at Buffalo Bills (12-6) | Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS 

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will play in a road playoff game for the first time in his career. He's entering a hostile environment where Buffalo's passionate "Bills Mafia" fan base could be a game-changer.

"The vibe, the energy, the juice that we can use from that," Bills QB Josh Allen said of the team's fans Tuesday, via the Associated Press. "You just can't chalk it up to anything other than momentum, something you can't see but something you can definitely feel. And they give that to us."

The Bills have lost their past two postseason matchups against the Chiefs, including a heartbreaking 42-36 overtime defeat in the 2021 divisional round. Expect them to get some revenge. As of Wednesday, FanDuel lists Buffalo as a 2.5-point favorite.

PREDICTION: Bills 28-27