In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27–20 to advance to the AFC Championship for the fifth straight year, where they fell on the road to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos 20–18.

On the opening possession of the game, the Steelers drove all the way to the Patriots 26, but Josh Scobee missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.

After the next two drives ended in punts, the Patriots engineered a 13 play, 90-yard marathon, lasting over seven minutes with Tom Brady hitting his go-to target Rob Gronkowski for a 16-yard touchdown and the early 7–0 lead.

The Patriots made the Steelers pay, driving 64 yards in 9 plays, scoring on Brady's 6-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski, increasing the lead to 14–0.

The Steelers countered with an 80-yard, 7 play drive, with Will Johnson scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run, and Ben Roethlisberger converting the two-point conversion on a pass to Markus Wheaton, trimming the deficit to 21–11.

After a Patriots punt, the Steelers raced 70 yards in 12 plays, scoring on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with just :02 seconds left, trimming the deficit to 28–21.

The Guinness Book of World Records was invited to Ralph Wilson Stadium to see if the Bills' fans could break the decibel record for crowd noise that was set at Arrowhead Stadium by Kansas City Chiefs' fans in the season prior (coincidentally in a game that the Patriots also featured in as the away team).

The Bills advanced the ball to the 50-yard line on the next drive, but Taylor was intercepted by Harmon a deep pass intended for wide receiver Sammy Watkins with 16 seconds remaining in the half.

The Patriots drove 77 yards on the opening drive, all the way to the Bills 3-yard line, but were forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Gostkowski, making the score 27–13.

After a Bills punt, the Patriots raced 83 yards in 9 plays, with Brady capping off the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to a diving Edelman, growing the lead to 34–13.

The Bills quickly capitalized, racing 59 yards in only 7 plays, with Taylor running in a 7-yard touchdown, with a missed two-point conversion, trimming the deficit to just 37–25.

On the second play of the ensuing Patriots drive, Brady was strip-sacked by Jerry Hughes, with Preston Brown recovering for the Bills at midfield.

The Jaguars moved the ball well on their next drive, reaching the Patriots 46, but on 3rd-and-12, Jabaal Sheard sacked Blake Bortles for a 6-yard loss, forcing Jacksonville to punt.

The Jaguars then began a marathon 17 play, 58-yard drive, taking 8:24 off the clock, and converting four third-and-longs, but could only settle for a 40-yard field goal by Jason Myers.

The Patriots drove to the Jaguars 21 on the opening drive of the second half, but on 3rd-and-13, Brady was sacked for a 7-yard loss by Ryan Davis and Gostkowski kicked a 45-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 23–3.

After a 14-yard screen pass to Lewis to the 31, a 7-yard sack by Greg Hardy pushed the Patriots back to the 38, and they ultimately settled for a 49-yard field goal by Gostkowski.

The next three possessions of the game ended in punts, but with 0:53 seconds left in the half, the Patriots reached the Cowboys 39, and Gostkowski made the longest field-goal of his career, a 57-yarder, upping the lead to 13–3 at halftime.

The Jets countered with a 15 play drive all the way to the Patriots 2-yard line, but were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Nick Folk.

Brandon Marshall recovered the onside kick at the Patriots 49 with 14 seconds left, giving the Jets a chance to tie game.

After a 12-yard catch by Eric Decker, Marshall was flagged for a false start, allowing the clock to run out and end the game.

The Patriots took the opening kickoff and after mostly short completions and Blount runs, Brady hit Gronkowski for a 47-yard touchdown pass for an early 7–0 lead.

The Patriots opened the game with a 14 play, 80-yard drive, converting three third-downs and taking eight-and-a-half minutes off the clock, scoring on a one-yard touchdown pass to Chandler.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brady was strip-sacked by Jasper Brinkley with Markus Kuhn returning it 8 yards to the Patriots 31.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 9-0 for the first time since their undefeated regular season of 2007, and snapped their three-game losing streak against the Giants dating back to Super Bowl XLII.

After both teams traded punts, the Patriots took advantage of great field position (the Texans 41) and increased their lead to 17–6 with Brady's 1-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski with just 0:14 seconds left in the half.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 11–2, and they clinched the AFC East title for a seventh straight season after the Giants defeated the Dolphins the following Monday night.

Three possessions later, Akiem Hicks returned a Marcus Mariota fumble 14 yards for a touchdown, increasing the Patriots lead to 14–0.

Zach Mettenberger replaced Mariota on the next drive, and the Titans drove to the Patriots 38, but on 4th-and-1, Antonio Andrews stuffed for no gain.

After a Patriots three-and-out, Mettenberger hit Walker again for a 57-yard touchdown pass, with a missed extra point, making the score just 27–16.

With the win, New England advanced to its 5th straight AFC Championship game, and faced Denver for the second time in 3 seasons.