After six teams were eliminated in the Wild Card Round, the remaining eight teams will battle for a spot in the conference championships. The top teams in the NFC and AFC play the lowest remaining seed in their respective conference, and the two teams in between play each other.
Saturday
(4) Houston Texans @ (1) Kansas City Chiefs (AFC)
Coming off an impressive 32-12 victory over the Chargers, the Texans will travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, whose starters haven’t played in over three weeks. With their upset in the first round, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik proved that Houston isn’t afraid to run the ball. After averaging just 112 rushing yards during the regular season, Slowik committed to the run against the Chargers, resulting in 168 yards. They will need similar rushing success to compete against Kansas City.
The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season, and with a 15-2 record, secured a first round bye. Though they were one of the only NFL teams not to reach 30 points in any game, coach Andy Reid and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes Jr. led their team to 11 one-score wins. Along with an offense that seemed to show up at the end of every game, the Chiefs defense, headed by defensive tackle Chris Jones, allowed 326 points, the second best mark in the AFC.
Prediction: 24-22 Chiefs
Houston should keep this game competitive, but there’s a reason Kansas City has a propensity to win close games. The Chiefs won 15 games in the regular season but almost every one came down to the final drive. This game should be no different. The Chiefs and Texans are two of the most well-rounded NFL teams, but Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s schemes are almost unstoppable late in games.
(6) Washington Commanders @ (1) Detroit Lions (NFC)
Two of the league’s top five offenses will face off in what’s poised to be a high-scoring game with very few field goals or punts. Washington surprisingly defeated Tampa Bay 23-20 on the road after rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels completely took over the game. Daniels threw for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions Against Detroit, Daniels will, once again, need to play a virtually perfect game with as few mistakes as possible.
The Super Bowl front runner and suddenly everyone’s favorite team, the Detroit Lions won the NFC North for the second straight year. This year, with the league’s best offense and an elite defense, they are expected to cruise to their first Super Bowl appearance in their nearly 100-year history. The Lions’ success all stems from their league-best offensive line, allowing second-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs to rush for 5.6 yards per carry and quarterback Jared Goff to throw for an NFC-best 111.8 QB rating. With offenses and defenses led by coaches Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, every team struggles against the Lions.
Prediction: 38-28 Lions
This high-scoring matchup features two of the most recklessly aggressive coaches, Dan Quinn for the Commanders and Dan Campbell for the Lions. While most games are about success on third downs, this one is about success on fourth downs. Don’t be surprised if both teams attempt double-digit fourth downs. Still, the Commanders will have trouble defending Detroit’s nearly unguardable rushing attack. Even if they do, though, weapons in the passing game including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam Laporta will put even more strain on Washington’s defense.
Sunday
(4) Los Angeles Rams @ (2) Philadelphia Eagles
After blowouts in the Wild Card Round, these two division winners will compete Sunday afternoon in what looks to be another high-scoring affair. The Rams obliterated the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round, led by a defense that sacked Sam Darnold nine times and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. They may struggle to sack a more mobile quarterback in the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, but applying pressure to their dominant offensive line is the only chance the Rams have to get defensive stops.
The Eagles’ victory over Green Bay was also fueled by their defense. Though they only sacked Jordan Love three times, they recovered two fumbles and intercepted him three times. Their incredible defensive line will need to pressure Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford as much as possible, but the key for them in this game is to beat down the Rams’ defensive line by running the ball as much as possible. Running back Saquon Barkley has recorded at least twenty carries in ten games this season, and this Sunday should be no different.
Prediction: 27-20 Eagles
This game is a battle of the offensive and defensive lines, and the Eagles seem to be slightly better on each side. While the Vikings couldn’t apply pressure to Stafford, interior defensive linemen Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis should be more successful and force Stafford into low-percentage throws. On offense, the Eagles’ offensive line will create much more time for Hurts to find receivers or run himself.
(3) Baltimore Ravens @ (2) Buffalo Bills (AFC)
The Ravens and Bills will play the game-of-the-year Sunday night in what predicts to be an incredibly close and competitive matchup. The Ravens enter this game having averaged 33 points on offense while only allowing 11 points over their last five games. During the regular season in which they went 12-5, quarterback and MVP candidate Lamar Jackson threw 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions, and veteran running back Derrick Henry had a career year at age 31, averaging 5.9 yards per carry with nearly a touchdown per game.
Buffalo had just as much success as Baltimore during the regular season, finishing 13-4. Quarterback Josh Allen had similar success to Jackson, scoring 40 total touchdowns with only six interceptions. Allen and coach Sean McDermott led the Bills to a season in which they averaged 31 points scored and 21 points allowed. Along with Allen, third-year running back James Cook put together a breakout season, collecting 1267 yards from scrimmage and scoring 18 touchdowns.
Prediction: 30-28 Ravens
Even though Baltimore beat Buffalo 35-10 during the regular season, this matchup will be as close as they get, likely coming down to the final few drives. The winner of this game will be the team who limits mistakes better and controls the ball. These are two of the best and most comparable teams skill-wise, but the result will be determined by the team that has longer possessions and succeeds in the red zone.
This weekend the two most successful NFL teams, the Chiefs and the Lions, return and begin their roads to the Super Bowl. Even though they’re both heavily favored, major playoff upsets occur yearly. Every game in the Divisional Round will be entertaining, the game everyone is looking forward to is the Sunday night battle in Buffalo between two of the NFL’s best.
