Only 25% of NFL teams are still alive and have a chance to win the Lombardi Trophy. After last weekend’s historically great wild-card weekend (all but two games had multiple lead changes in the fourth quarter), there are high expectations for how the next round will play out.
No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 1 Denver Broncos (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.)
Head coach Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos became the first non-Kansas City Chiefs team to win the AFC West in 10 years. After their bye week, the Broncos will face a Buffalo Bills team that lost the AFC East for the first time in six years. However, the Bills do have the best quarterback left in the playoffs in reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen. The Broncos’ biggest strength, cornerback Patrick Surtain II’s ability to lock down opposing WR1s, is almost wasted against a Bills team that lacks a standout receiver. The Bills are a team that have historically failed to get over the hump (see: four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s and not a single Super Bowl with Allen), but this season, as the AFC looks fairly open (no Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs), it could be the Bills’ year to finally make it to the big game.
No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (Saturday, 8:00 p.m.)
This game will be a rematch of the Week 18 matchup that decided who got the top seed in the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks boast a defense ranked by some metrics as one of the strongest in league history, as well as a strong Offensive Player of the Year, or OPOY, contender, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a career resurgence for quarterback Sam Darnold. On the other side, the San Francisco 49ers are led by one of the NFL’s top offensive minds — head coach Kyle Shanahan — as well as another OPOY contender, running back Christian McCaffrey. However, the 49ers have faced injuries all year, which have only been exacerbated by star tight end George Kittle tearing his Achilles in their wild-card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Seahawks have been flying all season and are viewed as the most likely team to win the Super Bowl, which, coupled with San Francisco’s injury blows, could make Saturday a long night for the 49ers.
No. 5 Houston Texans at No. 2 New England Patriots (Sunday, 3:00 p.m.)
The New England Patriots are back where they were for the better part of the 21st century, at the top seed in the AFC. Led by MVP candidate quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots have had an incredible season, breaking the Bills’ five-year AFC East championship streak with their 14-3 record. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has had his best season since his early days in Buffalo, becoming Maye’s top receiving target. However, detractors will point to the fact that the Patriots had a remarkably easy regular season schedule; in fact, they only beat two teams with winning records this season. Now, they face a Houston Texans team that boasts an incredible defense. Led by head coach (and former Pro Bowl linebacker) DeMeco Ryans, this Texans defense has proven hard for any team to score against, shown by the Pittsburgh Steelers only putting up six points last week. With star players like cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and defensive end Will Anderson Jr., Houston’s defense could cause Maye fits. However, the Texans’ offense leads to questions as quarterback C.J. Stroud has been unable to find the form he had in his rookie season, and the Patriots’ defense has been strong all season, meaning the Texans may find it hard to put points on the board.
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at No. 2 Chicago Bears (Sunday, 6:30 p.m.)
Sean McVay vs. Ben Johnson is almost definitely the most exciting coaching matchup of the weekend. Two offensive geniuses going head-to-head, whose teams are led by quarterbacks who have had great seasons, with the Rams’ Matthew Stafford being named First-Team All-Pro, and the Bears’ Caleb Williams showing why he was the first overall pick after a fairly disappointing rookie season. While the Rams have consistently performed well over the last few years, the Bears have not, making their NFC North title and this run one of the best stories so far this season. Another factor that could come into play during this game is the weather; it’s forecasted to be 21 degrees and snowing at kickoff, with temperatures likely to drop as the game goes on. The Rams, hailing from sunny Southern California, haven’t played a single game outside in the cold since last season’s divisional round matchup in Philadelphia, where they were eliminated. This weather could nullify the Rams’ passing attack (the strongest part of their game) and give the Bears a chance at making their first NFC Championship game since 2011.
