Just like that, Wild Card weekend is behind us and we’re onto the Divisional Round. Matchups are set. Between Saturday and Sunday, the first round of the NFL Playoffs brought fireworks, as expected.

NFC: 

Rams @ Bears (-3.5, Sunday 6:30 PM, Soldier Field)

Wild Card Recap:

Kicking off the slate, Saturday brought us two eye gluing games. And they did not disappoint. To start, the #4 seed Carolina Panthers (8-9) played host to the #5 seed LA Rams. The Panthers are led by young quarterback Bryce Young. Everybody thought the Rams were going to cruise, but Carolina put up an impeccable fight. That put LA’s back against the wall, forcing a Cody Parkinson touchdown with less than a minute remaining which led to a 34-31 shootout victory for Sean McVay’s squad.

In the late night game, it was round three. The newly Ben Johnson ran, #2 Seed Chicago Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers for an 8:00 kickoff. The in season contests between these two were a fun watch, and were split. The Packers took the first game at home. In the second regular season matchup, the Bears pulled off an unbelievable overtime win. Moving onto the playoffs, another ridiculous victory from Chicago was pulled off during the exciting first wildcard day. They saw themselves down 21-3 at the half, and being led by second year quarterback Caleb Williams the Bears came all the way back. After scoring just 3 points in the 3rd quarter, the 4th quarter was where DA BEARS grated the cheese, outsourcing the Packers 25-6 and going on to win the game by a final of 31-27.

Divisional Prediction:

Now, the Rams will travel to the Windy City and the Bears get another home playoff game. It’s a vet Vs. a young guy. In the two teams history, Chicago leads the all time series with a 55-39-3 record. With what everyone saw over the weekend, the Bears continue to show that they start to play real football towards the end of games, racking up seven come from behind wins just this year. On the other side, the LA Rams play all four quarters. If you’re a betting man, ride with Stafford and Puca in this one. Although this will be a close game, and high scoring, the Rams will get it done and find themselves in the NFC Title game next week.

49ers @ Seahawks (-7.5, Saturday 8:00 PM, Lumen Field) 

Wild Card Recap:

First Round Bye – The Seattle Seahawks have had a phenomenal season thus far, securing the #1 seed which has rewarded them with home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They also were worthy of a first round bye. With Sam Darnold having an MVP type of season, the impact of his favorite target Jaxon Smith-Njigba the Seahawks have been very hard to manage this year. Not to mention, on defense they are ranked first in the NFL, allowing the fewest points per game (17.2), and they finish in first for yards per pass allowed. With the combination of the offense and the defense there is a huge reason why they secured the #1 seed.

The San Francisco 49ers on the other hand had to play in a Wild Card match. They marched into Philadelphia and took over. In a game where they headed into it as +205 – +225 underdogs, they didn’t have a lot of starters (defensive guys like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa), the job was still finished on the road. After losing George Kittle to a torn achilles midway through, the Niners threw a couple interceptions, everyone thought the Birds were going to be able to pull through and end up in the Divisional Round. The 49ers were not discouraged, with just under three minutes left in the game the go ahead touchdown was caught by Christian McCaffrey just past the goal line. This left the Eagles with one last worthy drive, and they came up short.

Divisional Prediction:

When you walk into Lumen Field, the atmosphere is completely different compared to many stadiums in the NFL. The unique design of the stadium makes it difficult to face the Seahawks if you’re the opponent. Recently, the 49ers have had better luck against Seattle in the postseason. This season each team won their respective home game, and since it’s a division rivalry game it is very hard to choose one side. It’ll come down to if the Seahawks can take advantage of the banged up Niners team or not, if not there very could be a 49ers return to the NFC Title game.

AFC:

Bills @ Broncos (-1.5, Saturday 4:30 PM, Mile High Stadium)

Wild Card Recap:

Just about the only thing in the AFC over the past half decade that has been a consistent playoff factor is Josh Allen with Buffalo on his back. Bills mafia traveled down to Jacksonville for what ended up being the most closely contested game of the first round. A game of 7 lead changes was decided by a Josh Allen QB sneak with a minute left in regulation. This leaves Buffalo in the AFC divisional round yet again looking to break the generational Super Bowl drought. 

First Round Bye – The most underestimated team in most contender conversations is the Denver Broncos. From the beginning of the season, expectations were not set as the most dominant team in the AFC. With that being said, they quietly marched to a 14-3 record holding the first seed in the conference. After last season, the defense added Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga who both showed out. Ten come from behind victories led by a strong defense is a recipe for success in the NFL playoffs.

Divisional Prediction:

This feels like Josh Allen’s year. Everyone whose team has been eliminated is pulling for the Bills. On the other hand, Bo Nix and the Broncos are coming off a first round bye with something to prove. Both teams are well coached, have solid defenses, and are contending for an AFC championship game that is anybody’s to win at the moment. 

In Denver at Mile High stadium is always a difficult matchup. A loud, rowdy stadium backing up their top 7 defense. Denver’s defensive front should be an interesting matchup for the Bills offense who lead the NFL in total rushing yards. The Bills will find a way to win this game, and it might not be close. Josh Allen senses his opportunity. Buffalo’s experience, and redemption will make them fairly difficult to stop this week if you’re the Broncos.

Texans @ Patriots (-3, Sunday 3:00 PM, Gillette Stadium)

Wild Card Recap: 

Demeco Ryans’ Texans have established themselves as one of the most feared teams in the AFC. Allowing the fewest yards in the league and the second least touchdowns, the defense in Houston has emerged as one of – if not the league’s best to offer. In their wild card round matchup at Pittsburgh, they won 30-6. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers could not score a touchdown, whereas the Texans defense itself scored on a fumble recovery, and interception in the fourth quarter alone.

New England did not stay at the bottom of the league for long, cementing themselves as contenders on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Pats are led by MVP candidate Drake Maye who has them firing on all cylinders. They were second in total points, while being third in yards on the season. Head coach Mike Vrabel has control of the Patriots defense, who allowed just 3 points to the Chargers in the wild card round.

Divisional Prediction:

Both teams have produced strong outings on offense through multiple parts of the season. The Texans defense has shown time after time that they are a top defense in the league every Sunday, and Drake Maye should not expect that to change. This will be a rude awakening for the Patriots offense who have been taking criticism for not playing any “worthy” opponents on their schedule. For CJ Stroud, he will have to figure out the Patriots defense early, and create time in the pocket. During the wild card game, players were creating for Stroud after the catch, and on the ground. 

A good day from Vrabel’s defense makes this game a defensive showdown. With both teams coming off great performances with high hopes for a chance at the AFC championship, the fact that this game is at Gillette stadium might just be the deciding factor in this matchup. Whichever offense gets more comfortable against the other team’s star-stacked defense will get the win. The ______ come out on top.