Wild Card Weekend was filled with action, but everyone is looking forward to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. The fat has been trimmed, and now the best of the best are set to square off, including the two No. 1 seeded teams that had a first-round bye. In this article, we are going to detail everything that you need to know about the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.

Divisional Round schedule

Houston Texans (4 seed) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1 seed) on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET – ESPN

Washington Commanders (6) @ Detroit Lions (1) on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. ET – FOX

Los Angeles Rams (4) @ Philadelphia Eagles (2) on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. ET – NBC

Baltimore Ravens (3) @ Buffalo Bills (2) on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. ET – CBS

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NFL Divisional Round preview (AFC)

Patrick Mahomes NFL playoffs
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The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back defending champions, and their postseason quest to be the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl officially starts now. The Chiefs went 15-2 this season, with their latest loss coming in Week 18 while resting the starters. Even with a down year statistically, Patrick Mahomes is still the best player in the NFL, and he and his team certainly know how to win postseason games.

The team wasn't blowing opponents out this season, but they were always finding a way to win with gritty performances and late-game execution. The resilience and determination they showed in the regular season could pay off in dividends in the playoffs. The Houston Texans showed they can face adversity and win tough games when they won their Wild Card matchup, too, though.

Houston couldn't get anything going until the final minutes of the first half, as they had zero points until there were 58 seconds in the second quarter and the team scored a touchdown. Houston even knocked in a field goal to end the half and to secure 10 points before halftime. Things started to click then, and the Texans dominated the second half en route to a 32-12 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The defense, in particular, was dominant. Houston's defense intercepted Justin Herbert four times, including two by Derek Stingley and one by Kamari Lassiter. The young cornerback duo has impressed this year, and their life has been made easier by the impressive pass rush provided by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

So far, though, Mahomes is 6-0 in the Divisional Round in his career, which is the most wins without a loss by any player ever in any postseason round. The Chiefs have had the Texans number as of recent, too. Kansas City won the recent Week 16 matchup 27-19, and when the two faced off in the 2019 playoffs, the Chiefs erased a 24-0 deficit to win the game and eventually go on and win the Super Bowl. C.J. Stroud has had an up-and-down sophomore season, and he will once again be without two of his favorite targets (Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell are out for the season). The Chiefs, meanwhile, are healthier than they've been all year after resting their stars in Week 18 and securing a Wild Card bye. Of course, though, rust is always a concern when taking that much time off.

The other AFC Divisional Round game is between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills. Both teams dominated their way through the first round. The Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14, while the Bills won 31-7 against the Denver Broncos. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, the players quarterbacking these two teams, will likely both finish in the top two of MVP voting, with Allen the odds-on favorite to win the award.

Despite their recent success, both quarterbacks are still searching for that first Super Bowl ring, but only one team will advance to the AFC Championship. This game truly could go either way, as evidenced by the two's history against each other. The Ravens beat the Bills 35-10 in Week 4, handing Allen one of the worst losses of his career in the process. Likewise, the Bills beat the Ravens 17-3 back in the 2020 Divisional Round in what was an extremely poor performance by Jackson.

One factor ahead of this game is the status of Zay Flowers is still unknown. If the receiver can play, he gives the Ravens a much-needed speed threat, but if he is out, Buffalo's elite pass rush (featuring Von Miller and Greg Rousseau) can really hone in on Jackson.

NFL Divisional Round preview (NFC)

David Montgomery returning from injury for Lions
Junfu Han-Imagn Images

The NFC Divisional Round will feature the Detroit Lions' first game of the postseason. The Lions were the best team in the NFL during the regular season. The 15-2 squad ranked first in points per game (33.2) and seventh in points allowed per game (20.1). Jared Goff's team is filled with talented playmakers. Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the game, and the same can be said about Jahmyr Gibbs at running back and Sam Laporta at tight end. Jameson Williams is an elite deep threat, too.

Additionally, the team will likely get David Montgomery back in action this week. The running back who formed one-half of the best rushing tandem in football tore his MCL on Dec. 15, and most assumed he'd be done for the year. Montgomery opted for rehab instead, and now he can contribute in a postseason run.

The Lions' opponent is the Washington Commanders. Jayden Daniels burst onto the scene in what has likely been a Rookie of the Year season. Nobody expected the Commanders to be here this quickly into their rebuild, but they keep finding ways to win. Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a game-winning field goal that bounced off of the upright before going in during the final seconds of their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Los Angeles Rams will also play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. The Rams are dealing with the tragic wildfires that are ripping through their home city, but the team seemingly rallied behind that in their Wild Card win. The Rams beat a good Minnesota Vikings team 27-9, despite not being able to play at their home stadium because of the fires.

This game was going to be played in Philadelphia regardless, and the Eagles are the hottest team in football. The Eagles have now won 12 of their last 13 games, and Jalen Hurts seemingly didn't miss a beat in his return from spending time in the concussion protocol.

It will likely be Saquon Barkley that the Eagles lean on in this game, though. Not only did Barkley become one of nine running backs to rush for 2,000 yards this season, but he had 255 of those yards in Week 12 against the Rams. That was the best running back performance in franchise history, and it should serve as a recipe for how to win this game.

Plus, the Eagles had the best pass defense in the NFL this year, and the Rams like to lean on Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp to win games. These factors make it seem like Philadelphia could walk away with an easy win, but you never know in the playoffs, especially considering the Rams have won a Super Bowl in recent memory.