On Jan. 17, the NFL Divisional Round will kick off. From Saturday to Sunday, four games will take place continuously.
On Jan. 17, the top-seeded Denver Broncos will host the Buffalo Bills at 4:30 ET. The Broncos are set to host their first home playoff game since the 2016 AFC Championship. After their road win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round, their first road playoff win in 34 years, the playoff-tested Buffalo Bills hope to continue their Super Bowl dreams. One thing to know for this Saturday’s matchup is that the Bills have three healthy Wide Receivers (WR), so they will likely have to lean on their Tight Ends (TE) in the passing game. The Broncos won narrowly in overtime, 33-30, in a thriller.
Later on the 17th at 8 PM ET, the NFC’s top seed Seattle Seahawks will host their first playoff game since 2020, as they will host the San Francisco 49ers, who are fresh off a win versus last year’s Super Bowl Champion, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Niners will have to battle the injury bug this week, as they lost their star TE, George Kittle, to an Achilles injury last week. The Seahawks will also have to battle the injury, as Seahawks Quarterback (QB) Sam Darnold has been listed with an Oblique injury; however, he is expected to play, nevertheless. The Seahawks dominated the 49ers in this matchup, 41-6.
On Sunday, Jan. 18, at 3:30 PM EST, the New England Patriots will host the Houston Texans. Last week, the defenses of both teams stood out, as they held their opponents to a combined nine points. This week, both defenses will face bigger tests, as the second-ranked Texans D will face MVP candidate Drake Maye, who has dominated opponents towards the end of the season. Maye has led the Patriots’ resurgence, as they hope to return to the (AFC) Championship for the first time since Tom Brady was a member of the team. With this win, the Texans will make their first-ever AFC Championship appearance in franchise history. The Patriots won this one 28-16 in a defensive matchup.
Later, the Chicago Bears will host the Los Angeles Rams at 6:30 PM EST on Jan. 18. After their first playoff win in 15 years, the Bears, led by Head Coach (HC) Ben Johnson, hope to continue their success as they finished the Wild Card with an impressive come-from-behind win against the Green Bay Packers. The Rams also had a narrow win last week when they defeated the Carolina Panthers. In one of the best finishes in NFL history, the Rams defeated the Bears in overtime 20-17.
The Rams, Patriots, Broncos, and Seahawks will advance to their respective conference championship games, where they will hope to advance to the Super Bowl.
