By While the opening round of the 2024 NFL playoffs didn’t provide many nail-biting finishes, it did set up some must-see divisional round clashes.
The two No. 1 seeds return from their well-earned byes to join the fray as only three wins stand between teams and a Super Bowl victory.
Here are the matchups for the second round of the playoffs, how to watch them and what to look out for.
The Chiefs survived a rain storm and an injury scare to quarterback Patrick Mahomes to defeat the Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime and improve to 8-0 on the season.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2239″ loading=’lazy’/>
The best photos from the 2024 NFL season
Full divisional round schedule and how to watch
Away @ home
Saturday, January 18
AFC: No. 4 Houston Texans vs. No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs – 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC, ESPN+)
NFC: No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 1 Detroit Lions – 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
Sunday, January 19
NFC: No. 4 Los Angeles Rams vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles – 3 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
AFC: No. 3 Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills – 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
Having produced a stunning defensive display to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Houston Texans get the unenviable task of traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to try to do the same against the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The Texans intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert four times – returning one for a touchdown – and got just enough from their offense in a victory which went some way towards banishing some of the bad vibes which have surrounded the team’s end to the season.
Now, they will travel to Missouri to attempt to replicate the feat against Patrick Mahomes and the majority of Kansas City’s starters, who are coming off almost three weeks of rest having been withheld from their season finale with the No. 1 seed already secured.
The break has allowed the team’s star players to take some time to get healthy, most notably Mahomes, who was dealing with an ankle injury during the tail end of the season.
And now, the stars of the Chiefs will once again lace up for where they excel the best: the postseason.
The foursome of Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Andy Reid have become synonymous with playoff success in recent years and their impact on this game against the Texans will be felt keenly.
Head coach Reid is famous for his creative offensive play-calling coming off a bye week, Mahomes and Kelce have an almost telepathic mind connection when January football rolls around and defensive tackle Jones seemingly always steps up to make the required play just when his team needs it.
Houston and its young roster – missing two of its top three receivers, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, due to injury – have the horses to cause an upset but will face a very stiff test against a veteran Kansas City roster.
The Chiefs are seeking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to lift the Lombardi Trophy three times in a row and their historic journey begins at home against a young Houston team seeking to cause a stir.
NFC: No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 1 Detroit Lions – 8 p.m. ET
Arguably the biggest surprise of the wild-card round was the Washington Commanders’ last-gasp victory on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Their reward? A trip to Ford Field to face the top-seeded Detroit Lions coming off a week’s rest and looking to add to a franchise-best season with playoff success.
For Washington’s star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels – whose first year in the league has been filled with memorable moments and record-breaking achievements – he returns to the city where he was drafted by the Commanders to kick-off his NFL journey.
“It’s awesome,” Daniels told reporters on Tuesday. “Some of my dreams became reality, and now to go back there to play in a playoff game there against get a very good team, it’s just another blessing.”
While Daniels and Co. should be able to have success moving the ball against an injury-plagued Detroit defense, the real challenge will be stopping the Lions’ high-powered offense.
The group – led by QB Jared Goff, with sophomore sensation Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield and their host of pass-catching threats – have been almost unstoppable at times this year and coordinator Ben Johnson is in line for a head coaching role in the offseason should he want it.
Between the gung-ho nature of head coach Dan Campbell and the complete roster they have developed, the Lions were deserving in their joint-best record through the regular season and are in the best position in many years to deliver success to a franchise which has been starved of positive postseason memories; the Lions are one of four teams to have never reached a Super Bowl with their last league championship coming in 1957.
Despite all the positivity and expectations surrounding the team, Campbell says he hasn’t had to worry about players getting ahead of themselves.
“I think they understand what’s at stake. I know they watched these games this weekend and they watched that game last night,” Campbell said on Monday. “I showed the team really every game, just different situations that popped up, a snapshot of what happened, and you just look at what could’ve cost the team, whether it’s a drop here, whether it’s a penalty, whether it’s a situation, whatever it is, and they’re littered all through the week, and that’s what playoffs are.
“It’s, man, that one extra play, just doing your job in the heat of the moment, and if you do that, you give yourself the best odds, if not, the other team’s going.”
While the stars on both the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are on offense, it was both teams’ defenses which shone brightest in their respective wild-card victories.
The Rams intercepted Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold once as well as sacking him nine times while the Eagles picked off Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love three times.
And while both units certainly have plenty of game-wrecking talent – Rams rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske have enjoyed breakout seasons while Philly’s Zack Baun and Jalen Carter are difference-makers on both levels – the offensive side of the game could be where the contest is won and lost.
Since totaling 44 points in a high-scoring win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, the Rams have only scored more than 20 points twice; once in their Week 18 loss with most of the starters sitting and the other coming in their wild-card victory over the Vikings.
They have plenty of offensive weapons – with veteran QB Matthew Stafford, young running back Kyren Williams and the dual receiving threat of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp – but it hasn’t clicked all too often for head coach Sean McVay.
It’s a somewhat similar story for the Eagles who also have a star-studded offense but at times have struggled for chemistry this year.
Outside of Saquon Barkley’s historic season, the passing game has often been a point of consternation between Philadelphia players, with wide receiver AJ Brown even vocalizing his frustrations with his lack of production.
In an apparent attempt to remain focused, Brown was seen reading a self-help book during the Eagles’ wild-card game with it now being the top-selling book on Amazon.
Both offenses could break out and lay a marker down heading for the rest of the postseason.
The teams have played already this season, with the Eagles producing a dominant display to beat the Rams. In that game, Barkley ran for a franchise-record 255 yards. And McVay says there’s plenty his team has learned heading into the divisional round encounter.
“(Barkley’s) patient and he hits you for a couple of those runs, but if he gets clean to the second and third levels, he’s such a slash runner and he has the speed to finish,” McVay told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s why he’s such a dynamic player. I think our sense of urgency will be appropriate for the task at hand this week. We love it and we’re looking forward to it, but we have a ton of respect for this group.
“If they get a beat on what you’re doing and you just sit in the same front structures, they will pound you and they will embarrass you. We’ll have to do a great job. That’ll certainly be a major part of our focus and concentration.”
The game of the week though is the final one of the divisional round and is likely to feature this year’s NFL’s MVP winner.
The enticing matchup comes from Highmark Stadium where Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens travel to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Jackson and Allen are the front-runners for the MVP award, with Jackson going for his third and Allen for his maiden trophy.
The two have been the best quarterbacks in the league this season, with their combination of running ability and throwing accuracy making them dual threats, capable of hurting oppositions in differing manners.
While Allen has been consistently elevating his unheralded cast of receivers – running back James Cook has developed into a star in his third year – Jackson has benefited from a star-studded group of skill position players.
Running back Derrick Henry has provided a potent one-two punch from the backfield alongside Jackson while receiver Zay Flowers became the first wide receiver drafted by the Ravens to ever make the Pro Bowl; Flowers’ availability will be something to keep an eye on having missed the previous game with a knee injury.
All in all, it should be a fascinating encounter in New York and Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh – who is seeking his second Super Bowl title with the organization – addressed what it’s like preparing for games at this stage of the season.
“These divisional (playoff) games are really hard to win because you’re playing the best teams. The four best teams in the AFC (and) the four best teams in the NFC are still alive,” Harbaugh told reporters on Tuesday. “To get to the Super Bowl – if you want to take a step out – you have to win two games now.
“Whoever gets to the Super Bowl has to win two games against the best in their conference. That’s tough. (It’s) really tough. So, to be a part of that just in that sense is really amazing, and then you get a chance to play a team like the Bills who have been perennially in that group, just super talented, a well-coached type of a team on that stage in their place. It’s going to be cold. It’s going to be blustery.”
Sunday’s clash could be a low-scoring affair despite the two elite quarterbacks due to the weather, with conditions set to be frigid and snowy in Buffalo.
