With the Divisional Round teams set, the schedule features four marquee matchups that are must-watch as the road to Super Bowl LIX heats up. For the second straight season, the four remaining teams in the AFC entering the Divisional Round are the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Texans. In the NFC, only one team -- the Lions -- returns to the Divisional Round. They are joined this year by new faces in the Commanders, Eagles and Rams.
Below is a look at reasons to watch every divisional round matchup, with insights from NFL Research. Tune in to watch these games on your mobile devices with NFL+. Learn more about NFL+ here.
- WHERE: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
- WHEN: 4:30 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, NFL+
NFL Research highlight:
Following their bye during Wild Card Weekend, the top-seeded Chiefs start their quest to become the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history. Patrick Mahomes is 6-0 in his career in the Divisional Round, which is the most wins without a loss in the Divisional Round by any QB in playoff history.
Although C.J. Stroud and the Texans don’t have as storied of a playoff history as the Chiefs, their Wild Card Round performance against the Chargers, specifically by their defense, proved that they are deserving of a divisional spot. Their defense had four interceptions, four sacks, and eight QB hits -- the first team with 4+ interceptions and 4+ sacks in a playoff game since the 2014 Packers, who advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
Mahomes and Stroud will be the first playoff matchup in NFL history between the reigning Super Bowl MVP QB and the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year QB.
- WHERE: Ford Field (Detroit)
- WHEN: 8 p.m. ET | Fox, Fox Deportes, NFL+
NFL Research highlight:
The NFC’s No. 1 seed got a much needed (and deserved) break last week to rest/rehab ailing injuries. A win here for Detroit will take them back to a second consecutive NFC Championship Game, which would be a first for this franchise. It would join a growing lists of other franchise records that this team accomplished this year: most wins (15), longest win streak (11) and most points (564). These feats earned them the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
The Commanders have also broken several franchise records this year, and their victory over the Buccaneers last week snapped the franchise’s 18-season drought without a playoff win. The Commanders, however, are tied for the longest active streak in the NFL without playing in a conference championship game (32 seasons). Lead by this year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite in Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have earned their keep in this year’s playoffs, and Daniels could join Brock Purdy, Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco as the only rookie QBs to win multiple playoff games since 1950.
- WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
- WHEN: 3 p.m. ET | NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo, NFL+
NFL Research highlight:
The Eagles are aiming to make their second Super Bowl appearance in three years but have a tall task in getting there in having to beat the Rams and then either the Commanders or Lions. Historically, they’ve fared well in the Divisional Round as they have won seven of their last nine appearances and are 6-0 at home in the Divisional Round all-time (best in NFL History). Philly has never however, played the Rams in the Divisional Round, a team who just handled the Vikings with ease.
Los Angeles turned heads with its win over Minnesota in the Wild Card Round, marking the Rams' first playoff win since they won Super Bowl LVI in 2022. Backed by Matthew Stafford who historically plays his best football in the back half of the season, the Rams are more than capable of upsetting the NFC’s No. 2 seed. Since joining the Rams, Stafford is 19-3 in December, January and February, the best record of any QB with 10+ starts in that span. He’s also 5-1 in the playoffs since joining L.A. in 2021
- WHERE: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, N.Y.)
- WHEN: 6:30 p.m. ET | CBS, Paramount+, NFL+
NFL Research highlight:
This might go down as one of the most-anticipated Divisional Round matchups of all time. The two MVP frontrunners leading two of the best teams in the league into a Divisional Round game feels cinematic. The last time we saw the top two MVP candidates square off in a Divisional Round was in 1995 between Brett Favre (MVP) and Jerry Rice (runner-up). This will be the first playoff matchup in NFL history between QBs who each had 40+ touchdowns and fewer than 10 giveaways in the regular season. However, neither quarterback has a glowing playoff resume despite their MVP-caliber talent. As starters in the Divisional Round or later in their careers, Lamar Jackson is 1-3 and Josh Allen is 1-4, with Allen’s one win coming against the Ravens in 2020.
Baltimore is seeking to reach the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season, while Buffalo is trying to get back there after losing three straight Divisional Round contests. The Bills have won a playoff game in five straight seasons and have yet to appear in a Super Bowl in that span; this would be the longest streak in NFL history if they do not reach Super Bowl