NFL playoffs: 4 questions that will be answered in the divisional round

This postseason has already set an NFL playoff file with 12 fourth-quarter lead adjustments — and that’s earlier than we even get to the divisional round this weekend.

The relative parity in the league paved the manner for tightly contested matchups in the wild card round. But finally six groups had been despatched packing and now we get to see the remaining eight, together with the two high seeds, duke it out for spots in the convention championship video games.

Here are the video games we’ll be watching:

Saturday

Sunday

Last weekend, we discovered lots about the groups that prevailed. Here are the questions that will be answered this weekend.

Can a banged-up Josh Allen survive the Broncos’ cross rush and the altitude in Denver?

Bills quarterback Josh Allen made a number of journeys to the harm tent throughout a bodily wild card recreation towards the Jacksonville Jaguars final weekend.

Earlier this week, Buffalo’s harm report listed Allen as “foot/knee/finger,” a testomony to the many bumps and bruises he’s nursing at this level in the season. He’ll play, clearly, and proceed his quest to grab the second in a Kansas City Chiefs-less playoff subject to lastly get his Super Bowl glory.

But, the contact-prone (and a few folks may say “contact-seeking”) QB will now face a protection that excels at taking down the opposition – actually. The Broncos’ 68 sacks in the common season had been 11 greater than another group and 20 greater than any group that made the playoffs.

Allen, the reigning MVP, is the higher QB in this matchup, having the edge over second-year Broncos signal-caller Bo Nix, whose solely prior playoff begin was a loss to Allen and the Bills final season. But not solely will Allen face a formidable cross rush, he’ll should journey to Denver to take action.

The Broncos are wholesome, higher rested after getting the bye, and for the first time in 10 years, taking part in a postseason recreation at residence the place their acclimation to the mile-high altitude provides them a bonus.

The Houston Texans are the NFL’s youngest franchise. But even nonetheless, it stands proud that in each certainly one of their prior 23 seasons, they’ve but to look in a convention championship recreation.

Over that similar time-frame, the Patriots, on the different hand, have performed in 12 convention championship video games.

This Texans group, nevertheless, enters the divisional round on an unbelievable run – its 10-straight victories are the longest profitable streak in the NFL proper now and so they’re coming off a first-ever franchise playoff street victory. Houston’s protection shone in a resounding 30-6 romp over the Pittsburgh Steelers that featured two defensive touchdowns and 4 sacks of Aaron Rodgers.

To make franchise historical past, although, they’ll should win on the street, once more, as underdogs, and probably with out Pro Bowl vast receiver Nico Collins, who remains to be in concussion protocol after getting injured in the wild card recreation.

And they’ll should beat the attainable MVP in Pats QB Drake Maye. The 23-year-old seemed a bit shaky in the first half of his first playoff recreation final weekend, however he settled down in the second half.

This New England group isn’t the similar one that constructed a dynasty earlier in the 2000s, however taking down the Pats would nonetheless qualify as an indication that the Texans are all grown up as a group.

It’s a rematch of the Week 18 showdown for the high seed in the NFC that noticed the Seahawks prevail by stifling the 49ers’ offense. Seattle’s protection surrendered the fewest factors in the common season, solely permitting a single subject purpose to San Francisco earlier this month. That victory was additionally a part of an NFL-best 6-2 file towards playoff groups.

It earned the Seahawks every week of relaxation whereas the Niners needed to crisscross the nation, touring to Philadelphia for the wild card recreation and now again to the Pacific Northwest. After they performed on Sunday final weekend, San Francisco’s head coach Kyle Shanahan implored the NFL to present his guys a full week of relaxation earlier than the subsequent round.

Instead, they’ll play Saturday – whereas their opponent had a bye, the Niners are caught with a brief week for the third time in the previous month.

And the similar offense that struggled towards Seattle so just lately will be much more shorthanded in this even higher-stakes matchup after dropping George Kittle to a season-ending Achilles harm towards the Eagles.

Of course, the harm benefit would tip again the different manner if it finally ends up that Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, presently listed as questionable with an indirect harm, can’t play. Speaking on those reports, Darnold stated “nothing to see here” and “feel like I’ll be ready to go for Saturday.”

Last week, we wrote that if the Rams superior, they may be the Super Bowl favorites. Advance, they did. Although the odds nonetheless give the edge to Seattle, the Rams are a really shut second. Maybe they’re destined to duke it out formally towards Seattle in the convention championship.

But first, they’ll function the proving floor for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears to exhibit that their high-drama overperformance is a trick that they’ll flip to even towards formidable foes.

Against their rival Green Bay Packers, the Bears gained in more and more classic-for-them vogue. Which is to say, Ben Johnson repeatedly went for it on fourth down, which frequently failed in maddening vogue however labored simply typically sufficient.

On high of that, Chicago fell behind early, trailing 21-6 by means of three quarters, solely to rally for his or her seventh fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Williams held on the ball for what felt like too lengthy at occasions, solely to rattle off the sort of under-pressure passes that showcased the uncommon bodily instruments that made him the high total draft choose in 2024.

After final weekend, the Bears are 3-3 when trailing by 10 factors or extra in the closing 5 minutes of the recreation. The remainder of the NFL mixed is 3-158. That shouldn’t be a replicable talent.

But whether it is? Watch out.