The Athletic has live coverage of Ravens vs. Texans in the AFC Divisional Round matchup and 49ers vs. Packers in the NFC Divisional Round matchup
The wild-card round of the NFL playoffs had several surprise winners, which made up for the fact that most of the games weren’t all that competitive. Now comes the divisional round, where we should be treated to four fantastic showdowns because of the quality of opponents, stars and coaches.
The action kicks off Saturday afternoon in Baltimore, where the Ravens host the Houston Texans, who had no trouble beating the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round. Saturday night, one week after beating the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers will try to pull off another stunner against the San Francisco 49ers.
Sunday afternoon features a pair of feisty teams with much to prove as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Detroit Lions. After beating the L.A. Rams last week for their first playoff victory in 32 years, can the Lions make it two postseason wins in a row?
And to cap it all off, AFC standard-bearers face off Sunday night, when the Buffalo Bills host the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are the leading storylines to follow in each game.
Texans at Ravens: The upstart vs. the mainstay
After receiving a bye as the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens make their playoff debut against an impressive and surprising Texans team.
Historically, these teams couldn’t be more different. Baltimore has long been among the most stable and well-respected organizations in the league while Houston has been mired in dysfunction. John Harbaugh is the second-longest-tenured coach in the NFL and has taken the Ravens to the playoffs in 11 of his 16 seasons, winning Super Bowl XLVII. Meanwhile, DeMeco Ryans is a rookie head coach who looks to instill similar standards of excellence within a franchise that has reached the playoffs just seven times in its 22-season existence.
There are, however, some similarities. Both teams feature talented young MVP candidates in quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud. Both teams strive for balance on offense, though Baltimore runs the ball better than anyone, averaging 156.6 rushing yards to pair with 213.8 passing yards per game in the regular season. Houston fared slightly better through the air (245.5 yards per game), but the Ravens averaged 28.4 points per game to the Texans’ 22.2. Both teams lean heavily on their defenses for support. Baltimore is among the gold standards, holding teams to a league-low 16.5 points per game while racking up 31 takeaways (tied for first).
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It’ll be interesting to see how experience factors into each team’s success. The Ravens certainly are well accustomed to big games but are seeking their first playoff victory since 2020. A healthy Jackson should increase their chances after his injuries crippled Baltimore the last two postseasons. The moment certainly wasn’t too big for Stroud and the Texans last week, however: Stroud delivered the best playoff performance by a rookie quarterback in league history with 274 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He did so against a Cleveland defense that ranked first in the league in numerous major statistical categories. Will he fare as well against the Ravens? (Texans at Ravens, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.)
Packers at 49ers: Master vs. the apprentice
Close friends and former co-workers Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur face off once again in the postseason, and this should be a great chess match between two of the brightest offensive minds in the league.
Shanahan and LaFleur’s history dates back to 2008, when Shanahan was offensive coordinator of the Texans and LaFleur an offensive assistant. From there, the two worked together in Washington, where Shanahan was offensive coordinator and LaFleur the quarterbacks coach. They then worked together in Atlanta in the same roles. LaFleur joined fellow former Washington assistant Sean McVay in L.A. when McVay accepted the Rams’ head coaching job in 2017, and two years later, the Packers came calling.
The hallmarks of the Mike Shanahan offense, with the zone-blocking schemes, bootlegs, quick-hitters and play-action passing attack can be seen in both coaches’ offenses. They also share tireless work ethics and a meticulous approach to film study and game preparation. So it’s no surprise that their teams have been among the best in the NFC the past several seasons.
The 49ers and Packers had very different journeys to this year’s postseason, however. The 49ers have been conference front-runners all season, while the Packers started 2-6 before winning six of their final eight regular-season games and forcing their way into the playoffs. LaFleur and Shanahan have played against each other five times as head coaches, with LaFleur going 2-1 in the regular season and Shanahan 2-0 in the playoffs. Their last meeting was in the 2021 divisional round, where San Francisco edged the host Packers 13-10.
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Packers-49ers primer: Can Green Bay pull off another playoff shocker?
Oddsmakers don’t anticipate a close contest this time around, projecting the 49ers as 9 1/2-point favorites. Green Bay is used to the underdog role, however. It entered the wild-card game against Dallas as a 7-point underdog and blew out the Cowboys. Can Jordan Love remain hot a week after throwing three touchdown passes and no interceptions? Can the Packers’ defense deliver another stunner, or will Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ well-oiled offensive machine steamroll their way to a fourth conference championship game in five years? (Packers at 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday.)
Buccaneers at Lions: The redeemed castoffs
Two quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall go head-to-head as Jared Goff (2016) and the Lions welcome Baker Mayfield (2018) and the Buccaneers to Ford Field on Sunday. Ironically, neither quarterback remains with the team that drafted him. The Rams’ patience wore thin with Goff despite a Super Bowl appearance in the 2018 season, and they traded him to Detroit in 2021. The Browns, meanwhile, soured on Mayfield following an injury-plagued 2021 season, even though he helped snap an 18-year playoff drought in 2020 and went 1-1 in the postseason.
The quarterbacks’ grit developed by adversity certainly has been on display with their new teams. Goff has helped turn around a long-suffering Lions franchise, which won its division for the first time in 30 years. Mayfield has embraced the challenge of leading the Bucs into a new era following Tom Brady’s retirement, and they overcame a slow start to the season to win the NFC South, then beat the Eagles in the wild-card round.
Which reject-turned-franchise savior will deliver Sunday? Goff, whose Lions boast one of the NFL’s top offensive attacks, enter the game as 6 1/2-point favorites. Mayfield’s offense is one of the best on third down, though, and has capitalized on the backing of an aggressive defense. (Buccaneers at Lions, 3 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Chiefs at Bills: Top guns
Since 2018, when they became starters, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have steadily ascended the quarterback ranks. Now they are regarded as two of the absolute best in the NFL. Boasting big arms, impressive mobility and wizardly playmaking ability, Mahomes and Allen have developed a rivalry. Sunday, they meet for a seventh time, this time with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line. Allen and the Bills are 3-1 against Mahomes in the regular season, but Mahomes and the Chiefs are 2-0 against Allen in the postseason. Those playoff games, though, have always been in Kansas City. Sunday’s game is at Buffalo, and the AFC East champions will look to turn the tables.
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Mahomes and Allen found themselves in unfamiliar territory this regular season. The Chiefs lacked their usual potency on offense as a young and inconsistent wide receiving unit held Kansas City’s offense in check. Allen and the Bills also struggled offensively, and they were 11th in the AFC after a challenging first half of the season.
The firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promotion of Joe Brady to play-caller propelled Buffalo toward a strong finish and divisional title. Now, it hopes to retain that momentum after a wild-card win against Pittsburgh. A Chiefs defense that has helped ease pressure on Mahomes may cause problems for the Bills, however. Kansas City ranked second in both yards (289.8) and points (17.3) allowed in the regular season. The Chiefs also had 57 sacks of opposing quarterbacks, second most in the NFL, and will do everything possible to fluster Allen. The Bills quarterback threw 18 interceptions this season, second most in the league.
But how will Mahomes fare in his first road playoff game (excluding the neutral-site Super Bowls)? Can Buffalo’s defense and a hostile crowd derail his hopes for Super Bowl title No. 3? (Chiefs at Bills, 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday.)
(Top photos of Jordan Love, Kyle Shanahan, Patrick Mahomes:
Perry Knotts, Christian Petersen, David Eulitt / Getty Images)
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