The best week of actual football is here. The NFL divisional round, while not as lengthy as the wild-card round, typically features the best four games we get of the season. And I don't expect this week to be any different.
The Los Angeles Chargers saw their season end on Saturday after a deflating 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans. One thing stood out: Justin Herbert just wasn't himself at all. After throwing just three interceptions all season, he ended up with four against the Texans alone.
Let’s talk about my PFWA awards ballot, featuring tough decisions at MVP, defensive player of the year and defensive rookie of the year.
"Goff is coming off a season that saw him post a career-best 111.8 passer rating, which was second-best in the NFL behind Jackson. He completed 72.4% of his passes, including an early-season game during which all 18 of his throws were completed, and logged a career-high 37 touchdown passes.
The NFL divisional round games are Saturday and Sunday. Three underdogs made it out of the wild-card — will we see more upsets?
Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (13-5) will visit Allen and the Buffalo Bills (14-4) in the divisional round while Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) will host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans (11-7). The winners face off on Jan. 26 for a berth in the Super Bowl.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and ABC. Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst) will serve as the crew in the booth. On the field, Lisa Salter (field reporter) and Laura Rutledge will conduct interviews and provide injury updates from the sidelines.
The divisional round is next up on the docket, a four-game slate set to feature Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Saquon Barkley,
The weekend opens with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs hosting the Texans and closes with two MVP candidates squaring off in prime time.
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were both first-round picks, and are both on a Hall of Fame track. They also share the same legacy of not having won enough in the postseason.
Buffalo opened as a 1.5-point betting favorite, a line that’s shifted to Ravens by a point. Either way, it’s essentially a coin flip. Either the Bills or Ravens will head to defending champion Kansas City next week, or host the Texans if Houston can upset the Chiefs on Saturday.