NFC
Starting off we take a look at the NFC
teams. In first place we have the Detroit Lions, who will have the first round bye in the Wildcard Round. The Lions are a huge favorite to win the Super Bowl, as the Dan Campbell led team is the best team Detroit has ever seen. This is the very first time in their history the Lions have the number one seed in the playoffs, which means that they will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. After making it to the NFC conference championship last year, they have all the momentum leading up to the Super Bowl.
For the first game in the NFC, we have the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Green Bay Packers. These two teams played each other week one of the regular season in Brazil, where the Eagles won 34-29 with the help of superstar acquisition at running back, Saquon Barkley, who had 3 touchdowns that game. For the Packers, injury is a major concern for them as their starting quarterback Jordan Love sustained an elbow injury in the final game of the regular season. Jordan Love should be ready to go for their game versus the Eagles, but with their number one wide receiver Christian Watson done for the year with a torn ACL, they might be in huge trouble.
The second game will be the Washington Commanders vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Commanders have shocked everybody, with their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels looking like a stud already in his first season. The Buccaneers are no slouch either, as they have won their division for four straight seasons now.
Finally, we have the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams were also in the playoffs last year, and are looking for redemption after being exited in the first round. The Vikings have had a shocking performance this year, as their free agent signing at quarterback Sam Darnold has had a huge comeback season and led the Vikings to 14 wins this season.
AFC
The matchups for the AFC consist of: the Los Angeles Chargers vs. the Houston Texans, the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Baltimore Ravens, and the Denver Broncos vs. the Buffalo Bills.
Now, taking a look at the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs have won the first seed for the fourth time in the past seven years. The reigning two time Super Bowl champions are looking to be the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row. With the help of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it would be insane to not have them favored this year.
This is the Charger’s first year with their new head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is fresh off of a National Championship with Michigan last year. The Texans are led by their young star at quarterback C.J. Stroud, who had one of the best rookie seasons at quarterback last season.
The Steelers are led by their star-studded defense and star outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who won Defensive player of the year in 2021. The Baltimore Ravens have the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson, who is one of the top candidates to win MVP again this season. Both of those teams are divisional rivals, so they have already played each other twice. They happened to split the series 1-1, so we’ll see what happens in their third meeting in Baltimore.
The Broncos are another shock to make the playoffs, as they are also led by a rookie quarterback, Bo Nix. He is the first Broncos quarterback to lead Denver to a playoff appearance since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning in the 2015-2016 season. The Buffalo Bills are now in their sixth straight postseason appearance, with their quarterback Josh Allen the front runner for the MVP this season.
These are the playoff matchups that will be taking place this weekend on Saturday, January 11th through Monday, January 13th. No matter what team you root for, or how your team will end up doing this postseason, here is the chance for you to be grateful that your team has made it to the playoffs, and are just a couple of games away from greatness. Hopefully we will see some exciting games, and will have a terrific 2025 postseason.
