Things are starting to get really serious now and the Super Bowl dreams are one step closer to becoming a reality. There are now just eight teams who can be crowned champions of this wild 2025 NFL season.
I've had a look at the stories and intriguing headlines for each of the Divisional Round contests coming our way on Saturday and Sunday.
Superstar meets super defense
The first game on the slate in the Divisional Round pits the most exciting individual player in the league in Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen against a Denver defense that led the NFL with 68 sacks this season. They also led the league with 63 last year, so that's going to be the key battle as the Bills take on the number one seed Denver Broncos.
These teams met in the playoffs last year, in the first round, and Buffalo won 31-7, but the Broncos are a much different proposition this time around. Josh Allen was sacked a career-high 40 times this season, so he's going to be under pressure and he's going to be forced to produce that magic which makes this game absolute box office.
As we pay attention to Buffalo's offense and Denver's defense, could it be the Broncos' attack that decides this game? Bo Nix was ranked 21st among NFL quarterbacks this year, but we know he can deliver in big moments. Because of Allen, this is a game that can go either way, but of course the Broncos have a tremendous home-field advantage playing in Denver.
NFC West rivals meet for a third time
The old saying about familiarity breeding contempt certainly applies here. There is no love lost between division rivals who split their regular season series. San Francisco won the opening weekend game in Seattle by a 17-13 scoreline, and the Seahawks won in San Francisco in Week 18; securing the NFC West and the conference one seed with a 13-3 victory.
That game featured just one touchdown but it was enough for the Seahawks, who were powered by the league's number one scoring defense (allowing just 17 points per game). With a strong running attack and that elite D, Seattle are well placed to make a Super Bowl run; especially as they boast one of the league's best receivers in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But there are some who still worry about quarterback Sam Darnold, who led the NFL with 20 giveaways this season.
San Francisco are decimated by injuries (they lost tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles in the Wild Card round) but they continue to punch above their weight and they can be relied upon to fight each and every weekend. Brock Purdy remains vital to their chances at quarterback but the main man has to be running back Christian McCaffrey, who has recorded at least 100 scrimmage yards in an NFL-high 13 games this season. This may end up being one battle too many for the plucky Niners.
A hard-hitting game in New England
The first game on Sunday sees the Houston Texans visit the New England Patriots, and this is exactly what playoff football should be. Two in-form teams going head-to-head to move along the road to the Super Bowl. Houston have won 10 in a row, New England have won 14 of their last 15.
This game starts with Houston's defense. They are the number one unit in the NFL in terms of fewest yards allowed, and they're taking on a Patriots team that permitted Drake Maye to be sacked five times in the Wild Card round. So, while the Patriots will be favoured as the number two seed, the number five seed Texans have the ability to take this game.
Maybe what will be key is the fact that Maye can also pick up yardage on the ground, rushing for 66 yards in the first round of the playoffs against the Chargers. Houston could be without wide receiver Nico Collins (concussion), and that puts a little bit more pressure on quarterback CJ Stroud, who fumbled an NFL high five times last week. He has to tidy up that aspect of his game against a very good New England defense that often gets overlooked (they registered six sacks last weekend). This is a pick'em game. It could go either way, but the Patriots, of course, have home field advantage, and that can be vital at this time of year.
A quarterback showdown awaits in Chicago
The final game of the Divisional Round pits two outstanding quarterbacks against each other as Matthew Stafford leads the Los Angeles Rams into Chicago where they will take on a Bears club led by Caleb Williams. Both quarterbacks can take over games in different styles.
Stafford very much operates from the pocket, picking apart defenses by connecting with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams time and again. Williams is more of a magician, more capable of a Patrick Mahomes-type play, as we saw last week when he led a furious rally against the Green Bay Packers.
What makes this game intriguing is that both clubs also have question marks. The Rams were shaky at times against the Carolina Panthers in the first round, and they've won two and lost two in the last month. The Bears looked dead and buried against the Packers, but came back to win with another late rally. Seven of their victories this year have come when they've trailed with two minutes left in the game. Add in the coaches, Sean McVay of the Rams, Ben Johnson of the Bears, and this might just be the most fascinating contest of the weekend.
