Following the wild card round, the divisional round of the playoffs brings some expected matchups, but introduces a new dark horse on the NFC side. 

Starting with the AFC, if you picked the second, third, and fourth seeds to make it past the first round, you would’ve been right. The wild card resulted in the higher ranked seed securing a win in all of the matchups. 

In the first versus fourth seed matchup, the Baltimore Ravens secured a first round bye with the first seed, but now look to battle their fourth seed opponents, the Houston Texans. 

Braeden’ Prediction

The Texans played exceptionally well in the first round, routing the Browns 45-14 at home. Despite C.J. Stroud being a rookie and only 22 years old, he proved the doubters wrong in becoming the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game. He showed out and proved his rookie of the year abilities. Receiver Nico Collins had a huge game, hauling in six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Unexpected playmaker Brevin Jordan had a breakout performance, scoring on a 76 yard touchdown grab. Devin Singletary rounded out the ground attack with 13 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. The defense played really well, showing their coverage excellence with two pick sixes. 

Turning over to the Ravens, the top AFC team has been playing at a top level. QB Lamar Jackson was awarded MVP this season, throwing for 3678 yards and 24 passing touchdowns to go along with his 821 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. Rookie receiver Zay Flowers has been his favorite target. Flowers totaled 858 yards and 5 touchdowns this season. Mark Andrews has been a big weapon, but his injuries have halted his stats. The Ravens defense is led by Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, who were one and two in the team’s total tackles stat. The linebackers both made the Pro Bowl, showing their power. The secondary is led by Kyle Hamilton, a great coverage safety, and Geno Stone, who has been a ball hog this year–amassing 7 interceptions. Given the season as a whole, the Ravens should come out on top in this fierce matchup. 

Lars’ Prediction

This matchup is likely going to be close, as the two teams both have exceptional talent at the Quarterback position. Lamar Jackson had  3,678 yards passing this season, and 24 touchdowns. Jackson has an exceptional ability to score, and prove himself as a vital component to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud has been on a hot streak. Stroud has won the last three games he’s played in, including his victory over the Browns last Sunday. C.J. Stroud is a great field manager, and can absolutely bomb the ball down the field. Stroud had 430 more yards than Lamar Jackson this season, totalling 4,108 yards this year. Not-to-mention, C.J. Stroud has absolutely no fear going into this game. Being the rookie, Stroud is likely going to launch the ball like Apollo 11 throughout this game. However, that could put Stroud in some danger, as the Ravens’ defensemen can catch almost as well as any receiver in the league. It’s undisputed that both of these quarterbacks have shown us what they’re made of this season.

While the Texans have a fierce offense, the Ravens defense has been borderline unstoppable this season. Linebacker Roquan Smith had an astounding 158 tackles this season, demonstrating his ferociousness. Smith’s tackles are likely going to hurt even more with the rather frigid temperatures that are being played in on Saturday. This will likely hinder the Texans offense slightly. Still, the offense of the Texans has proven themselves as a worthy opponent for this seemingly unbeatable Ravens Defense. It’s definitely possible for the Texans to upset the Ravens in this matchup. However, Stroud’s fearlessness could put him in a spot to throw too many interceptions against a Ravens defense that has 18 interceptions as a team this past season. Possible interceptions thrown by Stroud, as well as the Raven’s ability to score consistently will lead to the Texans’ defeat in a close, even-matched game against the Baltimore Ravens.

In the second versus third seed matchup, the second seed Buffalo Bills are set to play the third seed–the Kansas City Chiefs. In a rematch of the 2022 AFC championship classic, the Bills hope to avenge their loss from that heartbreaking game. 

Braeden’s Predictions

Starting with the Bills, they dismantled the seventh seed Steelers in their matchup. Josh Allen showed out, throwing 203 yards, three touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. While he has been criticized for his turnover difficulties, Allen showed his talent on the playoff stage. He even added 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Dalton Kincaid, the rookie tight end, added three receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown as well. While Stefon Diggs didn’t have his best game against the Steelers, look to him as a potential top receiver in this matchup. The Bills defense struggled to get to the quarterback, only having one sack against the Steelers. Their secondary is tough, but nothing remarkable. The same can not be said for the Chiefs. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed has been playing at DPOY (Defensive player of the Year) levels. He did not allow a single touchdown to his opponents this season. Look to him and Stefon Diggs to matchup in the important moments of the game. He has been a lock-down type of guy, so Diggs will likely struggle when he’s matched up against Sneed. The Chiefs front seven has played quite well too. The always-great Chris Jones showed out once again, totaling 10.5 sacks in the regular season. Flipping over to the offense, rookie Rashee Rice has been going crazy as of late. He hauled in 8 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins in the divisional round and will be a key piece. Travis Kelce is always a threat, so keep an eye out for him to have a big game. This matchup is really hard to predict, but we have to make a choice, so give me the Chiefs to sneak away with a road victory and continue their unexpected run. When matchups are this close, the better playoff quarterback can tip the balance of the game. Mahomes is known for being excellent in the postseason, so his playoff talent should make the difference in this game.

Lars’ predictions:

Buffalo is a tough place to play on the road. Even more unfortunately for Patrick Mahomes, he has yet to play at Buffalo in front of a large crowd… he has yet to play in postseason Buffalo, period. However, Mahomes has a 10-2 playoff record (excluding the Super Bowl), and has only lost to Joe Burrow and Tom Brady in the playoffs. It’s pretty clear that Mahomes is at his best during the playoffs. However, this year the Bills have started to find a rhythm following the firing of their former offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey. There’s no doubt that Josh Allen can play just as well as Joe Burrow during the postseason as well. Regardless, the Chiefs have had the Bills’ number during the playoffs for quite a while. The Chiefs are 2-0 in both of their matchups against Buffalo during the playoffs. Not to mention, Mahomes has better stats on the road. His completion percentage is higher on the road, he throws for more yards on average, and has a higher quarterback rating on the road. It’s obvious that Mahomes likes being rooted against just as much as he likes being rooted for. Although this game is going to be close, the sheer dominance the Chiefs have had over the Bills on the road points towards another victory for the Kansas City Chiefs–even though they’re playing in a harsh Buffalo environment.

The AFC is a powerhouse division as a whole. Sporting Super Bowl contending teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills, and even the Texans, the AFC Divisional Round is going to be intense this postseason.