The skimming has begun. They are only 8 to be able to claim the title now.And if the logic is generally respected (7 of the 8 teams won at home), there is still a spoilsport: Green Bay. The Packers also meet the 49ers for a match which could be their revenge. They are not the only ones who want to overcome the demons of the past since Buffalo welcomes Kansas City with the idea of finally bringing down these Chiefs who have done them so much harm for several seasons.
At the same time, Baltimore and Detroit hope to win at home, but face scratchy teams. We did not necessarily expect Houston and Tampa Bay to be at this level of competition, but Texans and Buccaneers do not intend to play as stooges. In any case, we are approaching one of the most beautiful weekends of the season.
The duel: Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes
Kick-off Sunday at 12:30 a.m.
Buffalo Bills (2) – Kansas City Chiefs (3)
We meet once again. For the third time in four years, the Bills and the Chiefs will face each other in the playoffs. The two friends, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, will meet again in a high-stakes match. However, we thought that this revenge would not happen this year. In difficulty at the heart of the regular season, Bills and Chiefs were able to capitalize on their experience to find themselves again at this stage. As always, their meeting will take place during the Divisional RoundEdit. For now, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have the advantage with two wins and no losses. And if Josh Allen did not want to talk about revenge, these matches are present in everyone's minds. Except things aren't quite the same this season. Firstly because this time it is certain, this meeting will not be played on a “heads or tails”.
Then, because this season, Chiefs and Bills will not face each other at ArrowHead, but at Highmark Stadium. For the first time, Buffalo will host this meeting and is counting on its fans to make the difference. The quarterback duel will inevitably attract all the attention. On the one hand, Josh Allen gave us another very good season (4,306 yards, 29 TDs and 18 INTs + 524 yards rushing and 15 TDs), but his numerous ball losses still raise questions. On the other hand, Patrick Mahomes is still very dangerous for a defense (4,183 yards, 27 TDs and 14 INTs + 389 yards rushing), but does not seem at his best level. Not helped, it is true, by a half-hearted attack. The defenses will have a heavy responsibility on Sunday, but very clearly the match will be won (or get lost) thanks to the quarterbacks. So, revenge or not?
The player: CJ Stroud
Kick-off Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
Baltimore Ravens (1) – Houston Texans (4)
And to think it's only his first year. In just one season, CJ Stroud has already established himself as one of the very best pitchers in the league. Not only did he deliver a very good regular season, but he also validated his performances with an impressive playoff match. If we only look at the statistics during the match Wild Card, the performance does not seem incredible. But when we take a closer look at his game, we realize that the former Ohio State player made almost no mistakes. As a result, the Texans managed to make it through the post-season and now find themselves playing in the Divisional Round Weekend. Where we certainly wouldn't expect them for a few years. Above all, they are now without pressure and can take all this experience as a bonus.
Please note, this does not mean that they are moving to Baltimore as victims. They intend to make the life of the first in the AFC in the regular season difficult. These two teams have already met this season. It was in week 1 and the Ravens had won 25-9. Since then, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge and both teams have followed an exponential progression curve. Like their two quarterbacks. The first, Lamar Jackson, is the favorite to win the MVP title, while the second will be the offensive rookie of the year. A victory this Saturday would in any case be historic for one or the other of these two teams. Baltimore has in fact no longer hosted a conference final since 1971while the Texans simply never got to this point (the Oilers did it in 1980).
Coach: Matt LaFleur
Kick-off on the night of Saturday to Sunday at 2:15 a.m.
San Francisco 49ers (1) – Green Bay Packers (7)
Here again, the two teams know each other very well. And even though they are not in the same division, the shared history is rich. Aaron Rodgers, the former Packers quarterback, must have nightmares about San Francisco in particular. It's simple, the 49ers eliminated the multiple MVP 4 repeats while he was Green Bay's starting pitcher. Two of these eliminations are also very recent since in 2019 and 2021the Californians took the best respectively in the conference final and during the Divisional RoundEdit. And if Rodgers is no longer there, Matt LaFleur is still there. Often criticized, especially after these defeats, the technician remains one of the best coaches in the league. This year's regular season was less impressive than those first three (13 victories in each season between 2019 and 2021)but he still qualified his team for the playoffs.
And after a surprise victory against the Cowboys, which however does not suffer from any dispute, the Packers intend to finally overcome the 49ers obstacle and glean this famous revenge. This time, LaFleur will have Jordan Love as his quarterback. The young pitcher proved all his talent during the previous match and approaches this match without ghosts of the past. No revenge for him, who will however be the main weapon of his trainer, often dominated by his counterpart. Kyle Shanahan had indeed gained the upper hand over LaFleur during these famous playoff matches. Their opposition on the sidelines may also be worth the detour. In this match in any case, all the pressure is on the 49ers. After a week of rest (as well as a quiet week 18), they must not go through this home meeting. San Francisco is aiming for overall victory and reaching the conference finals has to be the least they can do. For the rest, they will see next week. At least, they hope so.
The stat: 1957
Kick-off Sunday at 9:00 p.m.
Detroit Lions (3) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4)
More than a statistic, a date. That of the last season during which the Lions achieved two successes in the playoffs. Since then, they had only won one playoff game, in 1992, before a strong comeback this season. Last weekend, Dan Campbell's men finally defeated the Indian sign and seem to be on their way now. Without complexes, they aim big and want to build on their good momentum. The goal now is the final title. To do this, we will have to do the work at home and string together a second consecutive victory in the post-season for the first time since 67 years old. Opposite, the Buccaneers do not have this problem. Tampa Bay is in fact the only NFC team to have qualified every year since 2020.
Several players, Super Bowl winners alongside Tom Brady 3 years ago, are still there. Experience is on their side against inexperienced Lions at this level. It should still be noted that the last clash between these two teams turned in favor of Detroit. In week 6the Lions had indeed imposed themselves 20-6 in Florida thanks in particular to a very good Jared Goff (353 yards and 2 TDs). No revenge story here, but the long-distance duel with the other elder number 1 in the draft, Baker Mayfield, will be interesting to watch. In a few days, one of the two will prepare to play in a conference final. Who would have believed it a few seasons ago?
The posters
Kick-off Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
Baltimore Ravens (1) – Houston Texans (4)
Kick-off on the night of Saturday to Sunday at 2:15 a.m.
San Francisco 49ers (1) – Green Bay Packers (7)
Kick-off Sunday at 9:00 p.m.
Detroit Lions (3) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4)
Kick-off Sunday at 12:30 a.m.
Buffalo Bills (2) – Kansas City Chiefs (3)
