The postseason began with a rush. On Saturday, the Rams slipped into a loss after the Panthers made the game tight, thanks to an impressive Bryce Young offensive performance, while the Bears posted a 25-point 4th quarter to defeat the Packers and advance to the divisional round. On Sunday, the Bills pulled off an upset in the final minutes against the Jaguars, while the Eagles flopped and let an injured 49ers team into the second round. The Chargers let out a quiet 3-point gasp, with the Patriots dominating the game to make it to their divisional. Finally, on Monday, the Texans destroyed the Steelers and pushed to a matchup against the Patriots, and the divisional round is set.

Wild Card Record: 5-1

Bills (6) @ Broncos (1) 4:30 PM CBS

On Sunday, Josh Allen proclaimed to the NFL that he was ready for playoff season. He was able to pull off a final touchdown drive in the final 3 minutes to put a cap on an overachieving Jaguars season, and look up at the Broncos, with a first-round bye, looking for revenge after their wild card loss to Josh Allen’s squad in the last postseason. I don’t think a bye will help a young team such as the Broncos, though. While the Broncos have an amazing defense, their offense has not had the ability to finish games. Josh Allen is an amazing late-game finisher, which I believe shows that Josh Allen will make a low-scoring game due to the Broncos’ defense, but will be able to shut the Broncos down at the end of the game.

BUF 17 – 15 DEN

49ers (6) @ Seahawks (1) 8:00 PM FOX

The rematch of week 18 occurs on Saturday night. The Seahawks defense stopped any motion by Kyle Shanahan’s offense and defeated the 49ers 13-3, but San Francisco is out for blood. After beating the Eagles in a game where one team rolled over and died, the 49ers look to make another Super Bowl run without George Kittle. While the talent is on the Seahawks side, the 49ers have history on their side, with Kyle Shanahan having never lost a wild card or divisional round he had his team in. On the other hand, last year’s playoff bust by Sam Darnold has portrayed how he has let down people when it matters, but who knows, maybe him and JSN will etch their place in history to stop a Kyle Shanahan led team in the divisional round, but I believe Shanahan’s duo of Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey will lead San Fran to a victory to lead one step closer to a home Super Bowl.

SF 22 – 19 SEA

Texans (5) @ Patriots (2) 3:00 PM ESPN

The Patriots proved their own right to be taken seriously with a not on paper dominant 16-3 win, but it was a defensive bubble showing that their defensive group can take on the Texans with the best defense in the NFL. But, the Texans also portrayed how they have an obvious defensive advantage, with scoring 30 points even with 5 fumbles by C.J. Stroud. This leads me to believe that this Texans defense can stop the Patriots and Drake Maye’s force, especially when he only scored 16 points last week on a worse defense. Texans will move on.

HOU 13 – 10 NE

Rams (5) @ Bears (2) 6:30 PM NBC

The Bears put up an incredible comeback against the Packers last week to advance to the divisional round, but their run will end here. The Rams have a large advantage in experience, especially with Matthew Stafford at the helm, the leading MVP candidate. The Rams have a great defense, which the Bears lack, which could stop Caleb Williams, who hasn’t faced a great defense near the end of the season. Matthew Stafford and the Rams will advance to the NFC championship game.

LAR 27 – 24 CHI

Player of the Week: Josh Allen

Josh Allen will show out again against the Broncos and find a way to get past one of, if not the best, defensive units in the league, showing that he can become a Super Bowl quarterback.

Game of the Week: Bills @ Broncos

The Bills have a chance to show that even with their lower seed, they can win a Super Bowl playing the strongest AFC teams. On the Broncos’s side, if they win, they can prove they can also win against other serious AFC teams, and Bo Nix can make his own Super Bowl run.