After the wildcard weekend where 8 teams battled it out for a spot in the playoffs, the NFL playoffs are now headed to the divisional round. This year’s playoffs will feature 5 newcomers and 3 familiar faces. The first game will be on Saturday; the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs will play for a spot in the NFL conference championship. The Chiefs have had an amazing season, earning the conference’s top seed led by quarterback and MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs will be hosting the Colts, who are the AFC’s No. 6 seed. The Colts defeated the Houston Texans 21-7 during wildcard weekend. 

The next game will be between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys played an exceptional game against the Seattle Seahawks, ultimately winning 24-22 during wildcard weekend and earning a spot in the playoffs. The Cowboys are the only team in the NFL playoff field that the Rams have not played this season. The Rams, led by quarterback Jared Goff secured a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed in the NFC and the Cowboys led by quarterback Dak Prescott are the NFC’s No. 4 seed. The Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game on the road since 1992 and this will be the Ram’s first appearance in the divisional round since 2004.  

The game that us New Englanders are most looking forward to is the match-up between the Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots will be playing in the divisional round for the ninth year in a row. The Patriots led by Tom Brady are 8-0 in Foxboro this season and 7-0 against the Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers. The Patriots did end up as the AFC’s 2nd seed, however, they would have ended up as No. 1 if it weren’t for that Miami game on the road, where Miami scored a touchdown 7 seconds before the end of the 4th quarter. Nevertheless, on Sunday the Patriots will host the Chargers, who are the AFC’s No. 5 seed. They defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-17 during wildcard weekend.  

The last matchup is between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints. The Philadelphia Eagles led by Nick Foles defeated the Chicago Bears 16-15 during wildcard weekend. The Bears had the chance for a field goal kick and Cody Parkey ultimately cracked under pressure and missed the field goal kick that would have placed the Bears in the divisional round. They will travel to New Orleans where they will face quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints, the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Eagles ended up as the NFC’s No. 6 seed. The only question is whether Carson Wentz or Nick Foles will play the role of quarterback in the upcoming game. This game is the only rematch in the divisional round. Back in week 11, the Saints defeated the Eagles 48-7.  

The four teams that emerge victoriously will play on January 20 in the AFC and NFC Championship games. The final two teams will play on Super bowl Sunday (Feb. 3) to determine who will be this year’s champions and take the Lombardi trophy home.