Wild Card Weekend provided some of the best games of the year. Saturday delivered two classics that came to the wire. Sunday’s matinee wasn’t settled until the final minute, and the San Francisco 49ers pulled out a late victory in the evening game. After the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL announced the schedule for the Divisional Round.
Divisional Round Schedule
The stage is set for the Divisional Round. The Houston Texans came away with a dominant win in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure the final spot in the Divisional Round. They will now face the New England Patriots on Sunday, and will be confident about their chances of taking down the team led by MVP candidate Drake Maye.
Saturday, Jan. 17
- Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos: 4:30 p.m. ET – CBS
- San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks: 8:00 p.m. ET – FOX
The Bills are coming off a massive win against the Jaguars, and after the Patriots’ victory, they know their fate. Buffalo will be getting on a plane to head to Denver, and the Broncos are well-rested after having the bye and are ready to take on a banged-up Josh Allen and a Bills team that gutted through a tough Jacksonville squad.
The 49ers keep on overcoming adversity. George Kittle tore his Achilles, but the 49ers didn’t flinch. They stick with the personnel that they have and churn out victories. That’s what they did as they pulled out a win against the defending champions. However, it’s going to get harder for the 49ers as they will face the No. 1 seed, the Seattle Seahawks, in the Divisional Round.
The Seahawks just took down the 49ers in Week 18. San Francisco will seek revenge, but Seattle will focus on handling business.
Sunday, Jan. 18
- Houston Texans @ New England Patriots: 3:00 p.m. ET – ESPN
- Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears: 6:30 p.m. ET – NBC
The Los Angeles Rams struggled to distance themselves from the Panthers as Carolina gave them a fight, but it was not enough. The Rams will face further testing in the Divisional Round as the Bears await them in Chicago for a showdown of two elite offenses.
According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, the Rams have the best offense in the league, while the Bears’ offense is ranked 10th. They will be playing on Sunday, and these teams will know their potential opponent in the conference championship round.
All eyes will be on how Maye will handle the Texans’ defense, which made life miserable for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers in the Wild Card round. If the Patriots star performs against them, then there is no denying that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
