The Divisional Round of the NFL postseason is upon us and three of the four upcoming matchups are rematches from regular-season games. The Divisional Round is usually the best weekend of playoff football each year — and 2022 is no different. Each of these games is expected to be a lot more competitive than the Wild Card Round when half of the matchups turned into blowouts early on in the first half. Let’s dive right into the first game on the slate.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans
The Cincinnati Bengals just won their first playoff game in 31 long years with Joe Burrow leading the way. They were able to knock off the Las Vegas Raiders and advance. However, they saw two of their best defensive players suffer injuries during that game and both are listed as questionable for this upcoming battle. One is their franchise sack leader Trey Hendrickson and his loss would be a huge blow if he isn’t able to play. As for the Tennessee Titans, they’re fresh off a bye and are expected the return of Derrick Henry. We get to see if the Titans were truly worthy of that No. 1 seed or if the Bengals can continue their run this postseason.
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Buffalo Bills walloped the New England Patriots during the Wild Card Round, becoming the first team in NFL history to not punt the football, kick a field goal or turn it over the entire time. They had scored touchdowns on all seven possessions with Josh Allen having thrown more scores than incompletions.
The Kansas City Chiefs somehow had similar success against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Patrick Mahomes threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns with Travis Kelce throwing one himself just to top it all off.
Buffalo beat the Chiefs earlier in the season, but the Chiefs won in the last postseason when the two sides met in the AFC Championship Game. Can the Bills get revenge?
San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers
A lot of people were surprised to see the Dallas Cowboys eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round. However, this 49ers team isn’t messing around. Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t play that great but Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel carried the team on the ground to get enough of a lead that the defense could hold onto in the end. They now face the Green Bay Packers, a squad that got a first-round bye.
Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, and A.J. Dillon form one of the best offenses left in the postseason. And going to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in the dead of winter is never easy.
Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Matt Stafford just got his first-ever career playoff win after stomping the Arizona Cardinals on Monday. The entire Los Angeles Rams squad just looked completely focused and showed their true potential. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Von Miller proved what a force they could be defensively as well.
Now they have to face a stiffer task in front of them this weekend when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who’ll host them for the Divisional Round. Tom Brady is never easy to beat – especially in the playoffs. The Bucs crushed the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round and appeared to be in good form. Can they protect home field and move onto another Conference Championship?