The Super Wild Card Weekend has been and gone, leaving 8 NFL teams dreaming of a spot in the Super Bowl. With Divisional Round matchups scheduled for this weekend, the field is about to get even narrower.
The winners of each Divisional Round contest qualify for the conference championship games, the penultimate stage of the playoffs. So which teams look likely to make it?
Kansas City Chiefs v Jacksonville Jaguars
21 January 2023, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
The first game of the weekend sees the Jaguars visit Kansas City, fresh off the biggest comeback in the Florida franchise’s history. In an unforgettable Super Wild Card Weekend matchup against the LA Chargers, Jacksonville went down 27-0 before young QB Trevor Lawrence dragged his team to a miraculous 31-30 victory. The Jaguars achieved the third-biggest comeback ever seen in the NFL playoffs, and their reward is a meeting with one of the season’s strongest performers. The Chiefs booked their place in the Divisional Round by holding top spot in the AFC at the end of the regular season, receiving a bye through the Wild Card games. Kansas City will be the favourite to win on their home field, but as the Jaguars know better than ever, anything is possible in the playoffs.
Philadelphia Eagles v New York Giants
21 January 2023, Lincoln Financial Field
Like the Chiefs, the Eagles topped their conference and enjoyed a bye through to the Divisional Round. They will host the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, after the New York team defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 in Super Wild Card Weekend. The Vikings had been favoured to win that matchup, but Giants QB Daniel Jones turned in an elite performance, becoming the first quarterback in NFL playoffs history to record 2 passing touchdowns, over 300 passing yards, and 70 rushing yards in a single game. The Giants will once again be underdogs when they head to Philadelphia, and fans will look to Jones to keep their NFC Championship hopes alive.
Buffalo Bills v Cincinnati Bengals
22 January 2023, Highmark Stadium
As one of the most dominant teams in the regular season, the Bills were expected to have a relatively easy time of it in their Super Wild Card contest against the Miami Dolphins. Instead, the team from Buffalo just scraped into the Divisional Round, beating Miami 34-31 to set up a game with the Bengals at Highmark Stadium. Cincinnati took part in the lowest scoring matchup of the first round, recording a 24-17 win against the Baltimore Ravens. Bengals QB Joe Burrow has never lost a game in January in his professional career, but both teams have the offensive firepower to score big.
San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys
22 January 2023, Levi’s Stadium
The 49ers have enjoyed an impressive season, and they came through a chaotic Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks to book their place in the Divisional Round. It can be argued, however, that San Francisco has benefitted from one of the easier 2022 schedules. The team may look less dominant against fearsome opposition, and the Cowboys can certainly be scary on their day. Dallas comfortably beat Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 in the first round of playoff action, and will be confident that they can get a positive result at Levi’s Stadium. The Cowboys and the 49ers have been 2 of the highest-scoring teams this season, but both franchises also boast strong defensive records. San Francisco won the same contest in last year’s playoffs – can Dallas get revenge this time around?