The full NFL divisional round playoffs schedule with kickoff times
After four road teams won in the divisional round, the first time that has happened in the current NFL playoff format that dates back to 1990, there are great matchups across the board for the divisional round.
Among the final eight teams in the NFL playoffs are both of last year’s Super Bowl participants and three of the four teams that advanced to the conference championship round last season. There’s also a 15-1 team and the second team in NFL history to rebound from a 1-5 start to make the playoffs. There’s a lot of intrigue among all eight teams as we take a look at the divisional round matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) at New England Patriots (12-4)
Saturday, Jan. 16
4:35 p.m. ET, CBS
The last time the Chiefs and Patriots met, some people wondered if the Patriots’ dynasty might be slowing down. That was a 41-14 Patriots loss on “Monday Night Football” in Week 4 last season, which dropped the Patriots to 2-2.
As we know, that was far from the end of the Patriots’ dynasty.
New England went on to win last season’s Super Bowl, and are back with the AFC’s No. 2 seed this season. They’ll take on a Chiefs team that hasn’t lost since Oct. 18. Kansas City started 1-5, then became the second NFL team in the Super Bowl era to bounce back from a 1-5 start to make the playoffs. They won their last 10 regular-season games, then crushed the Texans in the wild-card round.
New England has been battling injuries, but key players like receiver Julian Edelman, offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer and linebacker Dont’a Hightower are expected to play.
Green Bay Packers (11-6) at Arizona Cardinals (13-3)
Saturday, Jan. 16
8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
The Packers played at Arizona on Dec. 27 and were dominated, losing 38-8. Aaron Rodgers was sacked eight times and was pulled in the fourth quarter because the game was out of hand. That was Green Bay’s low point this season.
The Packers have to hope they figured out some things in Sunday’s wild-card win at Washington. The offense had some flow for the first time in many weeks, as they got some big plays from Rodgers and the running game got some momentum in the second half.
The Cardinals will be a much tougher test. Carson Palmer is rightfully in the MVP conversation after his best season as a pro, and he has a lot of weapons to throw to. And the defense can put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, as the Cardinals showed in the first meeting with the Packers.
Seattle Seahawks (11-6) at Carolina Panthers (15-1)
Sunday, Jan. 17
1:05 p.m. ET, FOX
There are some interesting matchups in the divisional round, but this looks like the best one.
The Panthers came close to a 16-0 regular season, settling for the sixth 15-1 season in NFL history. To advance to the NFC championship game, they’ll have to beat the team that has won the last two NFC championships.
The Seahawks got a huge break on Sunday when Blair Walsh missed a short field goal at the end, but Seattle put itself in position to win. The defense was stifling in the freezing cold, and Russell Wilson made a few big plays to put enough points on the board. It wasn’t a pretty performance, but given the brutal weather conditions, it was good enough. Seattle played very well in the second half of the season and will feel confident going to Charlotte.
The Panthers are playing well too, obviously, behind MVP front-runner Cam Newton. The defense is full of stars too, like linebacker Luke Kuechly and cornerback Josh Norman. The Panthers were the only team in the NFL to go undefeated at home this season. That streak will be tested against an experienced Seahawks team. The Panthers will come in confident, knowing they won at Seattle 27-23 in Week 6 on a last-minute touchdown pass from Newton to Greg Olsen.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6) at Denver Broncos (12-4)
Sunday, Jan. 17
4:40 p.m. ET, CBS
These two teams played in Week 15, with the Steelers coming back from a 27-13 halftime deficit to win 34-27. That game was in Pittsburgh and the rematch will happen in Denver, but that won’t be the only difference.
The Broncos will have a different quarterback. Peyton Manning, who missed that first game against the Steelers with a foot injury, will get the start. He replaced Brock Osweiler in the second half of Denver’s Week 17 game and will keep the job to start the playoffs. There will also be a lot of questions about the availability of two of the Steelers’ stars.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hurt his right shoulder in the wild-card win over Cincinnati, and although he didn’t reveal much about his condition after the game, he admitted his velocity was affected when he went back into the game for the final drive. On that final drive, All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown suffered a concussion. Concussion recovery is unpredictable, but Brown will be in the protocol next week. In the first meeting against the Broncos, Brown had 16 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and obviously his availability against Denver is a huge concern for the Steelers.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
