The NFL playoffs’ opening Wild Card weekend round was just that — wild! From the Green Bay Packers grasping defeat from the jaws of victory by blowing a three-score lead in the fourth quarter versus the Chicago Bears, to the Philadelphia Eagles losing at home to the walking wounded San Francisco 49ers, brackets are already being busted!
The upcoming playoff games should be very interesting. In a year where there really is no clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl this February, the remaining eight teams all believe they have a shot at greatness.
This weekend features the divisional round matchups, including one game that will make most Detroit sports fans’ skin crawl. I know it’s making mine.
When the Los Angeles Rams take on the Chicago Bears this Sunday evening, it will be must-see TV for most fans, but not me. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that not many Lions fans really care who wins this battle — or to listen to the announcers fawn all over Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Johnson deserves credit for changing the culture in Chicago so quickly. I will give him that. The Bears, a team that finished in last place in the NFC North division in 2022, 2023, and 2024, weren’t expected to make much noise in 2025.
To Johnson’s credit, he had the team believing they could win right away. However, after starting the season 0-2, all Bears’ fans had to be thinking one thing: “Here we go again: new coach, same results!”
Since that second loss, which came against the Lions by the final score of 52-21, Chicago has won 12 of their last 16 games. Now, this Bears team, which has had no bite for years, will try to take out Matt Stafford and the LA Rams.
Yes, that Matt Stafford. So, with the Lions missing the postseason this year, the last thing I want to hear is how great Stafford still is and how Ben Johnson is the next Bill Belichick. No, thank you.
As for the Rams and Stafford, they have also had great success, winning Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals.
So, with the Lions missing the postseason this year, the last thing I want to hear is how great Stafford still is and how Ben Johnson is the next Bill Belichick. No, thank you. Although I cheered passionately for them when they wore the Honolulu Blue and Silver, they are now elsewhere, so I do not wish them success.
Since one of them has to win, I will be cheering for their next opponent, whichever team that may be, on January 25, better known to NFL fans as Championship Sunday.
Sour grapes? Not at all. Well, maybe a little. Let’s just say I don’t want to see Matt Stafford hoist another Super Bowl Trophy, and I definitely don’t want Ben Johnson claiming a title before Dan Campbell — especially in his first year as a head coach!
The divisional round NFL playoff schedule breaks down this way.
On Saturday, January 17, the Buffalo Bills will take on the Denver Broncos at 4:30 p.m. ET. Denver finished the 2025 campaign with the best home record in the NFL at 8-1, helping them capture the AFC West and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Head Coach Sean Payton has delivered on his promise of making the Broncos a force again, and by the looks of it, they may rule the AFC West for years to come.
However, the Broncos will have their work cut out for them when they face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Allen has been a QB in the NFL since he was drafted in 2018, and with fellow arch-nemesis QBs Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson all on the sidelines this postseason, Bills fans are hoping Allen finally leads Buffalo to a Super Bowl title.
Texans’ QB C.J. Stroud will be pivotal versus the Patriots. Photo by Michael Longo/USA Today Network.
The nightcap will feature the San Francisco 49ers facing the Seattle Seahawks. This will be the third time these two teams have faced each other this season. Interestingly enough, the home team has lost both games this season. After upsetting the Eagles last week, can the injury-plagued Niners win back-to-back road playoff games? That’s what they will be aiming to do this weekend in Seattle, but it won’t be easy.
The Seahawks, with their home crowd behind them, are always tough to beat. They also have a defense that has improved as the season has moved on, which is bad news for a Niners team that is very short-handed on offense. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Sunday’s doubleheader kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET in Foxborough when the surprising New England Patriots host the red-hot Houston Texans. Houston boasts the NFL’s top defense in many categories and has won 10-straight games. The Texans are also the first team to reach the divisional round of the postseason in the Super Bowl era after starting the season 0-3.
Like the Broncos, the Patriots surprised many experts this season by running away with the AFC East title. QB Drake Maye has been better than expected for the Pats, performing well beyond his young age. Head Coach Mike Vrabel, a former star and three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, has changed the culture seemingly overnight, and, once again, Patriots fans are thinking Super Bowl or bust.
The final game of the playoff schedule this weekend features the Bears hosting the Rams. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 ET. My thoughts on this game are well documented above. Go Lions!
