Watch Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs live on Sky Sports from 8.30pm Saturday, followed by Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers; Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Detroit Lions at 8pm Sunday, before Kansas City Chiefs against Buffalo Bills.
Tuesday 16 January 2024 19:20, UK
The 2023 NFL playoffs continue! Here is your quick guide to the final eight as we progress to the Divisional Round of the postseason - every game of which you can watch live on Sky Sports NFL this weekend...
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers join the playoff action fresh from their bye weeks as the AFC and NFC's respective No 1 seeds, while the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers look to build on exceptional Wild Card victories behind young star quarterbacks CJ Stroud and Jordan Love.
Divisional Round: vs Houston Texans, M&T Bank Stadium - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 9.30pm, Saturday
Head coach: John Harbaugh is in the middle of his 16th season in charge of the Ravens, 11 of which have seen him reach the playoffs as well as winning one Super Bowl title. He has recorded just two losing campaigns during his time in Baltimore, establishing himself among the NFL’s premier coaches. Harbaugh's Ravens sealed the No 1 seed with the league No 1-ranked scoring defense as well as the fourth-most prolific offense.
Key player: There is a reason Lamar Jackson has propelled himself into pole position to clinch league MVP. The Ravens quarterback has been every defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare across another dominant campaign in which he has starred as the front man to Todd Monken’s offense, showcasing the best of his pocket poise and precision while remaining the devastating threat with his legs on the move. His arm talent has dazzled and his ground threat has clobbered, lifting him to a career-best 3,678 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to just seven interceptions alongside 821 rushing yards and five scores.
Kyle Hamilton has meanwhile excelled within Mike Macdonald’s ascent to head coaching contention, the second year safety serving as his defensive coordinator’s multi-purpose asset as everything from bruising box tackler to downfield cover defender to late blitz threat. Geno Stone leads the team with seven interceptions, while defensive tackle Justin Madubuike has exploded in a contract year with a team-high 13 sacks.
Form guide: The Ravens boast a strong case for having been the NFL’s most consistent team across the course of the season, opening 9-3 before closing out the campaign with a run that included statement wins over the Los Angeles Rams, 49ers and Dolphins to lock in the No 1 seed in the AFC. Their win over San Francisco, in particular, amplified their Super Bowl credentials as Jackson out-duelled Brock Purdy while strengthening his MVP case to set the tone for what they hope becomes a deep and decorated playoff run.
Playoff history: The Ravens have won both of the Super Bowls they have taken part in, the first of those coming in 2000 on the strength of a stellar defense led by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, who then bowed out of the game after securing a second ring in 2012. Baltimore have won only two playoff games since, however, with Jackson in particular enduring a tough time in the postseason in his otherwise exemplary NFL career, winning just once in his five playoff appearances.
Super Bowl prospects: Favourites. Here is Lamar's chance to not only win his second MVP award, but take the Ravens to the Promised Land. They have everything they need.
Divisional Round: vs Chiefs, Highmark Stadium - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 11.30pm, Sunday
Head coach: Sean McDermott has missed out on the playoffs just once since taking over as Buffalo Bills head coach in 2017, influencing one of the NFL’s most potent defensive units as well as overseeing the rise of quarterback Josh Allen and the franchise’s return to Super Bowl contention while winning four successive AFC East division titles.
Key player: Josh Allen… As long as Josh Allen remains under center, the Bills are Super Bowl contenders. Buffalo’s all-action quarterback embodies McDermott’s Bills with his bombs-away arm talent and bruising running style having buried rookie doubts to assert himself as the closest contender to Patrick Mahomes among the league’s top passers. He ranks fourth in the league with 4,306 passing yards having thrown for 29 touchdowns to 18 interceptions; turnovers have been an hindrance, but not enough to deter him from abandoning the full throttle approach that has thrust the Bills among the elite.
An explosion in the production of pass-catching running back James Cook has added a fresh dimension to the Bills offense since Joe Brady was elevated to offensive coordinator following the firing of Ken Dorsey, while star receiver Stefon Diggs lurks knowing he is due a big game having not produced a 100-yard outing since Week Six. On defense, defensive tackle Ed Oliver has starred with 9.5 sacks in the absence of key contributors as McDermott’s most instrumental cog up front.
Form guide: The Bills came out of Week 12 having just suffered a 37-34 overtime defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving them 6-6 and staring at the prospect of missing out on the playoffs amid their Championship window. It typified a run of five defeats in eight games dating back to their lacklustre performance in defeat to the Jaguars in London. With a bye week to rest, they emerged from the break to topple the Chiefs before dismantling the in-form Cowboys 31-10 as part of a five-game winning streak that would end in their decisive 21-14 final-day win over the Dolphins to secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC. They now march on as one of the most frightening playoff propositions.
Wild Card Weekend: Allen threw for three touchdowns while racing away for a spectacular 52-yard score as the Bills overcame the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-17 in their postponed Wild Card clash at Orchard Park. The game had been due to take place on Sunday before being rescheduled due to dangerous conditions amid a winter storm in the Buffalo area, with grounds staff and fans helping to shovel snow in order to ensure Highmark Stadium was game-ready.
Buffalo flew out to a 21-0 lead following touchdown catches from tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid, as well as Allen's breath-taking house call. Pittsburgh fought back to move within 24-17, only for Khalil Shakir to put the game out of reach with a stunning 17-yard catch-and-run.
Playoff history: The wait continues, but for how much longer? The Bills became the first team to reach four consecutive Super Bowls between 1990 and 1993 - famously losing on all four occasions as one of 12 teams yet to win the ultimate prize in football. Buffalo went 17 seasons without reaching the playoffs between 2000 and 2016, but have since featured in the postseason in all but the 2018 campaign. For five years they have been knocking on the Super Bowl door, the closest they have come being the 2020 playoffs when they were beaten by the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. They have since been eliminated in the Divisional Round two years in a row, falling to the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Super Bowl prospects: It is difficult to look beyond them as one of three favourites alongside the Ravens and 49ers, such has been their scintillating finish to the season. They are every playoff opponent’s worst nightmare in current form, Allen the quarterback capable of dissecting any team and McDermott’s bruising defense tailor-made for postseason intensity.
Divisional Round: @ Bills, Highmark Stadium - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 11.30pm, Sunday
Head coach: Andy Reid is into his 11th season with the Chiefs, and this team has known only success since he's been there, winning two Super Bowl titles and missing out on the playoffs just once in 2014 - albeit still securing a winning record at 9-7, the only time his team failed to reach 10 wins.
Key player: Patrick Mahomes, of course. Or could you make an argument for Taylor Swift?! The pop music superstar, dating tight end Travis Kelce, has arguably provided more entertainment while watching on in her box than the Kansas City players have provided on the field this year. This usually explosive offense has, for much of the season, failed to get out of first gear, ranking 15th in points per game (21.8) and only just sneaking into the top 10 in terms of yards per game (351.3) Mahomes has tried his best to carry this team on his back but he's been let down by a poor crop of receivers at his disposal, who have made a habit of dropping passes delivered on the numbers.
Form guide: Despite all of the above, the Chiefs won the AFC West division title for an eighth-straight season, with an 11-6 record - the longest active streak in the league and second-longest in NFL history behind only the 11-straight years the Patriots won the AFC East from 2009 to 2019. But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for the defending champions this season, heading into the playoffs off the back of five defeats in their last 10 and with their usually so dependable offense faltering.
Wild Card Weekend: The Chiefs breezed into the Divisional Round, handily beating the Miami Dolphins 26-7 in freezing cold conditions at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night. In what was the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, the Dolphins never truly adjusted to the sub-zero temperatures, managing only 264 yards of offense as they barely laid a glove on their hosts.
One highlight was a 53-yard touchdown for Tyreek Hill on his return to Kansas City that pulled the Dolphins to within three points of their opponents early on in the second quarter but Miami otherwise repeatedly faltered in the frigid conditions. Harrison Butker's kicking was clutch despite the testing conditions, and Mahomes ultimately did enough to earn his team the win, going 23-of-41 passing, for 262 yards and one TD, while running back Isiah Pacheco was also impressive, with 89 yards on 24 carries.
Playoff history: The Chiefs have made it all the way to the Super Bowl on five occasions, losing to the Packers in the very first Super Bowl, before triumphing over the Vikings three years later… though then came a 50-year drought, one which was finally ended in the 2018 season as Kansas City famously fought back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the 49ers 31-20. The Chiefs missed the chance to go back-to-back as they were beaten by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers the following year, but Mahomes would rally the team to their second ring in four seasons with an epic 38-35 victory over the Eagles in Arizona last year.
Super Bowl prospects: The Chiefs live for the Conference Championship. It's five-straight seasons in which they've hosted the AFC title game. But, seeded third this year, it's unlikely they'll earn that honour for a sixth campaign, with Mahomes set to play a road playoff game in his career after Wild Card Weekend - should they make it through.
Divisional Round: @ Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 9.30pm, Saturday
Head coach: The Texans believed they were onto a winner when they nabbed former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their new head coach last offseason, and how right they were. Ryans has asserted himself as one of the most gifted young coaching minds in the league, piloting one of the stories of 2023 to the playoffs in his first campaign in charge.
Key player: From first-year head coach to first-year quarterback, CJ Stroud has excelled across a historic rookie campaign that has handed the Texans immediate reassurance that they found their play-caller of the future with the second overall pick of last year's Draft. Stroud has demonstrated the accuracy, the field diagnosis, the downfield aggression, the anticipation, the outer-pocket creativity and the leadership of a franchise face, throwing for a franchise-rookie record 4,108 passing yards for 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions while tying the NFL record for most 350-yard passing games by a rookie. While No 1 overall pick Bryce Young has struggled within a flailing Carolina Panthers team, Stroud has blossomed to begin his ascent towards the league's elite.
Form guide: Houston enter the playoffs having just pipped the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC South title after edging out the Indianapolis Colts before seeing Doug Pederson's side suffer a costly defeat to the Tennessee Titans on the final day of the regular season. The Texans won seven of their last 11 games following their Week Seven bye, divisional wins over the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts over the final month ultimately securing their path to the postseason.
Wild Card Weekend: Stroud came, conquered and continued his climb towards the NFL's elite quarterbacks as he delivered a clinic to lead the Texans to a 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland and their No 1-ranked defense had been billed as perhaps the most daunting postseason acid test for the Rookie of the Year in-waiting, only for Stroud to dismantle Jim Schwartz's unit to the tune of 16 of 21 passing for 274 yards and three touchdowns to extend Houston's unlikely playoff campaign. The No 2 overall pick set the record for most passing yards by a rookie in the first half of a playoff game with 236, while throwing for three touchdowns as a frenetic start saw the Texans lead 24-14 at the break after the teams between them had already posted 31 points with 12 minutes still remaining in the second quarter.
Playoff history: The Texans are completing in the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 campaign, when they were beaten 51-31 by the eventual-champion Chiefs in the Divisional Round having been leading 24-0 at one stage in the first half. Houston have been to the playoffs on just six occasions in their short history, losing in the Divisional Round four times and on wild card weekend twice.
Super Bowl prospects: Playoff football represents an accelerated schedule for the Texans behind Ryans and Stroud, who between them have turned a broken franchise into one of the league's most exciting. They are bold, physical, explosive and inventive, generating upset buzz as they move on to face the Ravens. Super Bowl chatter may be too soon in the process, but Stroud fears no team.
Divisional Round: vs Packers, Levi's Stadium - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 1.15am, Sunday
Head coach: Kyle Shanahan is considered one of the best head coaches in the league, and perhaps the game's greatest offensive mind, with his team again ranking towards the top of the league - second in total offense (398.4 yards per game) and third in scoring (28.9 points per game). This is San Francisco's fourth trip to the postseason in the past five years under Shanahan, with each of the prior trips taking them to the NFC Championship game (at least), though he is yet to win a Super Bowl for his efforts. Is this the year?
Key player: It's hard to pick, with this 49ers squad loaded with top-tier talent. That said, the two names certainly getting the most buzz as potential league MVPs are quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey.
This offense runs through McCaffrey, illustrated by his 2,023 total yards from scrimmage and 21 TDs, which included one in an NFL joint-record streak of 17 consecutive games, dating back to last season. Purdy, meanwhile, has been sensational in his sophomore season, the former seventh-round draft pick ranking third in the NFL in passing touchdowns (31), first in passing yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (113.0).
Form guide: The 49ers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now, with many tipping them as favourites to win the whole thing - that is until they were punched in the mouth with a 33-19 loss at home to the Ravens in Week 16 in a possible Super Bowl preview matchup between the two respective No 1 seeds. They remain one of the frontrunners though.
Playoff history: The 49ers are one of the most successful franchises in Super Bowl history, with their five wins placing them level with the Cowboys and seeing them bettered only by the Steelers and Patriots (both six) - and Tom Brady's seven! That said, San Francisco last tasted success nearly three decades ago in the 1994 season, and have lost their two trips since - to the Ravens in 2012 and to Mahomes' Chiefs in 2019. They very nearly made it back to the big dance in each of the last two years, only to lose out in back-to-back NFC Championship appearances, to their division-rival Rams in 2021 and the Eagles last year as they lost Purdy to an early injury.
Super Bowl prospects: The overwhelming favourite to make it back there from the NFC. The Cowboys looked likely to be their biggest threat, only to be dismantled by the Packers, who await as the latest obstacle on the road to Las Vegas.
Divisional Round: vs Buccaneers, Ford Field - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 8pm, Sunday
Head coach: Dan Campbell certainly got everyone's attention when, at his introductory press conference with the Lions in 2021, he said, among other things: "This team's going to be built on: we're going to kick you in the teeth, and when you punch us back… we're going to bite a kneecap off."
Campbell's kneecap-biters took a while to work up an appetite, returning a 3-13-1 record in his debut campaign, before a 1-6 start to 2022 had him firmly on the hot seat. Eight wins followed over Detroit's final 10 games of that season - the team agonisingly falling short of a playoff spot - and the Lions have only built on that further in 2023, claiming a first division title in 30 years under his stewardship.
Key player: The fulcrum of this Lions team, certainly their defensive unit, is second-year standout Aidan Hutchinson. The sophomore star has 11.5 sacks this year following the 9.5 the Michigan alumni registered in his rookie campaign, while he also has a pick to go with the three he logged last year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to be one of the most underrated receivers, despite returning career highs of 119 receptions, 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, while there are few better one-two punches at running back than David Montgomery (13 rush TDs) and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs (11 total TDs).
Form guide: It couldn't be much better. This year represents the first 12-win Lions season in over three decades, since 1991, but more on that in a second…
Wild Card Weekend: The Lions won a playoff game for the first time in 32 years as they battled past the Los Angeles Rams to edge their wild card clash 24-23. Montgomery and rookie Gibbs each rushed for first-quarter touchdowns to see the Lions race out of the blocks and into a 14-3 lead either side of a Brett Maher field goal for the Rams.
LA roared back into the contest with two second-quarter scores, the first of which was a stunning 50-yard deep ball TD from former Lions QB Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua. After Goff found his own favourite first-year target in tight end Sam LaPorta for a two-yard TD, Stafford found the end zone again - this time Tutu Atwell running it on from 38 yards - to see the Detroit's advantage cut to 21-17 by half-time. The absorbing, end-to-end contest that had taken hold in the first half sadly didn't quite catch alight in the same way after the interval, with only field goals added to the score.
Playoff history: Little to speak of, to be frank. The Lions are one of only four NFL teams - along with the Browns, Jaguars and Texans - to have never reached a Super Bowl before, let alone won one. Not only that, but in the Super Bowl era (since 1966), this is only the 13th time Detroit have made the postseason. And, of those prior visits, they've won just the one playoff game - a divisional round clash with the Cowboys in that 1991 campaign!
Super Bowl prospects: Don't let that dismal Lions playoff record fool you, this is a very different Detroit outfit, one more than capable of causing a few upsets in the postseason, as their season-opening win over the defending champion Chiefs is testament to. Despite finally registering another playoff victory, a trip to the Super Bowl itself is probably a step too far.
Divisional Round: @ Lions, Ford Field - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 8pm, Sunday
Head coach: Todd Bowles… For the second season running Todd Bowles has guided the Bucs to the playoffs after succeeding Bruce Arians as head coach in Tampa. The former Bucs defensive coordinator had unfinished business as a head coach in the NFL following a spell with the Jets from 2015-2018, and is exercising as much having found a way to get the best from Baker Mayfield while continuing to field one of the league’s most effective defenses.
Key player: It wasn’t so long ago that Baker Mayfield was at risk of a spiralling career having been brushed aside to make way for Deshaun Watson in Cleveland before spending short spells with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. The Bucs took a chance on him following Tom Brady’s retirement last offseason, and how it has paid off. Mayfield is playing some of the finest football of his career, throwing for 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to 10 interceptions to seemingly play his way to a new deal in the offseason. If he plays tidy, clinical football then the Bucs are a match for most.
Aiding a rejuvenated Mayfield has been lead wide receiver Mike Evans, who just posted 1,000 yards for the 10th successive season since entering the league. Tristan Wirfs has established himself as an indispensable cornerstone as Mayfield’s blind-side protector, while Vita Vea remains one of the league’s premier defensive tackles and formidable interior bulldozers.
Form guide: The Bucs epitomised the rollercoaster division that was the 2023 NFC South, the lead for which has regularly exchanged hands between Tampa, the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. Bowles’ men looked to be hurtling towards disappointment when they lost six of seven games following their Week Five bye, only to hit back emphatically with six victories in their final nine to hold off their division rivals and lock in the No. 4 seed.
Wild Card Weekend: Mayfield threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to out-duel Jalen Hurts as the Bucs stormed to a 32-9 victory over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, marking their sixth win in seven games to reach the Divisional Round.
David Moore scored on a 44-yard reception in the first quarter while rookie Trey Palmer broke the game open with a 56-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that put the Bucs up 25-9 late in the third quarter.
Playoff history: It is three years since Brady carried the Bucs to a staggering Super Bowl crown in his first season with the team in 2020, leading them to a 31-9 win over the Chiefs with the help of a suffocating performance from Bowles’ defense. They threatened a repeat in 2021 by reaching the Divisional Round, only to come up shy against the Los Angeles Rams. Tampa have won the Super Bowl twice in their history, lifting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time at the end of the 2002 season before reaching the playoffs just twice in the next 17 seasons until winning a second ring.
Super Bowl prospects: A place in the Divisional Round might have seemed out the question in the early stages of the season, but a resounding win over the Eagles has thrust them into an enthralling matchup with a Lions team that, for all its success this season, is not invincible. Will they win it all? No. Can they cause another team major problems? Certainly.
Divisional Round: @ 49ers , Levi's Stadium - live on Sky Sports NFL, KO 1.15am, Sunday
Head coach: Matt LaFleur enters the playoffs amid his fifth season in charge of the Packers, with 2023 marking something of a new chapter for one of the league’s brightest offensive minds following the departure of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Shanahan disciple has since reshaped his scheme around the talents of Jordan Love to turn the NFL’s youngest roster into up-and-coming contenders. He deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the job he has done this season.
Key player: The Packers enjoyed 30 years of franchise quarterback play from Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers while others around the league found themselves stuck in play-caller purgatory. Well, they might be about to enjoy another decade of success under center if Jordan Love’s sparkling season is anything to go off. Love finished the regular season with 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdown passes to just 11 interceptions in his first year as starter after taking over from Rodgers following his trade to the New York Jets.
Form guide: Green Bay capped an impressive campaign by securing their place in the playoffs with a 17-9 victory over the Bears amid a three-game winning streak to finish the season. They have now won seven of their last 10 down the stretch, including standout wins over the third-seeded Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving and defending champion Chiefs over back-to-back weeks in two major statements as to their potential under Love.
Wild Card Weekend: A Love-inspired Packers dealt the Dallas Cowboys a humiliating 48-32 home defeat to set up a tantalising Divisional Round meeting with the No 1-seeded 49ers this weekend. Green Bay led by as many as 27-0 in the final two minutes of the first half thanks to two of Aaron Jones' three touchdowns on the night, as well as Dontayvion Wick's 20-yard scoring grab and Darnell Savage's 64-yard pick-six. Love crowned his playoff debut with yet another standout display, finishing 16 of 21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
Playoff history: The Packers have reached the playoffs in three of the previous four seasons, notably losing at the NFC Championship Game two years in a row in 2019 and 2020 amid their search for a first Super Bowl appearance since their triumph at the end of the 2010 campaign. They have missed out on the playoffs just seven times since 2000, reaching the NFC Championship Game five times in that period alongside their Super Bowl XLV win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Super Bowl prospects: Belief has rocketed by way of a remarkable Wild Card win over the Cowboys, with Green Bay’s young Love-driven offense showcasing its ability to challenge the best in the league. Unfortunately, awaiting them is a 49ers team that looks primed to go the distance.
