The Baltimore Ravens got over the hump against the Tennessee Titans, earning Lamar Jackson his first-ever playoff win. The Los Angeles Rams and their stellar defense then came and spoiled the Seattle Seahawks' season with an upset victory.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to hold off the Washington Redskins from pulling off an upset like 7-8-1 Carolina Panthers and 7-9 Seattle Seahawks playoff teams have pulled off the in past.
Then there's Buffalo, as Bills Mafia was able to escape with a narrow victory against the Indianapolis Colts. They now will host another playoff game, which is Lamar and company.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans handily took care of the Chicago Bears. The Nickelodeon commentary ended up being the highlight of the game. The big game was on Sunday night, where the Cleveland Browns shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now we enter the Divisional Round. Can the Bills carry on, or will Lamar continue his revenge tour? Will the No. 1 seeds in the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers avoid upsets?
Can Tom Brady set himself up for another opportunity at a Super Bowl? Currently, Tampa Bay is expected to cover the spread of 3 points against the Saints, according to Sports Betting Dime.
Let's take a look at our Divisional Round predictions below.
(6) Rams vs (1) Packers
Aaron Rodgers is coming off a red-hot season, where he threw for 48 touchdowns to only five interceptions. He is most likely going to win the MVP award, but his team cannot take the Rams lightly.
The Packers have been the No. 1 seed before and have failed. We can't forget when they were 15-1 almost a decade ago, only to lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
The Rams may not be able to roll with Jared Goff after his thumb surgery. They've been dealing with many injuries. Aaron Donald will be able to play, but he is also banged up. However, his presence will still make a difference.
The big matchup will likely be Davante Adams against Jalen Ramsey, who's been covering the premier NFL receivers very well this season. If Ramsey can contain Adams, the Rams have a shot thanks to their defense.
However, with Rodgers only getting older, this is a perfect opportunity for him to capture a second ring, especially after falling one game short last season to the San Francisco 49ers. I can't see him letting this opportunity go to waste.
Packers win, 27-14
(5) Ravens vs (2) Bills
Lamar Jackson finally got his first playoff win, which was against the Titans, who have been giving him troubles the past year or so. It seems like he is on a revenge tour, as he now gets to face the Bills and their star QB Josh Allen, who was picked ahead of Lamar in the NFL Draft.
Although Jackson is the reigning MVP, people are now putting Allen in front of him. Just like last week's game, Jackson is going to have something to prove to Bills Mafia.
The Bills don't really have a run game and rely heavily on the pass. The Ravens pass defense needs to show up and slow down Stefon Diggs. Meanwhile, their run defense looked vulnerable against the Colts and their standout rookie running back Jonathan Taylor.
If that's a sign, I wouldn't be surprised if Lamar ends up having another 100-yard rushing performance. Expect to see JK Dobbins make some plays as well. Right now, Baltimore is red hot, and I'm not going to bet against them here.
Ravens win, 38-28
(6) Browns vs (1) Chiefs
"The Browns is the Browns." Why yes they are. After last week's game against the Steelers, the Chiefs cannot take this game lightly. Kansas City faced big deficits in last year's playoffs, but they should not try to dig themselves out of a similar hole against these Browns.
The Chiefs' defense has never been known to be the best, unlike their offense. If Baker Mayfield is on fire, we could be in for a shootout. But that's unless Myles Garrett has something to say about it, and he's going to be going after Patrick Mahomes all game.
Maybe the Browns can avoid Mahomes' interception luck and get a couple off him this game. But I expect them to utilize the running game since Nick Chubb has been a beast all season. Kareem Hunt will probably be motivated in this game as well since he's facing his old team.
Odell Beckham said we should not be surprised if the Browns win, but I don't know if I want to go that far yet. I can definitely see it, but would I bet money that happens? I don't think so. However, I definitely expect Cleveland to keep Kansas City on their toes all game.
Chiefs win, 34-31
(5) Buccaneers vs (2) Saints
This is likely the most anticipated game of the week. Division rivals meet for the third time this season, featuring a matchup between two legendary Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
The Saints have taken care of the Bucs pretty easily both games, with the last meeting ending in a 38-3 thrashing. The Bucs, however, went on a roll to end the season and look like a legit title contender. However, I'm selling that notion.
Tampa Bay has overall struggled against teams with a winning record. Since the last loss to the Saints, they faced much lower caliber teams that helped inflate the numbers. While it's hard to bet against Tom Brady, the Saints seem to have an answer for his team this year.
While there is a saying that you can't beat a team three times in the same season, the stats go against that notion. Teams who went 2-0 against a team and meet them again in the playoffs have a 14-7 record.
New Orleans has been burned with crazy calls and plays the past few years in the playoffs. I don't know if they can go to the Super Bowl, but I definitely think they can take care of business in the Divisional Round.
They got the defense to contain the Bucs, and Brees is on a mission with rumors of him retiring at season's end. He's got amazing weapons on offense, of course.
I expect Alvin Kamara to eat in this game, sweeping Tampa Bay and leading the Saints to their first NFC Championship appearance since 2009.
Saints win, 35-17
A Look Ahead
Based on these predictions, here's a quick-hitter edition of predictions I have for the rest of the NFL Playoffs. These will be subject to change in a future article when the Championship round and Super Bowl comes along. Be on the lookout for that.
AFC-NFC Championships
(1) Chiefs defeat (5) Ravens, 35-30
(1) Packers defeat (2) Saints, 28-25
Super Bowl
Packers over Chiefs, 45-37
