First Round Results:
The 2024 playoff season featured 14 total teams. The AFC consisted of the: Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos. The NFC consisted of the: Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers.
Critically, the #1 seed of each conference was able to skip the first round of playoffs, giving their players crucial time to recover. Those teams being the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions, who will both face the lowest-rated seeds in their respective conference during the second round.
Chargers V Texans
The Playoffs kicked off with the Chargers vs. the Texans on Saturday, January 11th. Despite the Texans being the home team, the Chargers were slightly favored in this matchup. The match ended up a blowout, 32-12 Texans after the Chargers’ quarterback, Justin Herbert had a particularly rough game throwing a total of 4 interceptions. The Chargers’ offense as a whole was struggling throughout as they were unable to complete a touchdown before the 4th quarter.
Ravens V Steelers
Later in the evening, the Ravens and Steelers met in the Ravens’ stadium. The Ravens were heavily favored and promptly took care of business in this game, 28-14 Ravens. Both quarterbacks were reliable throughout the game with both throwing 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The big difference in the offense between these two teams was the run game. 31-year-old Derrick Henry, from the Ravens, was able to pick up a total of 186 yards through 26 carries, compared to the Steelers’ total of 29 yards through 11 attempts.
Bills V Broncos
The following day housed three more playoff games, starting with Bills vs. Broncos in Buffalo territory. The Bills—who many consider to be the true #1 seed of the AFC—went against the #7 seed, with home-field advantage, against a rookie quarterback. As such, the game was a cakewalk for the Bills offense, to end the game at a score of 31-7 Bills. Despite the Broncos looking promising in the first quarter, scoring the first touchdown, they failed to obtain a single other point through the rest of the game. While the Broncos and their quarterback Bo Nix have broken through any expectations this season, they crumbled on both sides of the ball into a first-round exit.
Eagles V Packers
Immediately following this game was the Eagles vs. Packers in the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles were able to secure the victory 22-10. This result came from two things in particular: Jordan Love’s frankly abysmal game, 0 touchdowns to 3 interceptions; and Saquon Barkley’s run game. Barkley, who is already on an all-time great season, becoming the 9th person ever in NFL history to pass 2,000 rushing yards in the regular season, showed no signs of slowing down in the postseason, gaining 119 rushing yards through 25 carries. Being able to capitalize on these two factors is what ultimately set the Eagles apart from the Packers.
Commanders V Buccaneers
The final game of the night was between the Commanders and the Buccaneers in which the Commanders pulled through in a nail-biting ending to finish the game 23-20. This was a result of a valiant final drive by the Commanders, as the score was 20-20, which resulted in one last field goal attempt. The ball would doink the field goal, and thankfully for the Commanders fans, bounce through the field goal to finish the game. The Commanders, who started the season with little faith from fans have slowly proven that it wasn’t just a fluke. Still, this was a good showing from the Buccaneers and it truly could have gone either way, the stats remained fairly even from both teams, with 0 interceptions. The Commanders preferred throwing the ball, while the Buccaneers preferred running it.
Vikings V Rams
The final game of the first round took place on Monday, January 13th. This was the Vikings vs. the Rams. The Rams, who were the home team and would typically play at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles were forced to relocate as a result of the Southern California fires. The game ended up still being played near the West Coast, in Arizona specifically. Most people had the Vikings to triumph over the Rams, however, the reality played out differently. The Rams took the game 27-9, mainly as a result of 9 total sacks on the Vikings’ quarterback. This number tied the NFL sacks in a playoff game record, which resulted in the Vikings’ complete inability to build up any meaningful yardage.
Second Round Predictions:
Texans Vs. Chiefs @ Chiefs
Chiefs 27-14
The Chiefs’ 15-1 record this season as well as back-to-back Superbowl winners make them heavy favorites in this match. The Chiefs may have looked rocky during the regular season at the time, but they typically have their stars come alive in the postseason. This coupled with two weeks of rest the Chiefs are expected to bring their best. The Texans are a good football team but have yet to prove any elite status.
Commanders Vs. Lions @ Lions
Lions 42-28
Lions have remained a top team offensively through the season which will likely continue. While they have struggled defensively, mostly due to injuries, a large majority of defensive players are scheduled to return for this game. Commanders have a good offense with the clear rookie of the year in Jayden Dainels—26 votes to second place’s 2 votes— however they may still struggle to keep up with the Lions’ pace.
Rams Vs. Eagles @ Eagles
Rams 24-21
Eagles should win this game. At the same time, the Vikings were supposed to win last week, and the Rams weren’t even meant to make it to the playoffs. If an underdog story were to happen it’d be this one. The game will most likely be decided by whether or not the Rams are able to contain Saquon Barkley.
Ravens Vs. Bills @ Bills
Bills 30-27
This is undoubtibly the closest game of the second round. It features two teams that deserve to be in the Superbowl, with the two front runners for MVP this season–Bills’ Josh Allen and Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. A missed field goal or one turnover could be the difference for either of their seasons, as such, both teams need to remain competitive throughout.
