The Washington Commanders survived and advanced after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a doinked field goal in the Wild Card round, 23-20. Now, they're heading to the Divisional round for the first time since 2006 against the Detroit Lions, who have the No. 1 seed on the NFC side of the bracket and will be well-rested for the matchup.
The Commanders will face the Lions at 8:15 p.m. on FOX on Jan. 18, but there will be three other games around the league. Let's look at each matchup as the Final Eight competes for the conference championship.
Houston Texans at Kansas City Chief, Jan. 18, 4:30 p.m.
C.J. Stroud and the Texans made short work of the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half, putting up 22 points, including a 38-yard interception return by Eric Murray and a defensive PAT conversion by D'Angelo Ross. The Texans tripled the Chargers' rushing yards, 168-50, fueled by 106 yards from Joe Mixon, while Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert struggled with four interceptions -- more than he had in the entire regular season.
The Texans will face a much more difficult challenge against the Chiefs, although the two-time Super Bowl champions haven't looked as dominant as they were in previous years. Yes, winning five games by three points or less in the regular season wasn't ideal, but Patrick Mahomes still had his magical moments. The Chiefs' defense kept them in games, as they allowed the fourth fewest points per game.
The Texans and Chiefs haven't met in the playoffs since 2019, when Kansas City overcame a 24-0 deficit to blow out Houston, 51-31.
Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, Jan. 18, 8:15 p.m.
The Commanders continued their wild stretch of winning games in dramatic fashion against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Gonzalez's kick, which ricocheted off the right upright, put the final touches on the franchise's first playoff win in nearly two decades, which coincidentally also happened at Raymond James Stadium.
Jayden Daniels was the star once again, accounting for 87% of the team's 350 total yards. He operated with poise in the fourth quarter with his team down by four, throwing a touchdown on fourth down to Terry McLaurin and leading a 10-play drive to get Gonzalez in field goal range.
The Commanders will likely need a similar performance and more against the Lions because the No. 1 team in the NFC made a habit of dominating their opponents with a dynamic offense that was second in yards per game, second in passing yards, sixth in rushing yards, first in total first downs and fourth in third-down efficiency.
Sure, Detroit's defense has been banged up with 12 players on Injured Reserve, but the offense's potency, plus Jared Goff's exceptional quarterback play during the regular season, means there is hardly any margin for error. In many ways, it will be the Commanders' most challenging opponent they've seen all year.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Jan. 19, 3 p.m.
The Rams took down the Vikings, who were just a win away from securing the No. 1 overall seed, with relative ease on the Monday Night Football edition of the Wild Card round. Matthew Stafford was solid, completing 19 of his 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, but the Vikings didn't do themselves any favors. Sam Darnold was sacked nine times, threw an interception in the second quarter and committed a fumble that led to a 57-yard touchdown for the Rams' defense.
As a reward for taking down the Vikings, the Rams go to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, who had little trouble sending the Green Bay Packers back to Wisconsin with a 22-10 loss. It wasn't the best the Eagles looked all season -- although, in fairness, Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns, and Saquon Barkley rushed for 119 yards -- but they didn't need to be that efficient because of how much the Packers struggled offensively. Keisean Nixon fumbled the opening kickoff, and things continued to slump from there. Jordan Love threw three interceptions, and the Packers' final two drives ended with a turnover on downs and an interception.
The Eagles were one of the Rams' only two losses after starting the year 1-4. However, wins against the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings prove the Rams can hang with the league's best teams under the right circumstances.
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m.
In what will likely be the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, MVP candidates Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will square off at Highmark Stadium for the chance to appear in the AFC Championship game. The last matchup was a rout for the Ravens, as Derrick Henry rushed for 199 yards in a 35-10 victory.
That game was the start of a small rut for the Bills, but after a 23-20 loss to the Texans, they went on to win seven straight and 10 of their last 12. Allen has turned an offense that doesn't have its usual star power into one of the best in football. They put up 471 yards in their win over the Denver Broncos and scored 31 unanswered points following Bo Nix's opening touchdown.
Although they'll benefit from playing at home, the Bills must overcome a more difficult obstacle against the Ravens. Jackson was efficient against the Pittsburgh Steelers, completing 16 of his 21 passes in the 28-14 win, and Henry was a force with 186 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Games like this are the reason the Ravens signed Henry in the offseason.
