With the wild card round of the 2026 NFL playoffs wrapped up, the road to the Super Bowl is underway. The Divisional round is locked and ready for the final eight teams.
- Bills vs. Broncos 1:30 pm Saturday
- 49ers vs. Seahawks 5:00 pm Saturday
- Texans vs. Patriots 12:00 pm Sunday
- Rams vs. Bears 3:30 pm Sunday
Bills vs. Broncos
The Buffalo Bills just knocked off the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round, 27-24, and have to travel to Mile High City, Denver to play the well-rested Denver Broncos.
The Broncos captured the 1 seed in the AFC, which means they have home-field advantage until the Super Bowl, and they also received a wild-card bye. They did not play in the first round.
This matchup will be very interesting in my opinion, because the Bills have a very good run game, but the Broncos have a top 3 overall defense. I think if the Bills want to win, they have to have Josh Allen take over.
49ers vs. Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers, who went into Philadelphia and beat the Eagles 23-19, will now have to play the No. 1 seed in the NFC Seattle Seahawks. Just like the Broncos, the Seahawks have home-field advantage until the Super Bowl and had a wild-card bye, so they are well rested as well.
The 49ers’ defense has been playing better as of late, but on offense, losing George Kittle for the rest of the playoffs is a big blow to the team, so they will have to run more plays through Christian McCaffrey.
The Seahawks also have a top-three defense in the league, so yards for the 49ers will be hard to come by. They only scored 3 points last time they played. Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, who hasn’t played his best football in the playoffs, will have a lot to show.
Texans vs. Patriots
The Texans, who just beat the Steelers 30-6, showed why they have the best defense in the league. Austin Kinzle, ’26, who is a longtime Steeler fan, watched this game. “I think the Texans’ defense is so good because of how quickly they get pressure on the quarterback. They have good coverage down the field, and tackle in the open field very well.”
They have to play the Patriots led by QB Drake Maye, who is having an MVP-caliber season. The Patriots just beat the Chargers in the wild card round, 16-3. The Patriots’ defense sacked Chargers QB Justin Herbert six times. However, the Texans‘ best receiver, Nico Collins, suffered a concussion vs the Steelers in the wild card, and the Patriots’ best cornerback Christan Gonzales, also suffered a concussion; both of the players’ status is unknown if they will play. This will be Drake Mayes’ biggest task of his career, laying the best defense in the league in the playoffs.
Max Watson, ‘28, who is a big Patriots and Drake Maye fan, has been loyal to the Patriots even during the rebuild years. “I think the Texans will be a much harder team to beat and will have some pressure on Drake Maye, but I believe in him to lead the Patriots to victory.”
Rams vs. Bears
The Rams have to travel to the windy city of Chicago; the Rams just barely escaped a scare from the Panthers and won 34-31. Rams QB Mathew Stafford, who is in contention for MVP, showed us why by giving the Rams the game-winning touchdown with 39 seconds left.
They will play the Bears, who came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Packers. They scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. They have been making these impossible comebacks all year. The Bears just need to play better football in the first three quarters if they want to be taken seriously, in my opinion.
The Rams offense has been very good, scoring 30-plus points any week they want to, and the Bears’ defense has been struggling quite a bit, but they do lead the league in takeaways.
Ethan Meyer, ‘28, who loves the Bears, is confident about this game.
“I am a little biased, but I think the Bears will win with Caleb Williams, the iceman, who will pick the Rams defense apart with Colston Loveland and DJ Moore, and will run for a lot of yards with D’Andre Swift,” Meyer said. “The only threat for the Rams is Puka Nacua.”
My prediction is the Rams will win the Super Bowl led by Mathew Stafford. I think their offense is very explosive and has a solid defense. If I were any other team, I would be very worried about the Los Angeles Rams.
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