NFL Divisional Round Roundup

The Divisional Round of the 2023/24 NFL season has finished, leaving four teams just one step away from reaching Super Bowl LVIII. The stage is set for the AFC and NFC Conference Championships, where these teams will battle to secure their spot in the showdown.

The Divisional Round showcased incredible skill, determination, and resilience from the winners. After a grueling regular season and intense Wild Card matchups, these teams elevated their performance to new heights, putting the stakes even higher.

The Baltimore Ravens, supported by their talisman, Lamar Jackson, annihilated the Texans to ratify their excellent season and status as favorites to reach the Super Bowl. Another interesting game was between the 49ers and the Packers, where we enjoyed a spectacular give-and-take that was defined by the 10 points scored by San Francisco in the last quarter.

Finally, last Sunday, the Chiefs and Lions punched above their weight to beat the Bills and Buccaneers, respectively, to advance to the conference championship game.

With the Super Bowl one game away, the teams understand that this is their time to shine, and they will leave no stone unturned in their quest for the ultimate prize.

Divisional Round Games – Results

Baltimore Ravens 34–10 Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers 24–21 Green Bay Packers

Detroit Lions 31-23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buffalo Bills 24-27 Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Divisional Round: Ravens 34-10 Texans

When and Where?

Saturday, January 20, 4:30 pm ET at the M&T Bank Stadium

Moneyline odds: 

Ravens 1.25 

Texans 4.00

Where Can I Watch it? 

NFL Network, ESPN, and CBS

The first Game of this NFL Divisional Round between the Ravens and Texans gave us two realities in the first and second halfs.

It all started with an excellent rhythm on the part of both teams that, in what was an exceptional give and take, led to the score being even 10-10 at the end of the first half. However, everything would change in the second half, as the Ravens tightened up on defense and had a fast-paced attack, especially in the last bars of the game, to take a solid victory by 34-10.

Ravens Star Lamar Jackson had 16/22 passes completed for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson himself donned the hero jersey in the rushing game, as he had 11 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns. As we can see, the participation of the QB was fundamental for this comfortable victory against the Texans.

The Texans, on the other hand, demonstrated their dependence on C.J. Stroud (19/33 passes completed for 175 yards), but they failed to do damage in any facet of the game.

NFL Divisional Round: 49ers 24–21 Packers

When and Where?

Saturday, January 20th, 8:15 pm ET at the Levi’s Stadium

Moneyline odds: 

49ers 1.23 

Packers 4.26

Where Can I Watch it? 

NFL Network, ESPN, and CBS

On the other hand, the Packers were very close to giving a second consecutive surprise in this NFL postseason against the 49ers in this Divisional Round. Let’s remember that Green Bay comes from eliminating the Cowboys in the Wild Card, so they arrived with plenty of confidence.

The duel was intense from the very beginning, where the defenses of both squads predominated. The first half ended with a very tight score of 7-6 favorable to the 49ers, giving us a small preview of what would be the rest of the game.

Then, in the third quarter, the Packers offense, commanded by Jordan Love (21/34 passes completed for 194 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions), was able to score up to 15 points to give a considerable advantage to the visiting squad. In this third quarter, San Francisco could only score 7 points, so they started the last quarter with a 14-21 disadvantage.

However, Brock Prudy and Christian McCaffrey charged the 49ers to lead them to a 10-0 victory in the last period and took the victory with a score of 24-21.

NFL Divisional Round: Lions 31-23 Buccaneers

When and Where:

Sunday, January 21st, 3:00 pm ET at Ford Field

Moneyline odds: 

Lions 1.38 

Buccaneers 3.55

Where Can I Watch it? 

NFL Network, ESPN, and CBS

The Lions made Ford Field respected in the Divisional Round Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they took a 31-23 victory to advance to the Conference Championship.

The match was close and very intense from start to finish, as both teams left everything on the court to take the victory. So even this game was, that after the first three quarters, we had a 17-17 tie on the scoreboard, with both teams scoring the same amount of points in each quarter.

However, Jared Goff could take advantage of some spaces in the Bucs’ defense to break through, leading the Lions’ offense in the last quarter and taking the victory with a score of 31-23.

Goff shined for the Lions with 30/43 passes completed for 287 yards and two touchdowns. While for the Bucs, Baker Mayfield also had a great game throwing 26/41 passes completed for 349 yards and three touchdowns, but he had two interceptions that were lethal for his team.

NFL Divisional Round: Bills 24-27 Chiefs

When and Where?

Sunday, January 21, 6:30 pm ET at the Highmark Stadium

Moneyline odds: 

Bills 1.74 

Chiefs 2.32

Where Can I Watch it? 

NFL Network, ESPN, and CBS

Finally, in a heart-stopping game played at Highmark Stadium, the reigning NFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, overcame a disadvantage to take a tight victory against the Bills by 27-24.

The game was intense, worthy of a Division Series. Both the Bills and the Chiefs left their skin on the court in each play.

Buffalo started the game extremely well, and they came into halftime with a 17-13 lead. That made us think that the Bills were aimed at making their house respected and eliminating the current title holders. However, Patrick Mahomes, once again, dressed as a hero alongside Isiah Pachecho to lead the Chiefs’ offense to a 27-24 victory.