NFL playoffs: Young quarterbacks headline Divisional Round

The NFL playoffs are in full swing, with this weekend’s Divisional Round promising a new batch of competitive games, much like last week’s Wild Card Weekend. The road to the Super Bowl LX is wide open, with no clear favorite among the final eight. 

This year’s Super Bowl will feature two new teams, with last year’s champion, the Philadelphia Eagles, already eliminated, and the runner-up, the Kansas City Chiefs, missing the playoffs entirely. 

With these big names gone, teams that have been on the cusp of glory over the past few years like the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills see this as a great opportunity to finally break through. 

However, standing in their way are four young quarterbacks ready to claim their seat on the NFL throne ahead of schedule: C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans), Drake Maye (New England Patriots), Bo Nix (Denver Broncos) and Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears). This year marks the first time in history that four quarterbacks with three years or fewer of experience have qualified for the second round of the playoffs. In fact, three of them are second-year QBs, which is also a first. 

All that said, if there were one team to be called the favorite, it would be either the Seattle Seahawks or the Los Angeles Rams. The two division rivals squared off in the game of the season, in which the Seahawks came back from a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to win and help secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and home-field advantage in the playoffs. 

With each team rightfully believing that this could be their year, the 2026 Divisional Round will surely give fans four games to remember. 

Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST) 

The AFC’s top-seeded Broncos will have a tough opening matchup against perhaps the most dominant individual player in the league: Bills quarterback Josh Allen. In last week’s Wild Card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite suffering an injury to a finger on his throwing hand Allen completed 28 of his 35 passes for 273 yards and 1 touchdown, adding another 33 yards and 2 TDs on the ground.

The Bills also boast the regular season’s leading rusher, James Cook, who racked up 1,621 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns on the year. He was quiet in last week’s game in Jacksonville, though he could be more needed in Denver, with temperatures forecast to hover around freezing for most of the game. 

The Broncos have had a breakout year, led by second-year passer Bo Nix and veteran head coach Sean Payton. After starting the year 1-2, they bounced back to win 13 of their final 14 games and take the conference’s top seed, earning a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Nix took major strides in his sophomore season, passing for over 3,900 yards and 25 touchdowns, with just 11 interceptions. Denver’s leading rusher, J.K. Dobbins, has been hurt since November. He will not play against Buffalo, but could be on track to return later in the playoffs. With him out, the ground attack will be led by rookie R.J. Harvey. 

The Broncos’ calling card, however, is their defense. They are led by star cornerback Patrick Surtain. While he has only recorded 1 interception this season, that is mostly because quarterbacks hardly even look to his side of the field. He will present a major challenge to a Bills team with a fairly weak receiving corps. 

Allen and the Bills will look to finally break through to the NFL’s biggest stage after being on the precipice for years. They have been eliminated by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in four of the past five playoffs, but with them out of the picture, hopes are high in Buffalo that they could finally make it over the hump. 

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks (Saturday, 8 p.m. EST) 

These two division rivals will face off for the third time of the season. The first came in Week 1, with the 49ers eking out a 17-13 victory in Seattle. The second resulted in a 13-3 victory for the Seahawks on the road in Week 18. 

The 49ers have been plagued by the injury bug all season, with star linebacker Fred Warner perhaps the most notable example. Starting quarterback Brock Purdy missed nearly half of the season, but was filled in for adequately by backup Mac Jones, who had a 5-3 record in his starts. 

Receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a brutal knee injury last season, but due to his extended recovery decided to step away from football temporarily despite the team’s hopes he would return this year. The most recent casualty was veteran tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles tendon in the 49ers victory over the Eagles in last week’s Wild Card game. 

Healthy for San Francisco, however, is do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey, who has been instrumental not only on the ground, but also as a receiver for Purdy.

The Seahawks, much like the Broncos in the AFC, were not expected to take the top seed in their conference. Led by new quarterback Sam Darnold, who had similar success with the Minnesota Vikings last year but was ultimately let go, the Seahawks have been perhaps the most consistent team in the league. 

They are led by a fierce defense, headlined by linebackers Drake Thomas, DeMarcus Lawrence and Ernest Jones, as well as defensive tackle Leonard Williams. In the secondary, safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Devon Witherspoon lead the way. 

Seattle’s star, however, is receiver Jackson Smith-Njigba, who led the entire NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. He also tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns with 10. At just 23 years old, he is lightning quick and creates separation as well as any player in the league and has been a major factor in Sam Darnold’s success with the Seahawks. 

If this game goes anything like the first two, it will be a low-scoring affair, and could depend heavily on turnovers and big plays, meaning Smith-Njigba and McCaffrey could be the difference makers.

Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots (Sunday, 3 p.m. EST)

This matchup features strength on strength. The Patriots’ explosive offense will face off against the Texans’ dominant defense, and push will inevitably come to shove. 

The Texans rallied late in the year to finish the season with nine straight wins, extending the streak to 10 with last week’s thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. Their defense allows the fewest yards per game to opponents and the second fewest points per game. 

The unit is led by pass rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, as well as shutdown cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. In last week’s game, their defense forced three turnovers and scored two touchdowns. 

On the offensive side of the ball, they are led by third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud. However, his favorite target, Nico Collins, will miss the game against the Patriots with a concussion. Without him, Stroud will have to look the way of receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Dalton Schulz to help give his defense a cushion.

The Patriots are led by another young quarterback, sophomore Drake Maye, who is one of the favorites to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. He has absolutely burst on to the scene in his second year, passing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions. He led the NFL in completion percentage (72%) and yards per attempt (8.9). It appears that they have another star in New England. 

Maye is bolstered by a two-headed rushing attack of Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreyVeyon Henderson, who provide a mix of power and speed that makes the Pats offense extremely versatile. Through the air, Maye’s preferred target is veteran Stefon Diggs, who caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards on the year, as well as 4 touchdowns. 

The Texans will face a tough test against this Patriots offense that has set the league on fire, but their pass rush could give Maye fits. While he only threw 8 interceptions, he was also sacked 47 times, with 8 of those resulting in fumbles. Establishing the run will be key for the Patriots to keep the Texans’ defensive line honest. 

Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. EST) 

The final matchup of the weekend will feature two teams that staged late comebacks in their first-round playoff games. 

The Bears outscored the Green Bay Packers 25-6 in the fourth quarter to earn a thrilling 31-27 victory of their eternal rivals. Second-year quarterback Caleb Williams was electric in that run, showing off all the reasons that he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

The Bears offense was one of the main reasons they were able to conquer what experts deemed to be one of the toughest divisions in football. Alongside Williams, veteran running back DeAndre Swift aids both on the ground and in the passing game, and receivers Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore, as well as tight end Colston Loveland are all key targets through the air. 

The orchestrator behind this offensive success was Ben Johnson. After years of success with the Bears’ division rivals, the Detroit Lions, as offensive coordinator, Johnson made the leap to Chicago this year as their new head coach. His philosophy of betting on explosive plays plays right into the hands of Williams, whose combination of athleticism and arm talent are right up there with the best in the NFL already.  

On defense, the Bears are led by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, as well as defensive backs Kevin Byard and Nashon Wright. Chicago led the NFL in interceptions with 23, and forcing turnovers is always a key element in winning playoff games. 

The Rams were also tested in their first playoff game, with quarterback and MVP candidate Matthew Stafford leading his team on an epic game-winning drive to avoid defeat against the underdog Carolina Panthers. Los Angeles is a trendy Super Bowl pick, but analysts did not foresee them struggling so much in Carolina, leading many to question if this team is for real. 

However, the Rams have the makeup of a Super Bowl contender, and they proved that in the regular season. Led by the veteran Stafford and head coach Sean McVay, they were in contention for the top overall seed in the conference until losing the aforementioned thriller against the Seahawks. 

They feature one of the most dominant receivers in the league, Puka Nacua, who caught over 1,700 yards and 10 touchdowns this season in just 16 games. Leading their rushing attack is Kyren Williams, who had 1,252 yards on the ground this season to go along with 10 touchdowns. His backfield mate, Blake Corum, also had nearly 750 yards on the ground and an additional 6 scores. 

While Bears fans were elated over their comeback victory, if they fall down by two scores to the Rams and their rock solid run game, trying to claw back into the game will be much more difficult. Williams and co. will need a more consistent performance this time around as they try to knock off one of the league’s most talented teams.