Eight teams remain in the NFL playoffs after a wild-card round that accounted for the reigning Super Bowl champions and for the No. 3 seed in the NFC, with two games decided in overtime.
Playing on the first weekend of the postseason for the first time in a decade, the New England Patriots saw their bid to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles end tamely after a 20-13 defeat at home against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, while the Houston Texans roared back from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat the Buffalo Bills 22-19 in overtime.
The Texans' win over the Bills was the first of two wild-card games decided in overtime, with the Minnesota Vikings also requiring an additional period of football to have the better of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Entering the game with a 2-11 postseason record on the road since 1988, the Vikings defeated the Saints in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons as tight end Kyle Rudolph's touchdown in overtime clinched a 26-20 win.
In the other NFC wild-card game, the Seattle Seahawks won 17-9 on the road in Philadelphia to reach the divisional round for the first time since 2016.
Here's all you need ahead of the divisional round.
AFC
Baltimore Ravens
The No. 1 seed in the AFC and the team with the best overall record in the NFL begins its quest for a second Super Bowl title when it hosts the Tennessee Titans on Saturday evening.
The Ravens enjoyed a well-deserved rest this week but even without playing their chances of making the Super Bowl rose from 62 percent to 66 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight's statistical projections.
Kansas City Chiefs
Like the Ravens, the Chiefs put their feet up during the wild-card round and were no doubt interest spectators as the Titans knocked off the Patriots in New England.
Tennessee's win means the expected rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and the Patriots will not take place, with Kansas City hosting the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon instead.
Houston Texans
The Texans made it hard for themselves against the Bills, but eventually erased a 13-point halftime deficit and clinched a berth in the divisional playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The reward for defeating Buffalo is a trip to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. While that may seem like a tall order, Houston won at Arrowhead in Week 6—albeit when Patrick Mahomes was hobbled by an ankle injury—and will back themselves to do so again.
Tennessee Titans
Having stopped the defending Super Bowl champions, life doesn't get any easier for Tennessee, who will travel to Baltimore on Saturday.
The Titans kept the Patriots scoreless in the second half on Saturday, but repeating the feat against the best offense in the NFL will be far harder.
NFC
San Francisco 49ers
Like the Ravens, the 49ers enjoyed a weekend off and like the Ravens, they saw their chances of making the Super Bowl improve.
According to FiveThirtyEight, San Francisco now has a 44 percent of being in Miami on February 2, compared with 41 percent before the wild-card weekend.
As this graphic provided by Statista shows, the 49ers will host the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, looking for a first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since 2013.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers' chances of reaching the Super Bowl jumped from 24 percent to 32 percent after a wild-card weekend they spent with their feet up.
Green Bay welcomes a banged-up Seattle Seahawks team at Lambeau Field on Sunday night in the latest instalment of a match that has delivered some classic playoff moments over the years.
Seattle Seahawks
Following the disappointment of losing the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the final week of regular season, the Seahawks responded in style and saw off the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday night and saw their chances of making the playoffs rise from 2 to 9 percent.
Injuries, however, remain a huge issue for Seattle, as does the fact their run to the Super Bowl will have to go through Green Bay, where the Packers are 7-1 this season.
Minnesota Vikings
As is the case in the AFC, the No. 6 seed is still alive in the NFC after the Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Minnesota's chances of reaching the Super Bowl jumped from 3 to 15 percent following their 26-20 win in New Orleans. And with Kirk Cousins finally shedding the tag of perennial underachiever, the Vikings aren't a team to underestimate as they travel to San Francisco.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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