Welcome back to The Lance’s NFL Divisional Round’s. We’re down to the Elite 8, and the road to the Super Bowl is getting ruthless. Last week we went 5-1, with our only miss coming in Bills vs. The Jaguars as Buffalo came out on top instead of Jacksonville. One game off – that’s playoff football. Now the pressure is on. Every matchup matters, every mistake is crucial, and only two teams will survive to reach the Super Bowl. Let’s see who’s built for it. Here is what we think will happen in the NFL Divisional Round:
NFC Divisional Round:
Andrew: 49ers (#6) @ Seahawks (#1) 1/17/26 8:00 PM: After defeating the Eagles last week, the 49ers will be faced with a tougher opponent: the Seahawks. Despite throwing 2 interceptions last week, Brock Purdy still managed to throw for 2 touchdowns and 262 passing yards. Another key contributor to their win was veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson as he had 6 catches for 111 yards along with 1 touchdown. This banged up 49er team took another huge blow as they lost their tight end George Kittle to a torn achilles and will have to go the rest of these playoffs without him. The Seahawks come in fresh and ready to go after their first round bye, led by their quarterback Sam Darnold who has yet to win a playoff game in his 8-year career. The Seahawks don’t seem to have many weaknesses as they have a 4000-yard passer, 1000-yard rusher, and a 1000-yard receiver which is one of the advantages the 49ers do not have.
Our Pick: With all being said, the Seahawks are the stronger team on both offense and defense, and we feel like when Sam Darnold plays his best football, Seattle is hard to beat. That being said, we will take the Seahawks by a score of 31-23.
Sam: Rams (#5) @ Bears (#2) 1/18/26 6:30 PM: The Rams are coming off a very close wild card game as they took down the Panther in a 34-31 game. Matthew Stafford, despite throwing an interception, still threw 3 touchdowns and 304 yards. Both Puka Nacua and Davante Adams also came up big time as together they put up 183 yards and two Nacua touchdowns. The impact of having two elite receivers is evident because when these two are on the field, it is a scary sight for defenses to see. Coming off a huge comeback victory, the Bears look to get another home win. This Bear team, led by Ben Johnson, is looking very strong especially with the offensive weapons they have. Players such as Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, and rookie tight end Coleston Loveland have been able to take this team to the next level. Another key piece to this team is the defense as they had three players finish in the top 20 for individual interceptions this season. Along with the interceptions, the defense took away the ball a total of 33 times from teams during the regular season. These two teams are led by two great coaches who are both known for their winning ways and consistency.
Our Pick: Seeing how strong of a team the Rams have this year and how they continue to show out, we will take the Rams in a high scoring game 38-31.
AFC Divisional Round:
Andrew: Bills (#6) @ Broncos (#1) 1/17/26 4:30 PM: The Bills come into this game after a very close game with the Jaguars as they narrowly escaped in a 27-24 game. Josh Allen had a strong performance as he threw 273 yards and 3 touchdowns, once through the air and twice on the ground. He is also back in the MVP race for the second year in a row after winning the award last year. Something that kept the Bills in this game was their defense as they were able to pick off two passes which contributed to their win. Meanwhile, the Broncos have heavily relied on their defense to keep them in games with an inconsistent offense. The Broncos defense led the league in sacks with 68, 11 more than any other team. The defense was also second in yards allowed per game.
Our Pick: With the Bills riding heavy momentum into the Divisional Round, Sam and I will be putting our trust into Josh Allen and the Bills. Bills 24-20
Sam: Texans (#5) @ Patriots (#2) 1/18/26 3:00 PM: The Texans come into this game after dismantling the Steelers in a 30-6 showing. C.J. Stroud had a solid performance with 250 passing yards and one touchdown and the defense suffocated Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming off a hard-fought 16-3 win over the Chargers. Drake Maye continued to play solid football, throwing for 1 touchdown and rushing for 66 yards on the ground.
Our Pick: It’s worth noting that the Patriots have had the easiest strength of schedule by a wide margin this year, never truly being tested by an above average team. You know what they say, defense wins championships, and we believe in the Texans and their defense to take care of the Patriots 21-14.