The divisional round matchups are set and ready to begin.
In the AFC, the Texans will travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens, while the Chiefs will head to Buffalo to face the Bills. On the NFC side, the Packers will travel to face the 49ers in San Francisco, and the Lions will host the Buccaneers after Tampa Bay beat Philadelphia on Monday night.
With the week of preparation completed, we can look ahead to the divisional round schedule, which will include the first postseason games for the Niners and the Ravens, who each had a bye.
To get you ready for the Saturday and Sunday slate, we’re breaking down the final four teams in the NFC playoff field.
(1) San Francisco 49ers
Saturday night will be the 10th postseason meeting between the Packers and 49ers, the most between any two teams in NFL playoff history.
San Francisco holds a 5-4 edge in the postseason series, while Green Bay holds the advantage in points (218-204).
The 49ers return to the postseason for the fourth time in five seasons, including the third consecutive season, as they host the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium in the NFC Divisional Round.
Before the first-round Bye, the 49ers suffered a 21-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the regular season finale. Sam Darnold completed 16 of his 26 passing attempts for 189 yards, including a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ronnie Bell and a one-yard rushing touchdown of his own.
In 2023, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards. He became the first player since 1995 and only the 4th since 1970 to lead the NFL in rushing after every week of an entire season (HOF RB Emmit Smith – 1995; HOF RB Walter Payton – 1977; HOF RB O.J. Simpson – 1973 & 1975).
In 2023, the 49ers averaged 398.4 yards per game, ranking 2nd in the NFL (Mia. – 401.3).
In his first full season as a starter, All-Pro quarterback Brock Purdy set the 49ers single-season franchise records for passing yards. (4,280) and passer rating (113.0). Purdy became the first 49ers quarterback in 23 years to throw for 4,000 or more yards. In a season, making him the 3rd quarterback in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
Purdy registered 45 completions of 25-or-more yds. in 2023, which was the most in the NFL.
In 2023, the 49ers defense held its opponents to 44 red zone drives, the 2nd-fewest in the NFL (Cle. – 42).
The 49ers offense averaged 6.6 yards. Per play in 2023, the most in the NFL.
In 2023, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner was the only player in the NFL to register 130 or more tackles, 2.0 or more sacks, four or more interceptions, and ten or more passes defended.
Since entering the NFL in 2019, WR Deebo Samuel has registered 283 receptions for 4,122 yards (14.6 avg.), and 19 touchdowns through the air to go along with 160 carries for 1,007 yards (6.3 avg.) and 19 TDs on the ground.
Samuel is the 2nd player in NFL history to record 4,000 or more receiving yards. And 1,000 or more rushing yards in the first five seasons of his career (HOF WR Charley Taylor, Was.).
The top-seeded 49ers have the league’s No. 2 offense and No. 3 scoring defense. They’ve also won five straight divisional games and are trying to reach the NFC title game for a third consecutive season.
San Francisco’s 0.16 expected points added (EPA) per play was well ahead of the No. 2 team, the already-eliminated Dolphins, at 0.12.
Brock Purdy has one of the NFL’s best-supporting cast with McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle.
San Francisco hasn’t had a bye week in the playoffs since that Super Bowl run in 2019.
The 49ers are the only team remaining in the NFL playoffs to boast both a top-three scoring offense and scoring defense from the regular season.
(3) Detroit Lions
Detroit, the No. 3 seed, is hosting a second playoff game in a single season for the first time.
They’ll host the fourth-seeded Bucs, who have won six of their last seven, including two straight road games. The Lions won at Tampa 20-6 in Week 6 as Baker Mayfield posted his worst passer rating (56.8).
The Lions are coming off their first playoff victory in 30 years, a 24-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
The matchup featured the melodrama of Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford, who were traded for each other in 2021. Goff completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a 121.8 passer rating.
Detroit had four players score ten or more touchdowns during the regular season, and three of them scored against the Rams – tight end Sam LaPorta and running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Detroit has a star pass catcher in first-team All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. During the wild-card win over the Rams, St. Brown logged seven passes for 110 yards. During the regular season, St. Brown logged 119 passes for 1,515 yards.
After ranking 30th in pass defense in 2022, adding C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Cameron Sutton in free agency, and Brian Branch in the draft.
Scoring Offense: 5th (27.1 ppg)
Total Offense: 3rd (394.8 ypg)
Rushing Offense: 5th (135.9 ypg)
Passing Offense: 2nd (258.9 ypg)
First Downs Per Game: 5th (22.1)
Third-Down Pct.: 11th (41.5%)
Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 3rd (5.12%)
Red Zone TD Pct.: 3rd (64.1%)
Scoring Defense: 23rd (23.2 ppg)
Total Defense: 19th (336.1 ypg)
Rushing Defense: 2nd (88.8 ypg)
Passing Defense: 27th (247.4 ypg)
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles returned to the playoffs in his second season as the Bucs’ head coach with a new offensive coordinator on his staff. Former Seahawks Quarterbacks Coach Dave Canales took over for Byron Leftwich.
The fourth-seeded Bucs have won six of their last seven, including two straight road games. The Lions won at Tampa 20-6 in Week 6 as Baker Mayfield posted his worst passer rating (56.8).
In the first matchup, the Buccaneers were shredded by the Detroit offense, Jared Goff, who threw for 353 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, hitting All-Pro wide receive Amon-Ra St. Brown 12 times for 124 yards and a score.
The Lions’ defense limited the Bucs to 251 yards of offense, and Baker Mayfield was intercepted once, marking the only game all season in which he threw an interception but no touchdowns.
Star wide receiver Mike Evans has 562 yards from scrimmage in his postseason career. He needs 11 more to surpass running back Leonard Fournette (572) for the most yards from scrimmage in the postseason in franchise history.
Evans could also tie Fournette on the Bucs’ all-time playoff touchdown list with two to get to six and could tie Mike Alstott for the top spot with three more.
Mayfield was elite in his playoff against the Eagles as he threw for 337 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 119.8 passer rating.
Scoring Offense: 20th (20.5 ppg)
Total Offense: 23rd (313.0 ypg)
Rushing Offense: 32nd (88.8 ypg)
Passing Offense: 17th (224.2 ypg)
First Downs Per Game: 25th (17.6)
Third-Down Pct.: 10th (41.5%)
Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 14th (7.04%)
Red Zone TD Pct.: 30th (45.8%)
Scoring Defense: 6th (19.1 ppg)
(7) Green Bay Packers
This will be the 10th postseason meeting between the Packers and 49ers, the most between any two teams in NFL playoff history.
San Francisco holds a 5-4 edge in the postseason series, while Green Bay holds the advantage in points (218-204).
Matt LaFleur has led Green Bay to the playoffs in four of his five seasons. Under LaFleur, Green Bay is 3-3 in the postseason, a .500 winning percentage tied for No. 8 in the NFL since 2019.
Green Bay opened up the 2023 playoffs with a 48-32 victory at the Dallas Cowboys, ending the Cowboys’ 16-game home winning streak.
The Wild Card win at Dallas was the first time in franchise history (regular season or playoffs) that the Packers posted 48-plus points, 400-plus total yards, Zero giveaways, and zero sacks allowed in a game.
Green Bay also became the first NFL team in postseason history to hit those marks in a game. Green Bay became the youngest team to win a playoff game since the merger (1970).
Over his last nine games (including the postseason), Jordan Love has completed 212 of 300 passes (70.7 pct.) for 2,422 yards and 21 touchdowns with one interception for a 116.6 rating. He joins Drew Brees (2018) and Matt Ryan (2016-17) as the only quarterbacks to throw for 2,400-plus yards,
21-plus touchdowns with one or zero interceptions and a completion percentage of 70-plus over a nine-game span.
Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed finished the 2023 regular season tied for No. 8 in the NFL in receiving touchdowns with eight.
Doubs and Reed were one of four teammate tandems in the league to receive eight or more touchdowns this season. Doubs posted a TD reception in seven games during the regular season, tied for No. 7 in the NFL.
Doubs finished the regular season ranked No. 4 in the NFL in red-zone TD receptions (seven).
QB Jordan Love became just the third NFL quarterback to post 4,000-plus passing yards (4,159) and 32-plus passing TDs (32) in his first season with multiple starts (2023), joining Kurt Warner (1999) and Patrick Mahomes (2018).
The Packers finished the regular season with 117 explosive plays (12-plus-yard runs and 16-plus-yard passes), their most under LaFleur and their most since 2018 (120). Green Bay recorded seven-plus explosive plays in the final ten regular-season contests (Weeks 9-18), the Packers’ longest single-season streak since 2014 (10 games). The Packers registered at least six explosive plays in the last 11 regular-season games (Weeks 7-18), the second-longest streak in the NFL this season behind only Miami’s 13-game streak (Weeks 1-9, 11-14). Dating back to 2000, it was the third-longest single-season streak by Green Bay:
Green Bay, the first seventh seed to win in the expanded playoff format, is 7-2 with an NFL-high 113.2 passer rating since Week 11.
Green Bay QB Jordan Love and Stroud each posted a 157.2 passer rating last week — the highest ever in an NFL playoff debut (minimum 20 attempts).
Green Bay dominated the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round to hand the Cowboys their first home loss of the season. Quarterback Jordan Love and the offense have racked up three consecutive 400-yard performances.
The defense scored twice last week and tallied four sacks.
