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The NFL’s moniker for the second round of its postseason – the Divisional Playoffs – is a bit of a misnomer but the name made sense when it first started. Before World War II, the NFL separated its teams into Eastern and Western divisions, with the winners squaring off in the annual NFL Championship Game. But in 1941, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers finished tied for first in the Western Division, forcing a playoff to determine the team that would face the Eastern Division champion New York Giants. Not surprisingly, the league needed a “divisional playoff” several more times over the next two decades. In 1967, the NFL realigned into four four-team divisions, the winners of which squared off in a Divisional Round of playoffs to determine the league’s two berths in the championship.
Finally, when the NFL merged with the AFL in 1970, the new league split into two conferences, AFC and NFC, and continued to include a Divisional Round in the playoffs. Since the merger, the Divisional Round has included some of the greatest moments in league history, including the Immaculate Reception, the Minneapolis Miracle, Staubach’s Hail Mary, the Epic in Miami, the Ghost to the Post, the Sea of Hands and the longest game ever played.
What will get from the Divisional Playoff round this Saturday when the surprising Texans travel to the Raven (4:30 PM ET), and the Packers visit the 'Niners (8:15 PM ET)? Or on Sunday when the Bucs visit the Lions (3 PM ET) and the Chiefs visit the Bills (6:30 PM ET)?
Will there be a dramatic touchdown scored that lives in NFL Playoff lore?
Tune-in and find out.
Following Detroit’s electrifying first-round playoff win, with none of the 66,000-plus in attendance having departed, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson got some good news from Ross Tucker.
“How great is it that you’ll be here again next weekend?” Tucker asked in a live Westwood One postgame interview.
“Are we?” replied a shocked Hutchinson, who went to high school just 15 miles from Ford Field and starred at the University of Michigan.
“Dallas lost, so you’re back here,” Tucker informed him.
“Who do we play?”
“We don’t know who you play yet. You play the winner of the Bucs-Eagles game.”
“Let’s go, baby! Detroit, this is for you!”
Credit head coach Dan Campbell for having Hutchinson and Detroit (13-5) keenly focused. The Lions will need that focus again this week when they host a second playoff game in the same postseason for the first time in franchise history. Is Detroit's improbable march to the Super Bowl just beginning?
Next up is Tampa Bay (10-8), which captured that Eagles game in impressive fashion. In fact, the Buccaneers have won six of their last seven – and three straight on the road – behind a rejuvenated Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield squares off against Jared Goff on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo) in a matchup of former first-overall draft choices aiming to lead their new teams to the Super Bowl. They join five other former first-round quarterbacks – Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Green Bay’s Jordan Love, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Houston’s C.J. Stroud – in action this weekend. Meanwhile, San Francisco’s Brock Purdy – the last overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft – kept pace with all of them in 2023, leading the league with a 113.0 passer rating.
So zero in, eliminate distractions and focus on the task at hand. Get ready for one of the best weekends in all of sports.
The number of consecutive seasons (2013-23) in which at least three teams have reached the Divisional Playoffs that were not in the Divisional Round the year before, including Baltimore, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston and Tampa Bay in 2023. Over a longer stretch, in 15 of the past 20 seasons (2004-23), at least half the teams to reach the Divisional Playoffs were not in the Divisional Round the previous year.
In nine consecutive years (2015-23), the Associated Press All-Pro teams have featured at least 14 first-time All-Pros. Two of those first-time All-Pros, Lions tight end Sam LaPorta and Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield, will battle when Tampa Bay (10-8) visits Detroit (13-5) on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo).
Winfield, who had 122 tackles, 12 passes defensed and six sacks in 2023, became the first defensive back since Rodney Harrison in 2000 to reach 120 tackles, 10 passes defensed and five sacks in a season. He also became the first defensive back this century with six sacks and six forced fumbles in a season.
LaPorta, meanwhile, posted more receptions (86) than any rookie tight end in NFL history, while his receiving yards (889) ranked fourth among rookie tight ends all-time. And with 10 receiving touchdowns, he also became one of three rookie tight ends ever to reach that mark. Along with teammate Jahmyr Gibbs, LaPorta helped the Lions become the first team in league annals to have two rookies score 10 scrimmage touchdowns.
In last week’s Wild Card win, Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown posted 110 yards on seven receptions. St. Brown has 10 100-yard receiving games in 2023, most in the NFL including the postseason.
Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield led his team to the Divisional Round by throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and a 119.8 passer rating last week. He is the first Buccaneers player ever with 300 yards and three touchdown passes in a postseason game.
Joseph Santoliquito can be followed on twitter @JSantoliquito.
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