After an eventful wild-card weekend, it’s time for the divisional round. In the AFC, Andrew Luck’s Colts take on Patrick Mahomes II’s Chiefs in Kansas City, while the Patriots face off against the Chargers in Foxborough. In the NFC, Drew Brees and Carson Wentz go head to head, while the Cowboys and the Rams meet in Los Angeles. Will Philip Rivers beat Tom Brady for the first time in his career? Will Mahomes continue to redefine the NFL’s passing game? The Ringer has all the action covered, so stay tuned for updates, analysis, and highlights from our staff.
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January 16, 2019
NFL Playoffs and Kyler Murray With Bill Simmons, Drew Henson, and Chris Ryan
Ryen Russillo reviews Tom Brady’s impressive performance against the L.A. Chargers in the NFL divisional-round playoff
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January 15, 2019
Lombardi’s Divisional-Round Reactions
The Saints survive, New England dominates, the Cowboys lose to the Rams, and the Chiefs eliminate the Colts
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January 14, 2019
The Starting 11: The NFL’s Final Four Shows Why Every Team Wants a Sean McVay
As the coaching carousel has turned toward offensive-minded, play-calling head coaches, the divisional round demonstrated how effective those types of masterminds can be
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January 14, 2019
The Divisional Round Was a Master Class in What Sets the NFL’s Four Best Teams Apart
This weekend, the Chiefs, Saints, Rams, and Patriots proved why the lower seeds in the playoffs never stood a chance. In the process, they set the slate for a thrilling conference championship Sunday.
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January 14, 2019
The Offensive Powerhouses Keep Rolling in the Divisional Round
Last weekend set up two highly anticipated matchups for a spot in the Super Bowl
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January 14, 2019
What That Eternal Drive Told Us About the Saints—and Their Hopes Against the Rams
The 18-play, 112-yard drive to start the second half did more than just change the momentum of Sunday’s game. It also gave us a look at New Orleans’s strengths and weaknesses on offense.
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January 13, 2019
How Marshon Lattimore Gave the Saints Life and the Plays That Explain the Divisional Round
The four teams left standing are the four top seeds—and each won its weekend matchup in a way that showcased its strengths
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January 13, 2019
The Winners and Losers From the NFL’s Divisional Round
The well-rested teams with better records and home-field advantage prevailed this weekend. But the lower seeds weren’t the only losers: The Chargers’ defensive adjustments, running backs, and sexy celebrations all took L’s on Saturday and Sunday.
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January 13, 2019
Premature Elimination: Nick Foles and the Eagles’ Magic Runs Out Against the Saints
Large-Appendaged Nick’s Eagles career will likely end with a pass that sailed through Alshon Jeffery’s hands before being picked off—a flukey play that’s as bizarre as the quarterback’s career itself
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January 13, 2019
Now, Only Patrick Mahomes II Can Save Us From Another Patriots Super Bowl Appearance
New England cruised to its eighth AFC championship game in as many years by rolling over the Chargers and somehow looking invincible after the team’s worst regular season in recent memory
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January 13, 2019
How the Cowboys Defense Tipped Its Hand and Let the Rams Run All Over It
By keying into how the Dallas defensive line set up, L.A. allowed C.J. Anderson and Todd Gurley to run free—and punched its ticket to the conference championship game
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January 13, 2019
Weed, Trolls, and Not a Cowboyrita to Be Found: What I Saw at the L.A. Coliseum
Cowboys-Rams wasn’t much of a spectacle, but the scene at the Coliseum was a sight to behold
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January 12, 2019
The Chiefs Are Ready to Slay the Ghosts of Playoffs Past
A blocked punt, a few ill-timed fumbles—none of it mattered against the Colts on Saturday. After decades of postseason heartbreak, Kansas City looks poised to rewrite its history.
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January 11, 2019
How the Cowboys Forged a New Identity and Saved Their Season
Dallas was 3-5 and seemed dead in the water. Then a defense fueled by Kris Richard, Byron Jones, and a pair of young linebackers sprung to life, igniting a playoff push and potentially changing the franchise’s trajectory.
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January 11, 2019
NBA All-Stars, Round 2 Upsets, and ‘The Sopranos’ 20 Years Later, With Joe House and Alan Sepinwall
Bill is joined by Joe House to talk first-team All-NBA players, and then a little Friday Rollin’ NFL playoff picks
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January 11, 2019
The Keys to Every NFL Divisional Round Game
Andy Reid gets a chance to avenge his most tragic playoff failure, the Cowboys D will face its greatest test, and the Patriots may have to try to run the ball against the team that just shut down Lamar Jackson
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January 11, 2019
Meet the Members of Drew Brees’s Very Exclusive Touchdown Club
Call them the Moonlight Grahams of Brees’s passing prowess. One way of understanding how New Orleans’s record-setting quarterback has been so successful is through the experiences of the receivers who caught a single touchdown pass from him.
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January 10, 2019
New Head Coaches Plus Divisional Round Preview
Kliff Kingsbury, Matt LaFleur, Vic Fangio, Adam Gase, Freddie Kitchens, and Bruce Arians all have new coaching jobs in the NFL
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January 10, 2019
The Rams Need Only One Personnel Grouping to Destroy You
How did Sean McVay turn Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and Co. into an offensive juggernaut? The coach stumbled into an approach that worked—and then stuck with it.
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January 10, 2019
The Untold Misery of the Chiefs’ Postseason Kicking Woes
When Kansas City takes the field this Saturday against Indianapolis, it’ll do so with the NFL’s most prolific offense and most exciting young passer. But the Chiefs will also be playing with the weight of nearly five decades’ worth of missed field goals, botched fakes, and close playoff losses.
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January 9, 2019
Manny Pacquiao Plus Divisional Round Best Bets
Cousin Sal and the Degenerate Trifecta place their bets for this weekend’s NFL playoff games, then the eight-division boxing world champion joins to discuss his upcoming fight and his career at 40
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January 9, 2019
Legend of the Long Toss: Stories of Patrick Mahomes II’s Awe-Inspiring Passing
The no-look pass, the left-handed throw, the deep bomb. The Chiefs QB is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the passing game. The secret, as Mahomes, his teammates, and coaches explain, is practicing the impossible throw until it becomes ordinary.
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January 9, 2019
Philip Rivers Has Never Beaten Tom Brady—What Can Their History Tell Us About the Divisional Round?
The Chargers’ QB may be 0-7 against the GOAT, but these matchups have been closer than you think. If Sunday is anything like the past, expect a weird game that comes down to the wire.