2024 NFL playoff picture: Everything you need to know ahead of the divisional round

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) reacts after intercepting a pass during the first quarter of the wild card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, January 14, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

And then there were eight. As the NFL playoffs march on, this weekend brings us the divisional round. So, it’s time to talk NFL playoff odds, schedule and brackets, giving us a full picture of the weekend ahead.

The top seeds in each conference, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will each make their postseason debut as heavy favorites over the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers respectively. Each of these games will be on Saturday with the Ravens and Texans kicking things off in the afternoon slot.

On Sunday, the second matchup will be between the AFC’s No. 2 and 3 seeds, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, preceded by a showdown between the NFC’s No. 3 and 4 seeds, the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both these matchups have some rather intriguing storylines attached to them.

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The Bills are looking to take the Chiefs down after having fallen to them in the playoffs twice in the last three years. Meanwhile, the Bucs-Lions will feature two former No. 1 overall quarterbacks who were abandoned by their original teams, both now competing for a shot to go to the NFC title game while those original teams are watching from home.

Here’s everything you need to know about the weekend’s divisional round playoffs.

Divisional playoffs: NFL playoff schedule: Divisional-round dates, times, TV info

NFL playoffs odds: divisional round lines:

Odds via DraftKings:

AFC divisional round

No. 4 Houston Texans @ No. 1 Baltimore Ravens

• Spread: Ravens (-9.5)
• Moneyline: Ravens (-425); Texans (+330)
• Over/under: 43.5

No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs @ No. 2 Buffalo Bills

• Spread: Bills (-2.5)
• Moneyline: Bills (-142); Chiefs (+120)
• Over/under: 45

NFC divisional round

No. 7 Green Bay Packers @ No. 1 San Francisco 49ers

• Spread: 49ers (-9.5)
• Moneyline: 49ers (-440); Packers (+340)
• Over/under: 50.5

No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ No. 3 Detroit Lions

• Spread: Lions (-6.5)
• Moneyline: Lions (-270); Buccaneers (+220)
• Over/under: 48.5

NFL playoff schedule:

Divisional Round:

Saturday, Jan. 20

• Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens – 4:30 p.m. ET
• Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers – 8:15 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 21

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions – 3 p.m. ET
• Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills – 6:30 p.m. ET

Conference Championships:

Sunday, Jan. 28

• TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. ET
• TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. ET

Super Bowl LVIII:

Sunday, Feb. 11

• TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. ET

NFL playoff bracket: Details on this weekend’s games for the 2024 NFL playoffs

TV, times and how to watch the NFL divisional round:

Texans @ Ravens:

• When: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024
• Where: M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD
• Time: 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT
• TV: ABC
• Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo TV

Packers @ 49ers:

• When: Saturday, January 20, 2024
• Where: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Fox Sports app, FuboTV, NFL+

Buccaneers @ Lions:

• When: Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024
• Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
• Time: 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
• TV: NBC, Peacock, Universo
• Streaming: Peacock, FuboTV

Chiefs @ Bills:

• When: Sunday, Jan. 21
• Where: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT
• TV: CBS
• Stream: Paramount+; YouTube TV; Sling; FuboTV

2023-24 NFL Playoff Bracket:

Here’s how the NFL playoffs bracket looks:

AFC:

Divisional round matchups are as follows.

• No. 4 Houston Texans at No. 1 Baltimore Ravens
• No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs at No. 2 Buffalo Bills

The winners of each of these matchups will face off in the AFC Championship game a week from Sunday. This will be just the second time the Ravens and Texans have squared off in the postseason. The first matchup came more than a decade ago in 2012. The Ravens got the best of Houston 20-13.

The Bills and Chiefs will go at one another in the playoffs for the third time in four years. The Chiefs prevailed each of the previous two times, but the Bills have won each of their last two meetings during the regular season. Earlier this season, the Bills defeated the Chiefs 20-17.

NFC:

Here’s how the NFC bracket looks.

• No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 1 San Francisco 49ers
• No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 3 Detroit Lions

The Packers and 49ers are very familiar with one another in the postseason. The 49ers have won each of the last four playoff meetings between these squads between 2013 and 2022.

The Lions and Bucs have not faced off in the postseason since 1997. Lo and behold, the Lions who had not won a playoff game since 1992 prior to Sunday, were not able to defeat the Bucs. Mike Alstott rushed for 68 yards on just 11 carries in that game. The Bucs won 20-10.

NFL playoff watchability rankings: Which are best matchups of divisional round?

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 NFL playoff picture: Everything you need to know ahead of the divisional round