It’s the NFL Final Four. On Saturday afternoon, the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans for the second time this season. Later that day, the NFC’s top seed takes on the Washington Commanders as the playoffs begin for the Detroit Lions.
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles host the Los Angeles Rams, while the Buffalo Bills welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Orchard Park. Will all four home teams prevail in this round for the first time since 2018? History says don’t bet against it.
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For the most part, the NFL Divisional Playoffs have traditionally been dominated by the host club. Dating back to 1970, the host club owns a 154-62 win-loss mark (.713). To put it in recent terms, home teams own a 40-16 win-loss record in this round, an impressive .714 winning percentage, since 2010.
It’s also worth mentioning that the four home teams this weekend—Kansas City (8-0), Detroit (7-2), Philadelphia (9-1), and Buffalo (9-0)—have combined for a strong 33-3 mark in their own buildings this season. That includes the Bills’ 31-7 win over Denver and the Eagles’ 22-10 victory over the Packers, both last Sunday.
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While the same four teams in the AFC that reached the divisional round in 2023 have all returned this year, the Detroit Lions (off last week) are the lone member of last season’s final four in the NFC still alive in this postseason. The Packers and Buccaneers lost last week, and the 49ers failed to reach the playoffs.
The Lions, Bills, and Texans have never won the Super Bowl, and Detroit and Houston have never made an appearance on Super Sunday. Of course, a Texans’ upset of the Chiefs would put the club in the AFC Championship Game for the first time. The Commanders have not reached the NFC title game since 1991.
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For the second consecutive year, ball security took center stage in the AFC-NFC Wild Card Playoffs. Once again, seven of the 12 teams did not turn over the football. The Houston Texans (3) were the only club to win last week despite giving up the pigskin. The Steelers and Broncos both played turnover-free football and lost by lopsided scores.
You could make a strong case that both Pittsburgh (20:27) and Denver (18:17) didn’t really have the ball enough to give it away. Last week, the six winning teams combined to commit three turnovers (all by the Texans), while the half-dozen losing clubs teamed to give up ball 11 times.
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The quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champions has a long way to go when it comes to an impressive NFL milestone. Still, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes has been nothing short of sensational during his brief time in the league, and his playoff numbers are simply mind-boggling.
In 18 postseason outings, including four Super Bowls, he’s served up 41 touchdown passes and been picked off only eight times. As far as the all-time leaders in postseason TD passes, there’s Tom Brady (88), Joe Montana (45), Aaron Rodgers (45), Brett Favre (44) and Mahomes. The latter could very well be second on this list soon.
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The top two rushers in the National Football League this season take center stage on Sunday, and both are coming off productive games once again. Earlier this season, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry ran for 199 yards and one TD in a 35-10 prime time victory vs. the Bills in Week 4 (Henry also caught a touchdown pass).
Eight weeks later at SoFi Stadium, Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley rolled up 255 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns in the Eagles’ 37-20 win over the Rams. Including last weekend's playoff performances, Barkley (12) and Henry (10) have combined to hit the century mark in 22 outings in 2024.