The top-seeded Detroit in the NFC and Kansas City in the AFC are taking the field for the first time in this postseason. With home-field advantage, each is favoured to reach the Super Bowl. Here’s a look at each matchup with their NFL divisional round odds.

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday

AFC South champion Houston was a 3-point home underdog on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers and trailed 10-0 early on but won 32-12 in easily the team’s best game in weeks. The Texans have one of the top pass defences in the league as they were second in the NFL during the regular season in interceptions. They picked off Justin Herbert four times on Saturday. He had just three INTs during the year. Houston became the fifth team ever to record four interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown and four sacks in a playoff game since sacks were first tracked in 1963.

CJ Stroud threw for 282 yards and a score and Joe Mixon, who had tailed off late in the regular season, rushed for 106 yards and a score. As the AFC West champion and conference’s top seed, Kansas City, the two-time reigning Super Bowl champion, got Wild-Card Weekend off. In Week 16, Kansas City beat visiting Houston, 27-19. Patrick Mahomes threw for a score and rushed for a career-high 15 yard TD when he was in some question for the game with an ankle issue. Stroud threw for two TD passes but also two picks. 

Pick ATS: Kansas City (alternate line of -7)

Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, Saturday

Rookie quarterbacks over the past 10 years had been 0-6 in road playoff games, including Denver’s Bo Nix losing earlier Sunday in Buffalo, but that streak ended on Sunday night as Commanders QB and sure-fire Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels led a 23-20 upset victory at NFC South champion Tampa Bay for the team’s sixth straight win. Zane Gonzalez won it with a 37-yard field goal as time expired after the ball doinked off one of the uprights and through. Washington didn’t have a punt or turnover, just the third team in NFL history with zero of both in a postseason game. 

Detroit’s defence had been shredded by injuries by the end of the year so the bye week was badly needed, although superstar pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson won’t be back from his broken leg before the Super Bowl if even then. Co-No. 1 running back David Montgomery was thought to have suffered a season-ending injury in Week 15 but is expected back Saturday. Both of Detroit’s losses came at home this season. Led by QB and MVP candidate Jared Goff (probably finishes third in the voting), the Lions led the NFL in scoring at 33.2 PPG. 

Pick ATS: Washington (alternate line of +10)

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday

Philadelphia was terrific defensively Sunday in a 22-10 home win over Green Bay as that top-ranked unit forced four turnovers. In addition, holding a 19-10 with about five minutes left, that defence forced a turnover on downs when Green Bay had a fourth-and-3 on its own 41. However, starting linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a knee injury in the win and is expected out for the playoffs. Dean had been the guy responsible for relaying defensive calls to the group. Oren Burks replaced Dean in the lineup and will likely fill in for him moving forward. QB Jalen Hurts returned after missing the final two games of the regular season in the concussion protocol and had two TD throws. Tailback Saquon Barkley, the NFL’s regular-season rushing champion, had 119 yards in his Eagles’ postseason debut.

The Rams were short “home” underdogs on Monday night for the game against Minnesota that had to be moved to Arizona due to the California wildfires, but Los Angeles won anyways, 27-9, tying an NFL playoff record with nine sacks, including one returned for a touchdown and a 17-3 lead late in the second half that really ended the game. Los Angeles had a minus-19 point differential in the regular season, which would be the worst by any team to reach a conference title game. The Rams hosted the Eagles in Week 12 and Philly rolled, 37-20, as Barkley had one of the great games in NFL history with 26 carries for 255 yards and two scores and even caught four passes for 47 yards.

Pick ATS: Philadelphia

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, Sunday

It’s such a huge advantage for Kansas City to have earned the AFC’s top seed and get to face a very flawed Houston team in the Divisional Round instead of one of these two powerhouses both very capable of winning it all. It’s quite likely that Buffalo QB Josh Allen wins his first regular-season MVP Award this season and that Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is denied a second straight MVP and third career as he likely finished second in the voting. 

The Ravens won their fifth game in a row on Sunday, all by double digits, 28-14 vs. Pittsburgh. Lamar Jackson had just two incompletions and two TD passes, and Derrick Henry rushed for 188 yards and two scores against one of the NFL’s top defences. It was Henry’s NFL-record third career playoff game with at least 175 rushing yards. Buffalo rushed for 210 yards Sunday in a 31-7 rout of Denver. Allen had just six incompletions and two TD throws. Baltimore beat visiting Buffalo, 35-10 in Week 4, behind 199 rushing yards and a TD from Henry. Allen had one of his worst games of the season. 

Pick ATS: Baltimore

How to Bet on the NFL