The Second Round of NFL Playoff Games

The NFL playoffs offer a unique combination of ferocity and excellence, with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake for the winner of every game. This weekend, the top two seeds in each conference — the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers — took care of business.

The second round of nfl playoff games begins Saturday with the AFC wild-card round (six total matchups, three in each conference) followed by the divisional playoffs (four total games, two in each conference). The top four teams in each division advance to the conference championship games. The winners of the AFC and NFC conferences will then meet in the Super Bowl.

A missed field goal proved to be the difference between Kansas City and Buffalo, sending Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to their sixth consecutive AFC title game and a date with the Los Angeles Chargers. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ defense held up against a relentless run game led by Aaron Jones and capped off an impressive victory with a defensive play of the year by Richard Sherman.

After the first round, the teams in each conference are re-seeded by winning percentage, which ensures that the best record earns the top seed and the worst team gets the bottom seed. In addition, the first-round winners in each conference get a bye for the second round. The rest of the seeds play each other in the other four playoff games, which are called divisional playoffs because they feature the top two teams from each conference based on their regular-season records.

Traditionally, the division champions play their conference’s lowest-seeded team in the first round. However, the league changed that rule this season in order to avoid the same matchups each year. The division winners that did not win their divisional playoff games will host the division winner with the second-best record, while the other two teams play each other in their respective cities.

The reseeding will be in effect for the rest of the playoffs, which culminate in the two conference championship games on Jan. 28, setting the stage for Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11.

The wild-card round features the AFC’s No. 4 Jaguars playing the No. 5 Chargers and the AFC’s No. 3 Bengals taking on the No. 6 Ravens. In the NFC, the top-seeded Green Bay Packers host the No. 8 San Francisco 49ers in a late-night game. After a big win over the Cowboys, the 49ers will be tested by a tough Packers team that boasts a top-tier defense and a creative offense led by Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey. It’s a game that’s sure to be one of the most interesting in the NFL this weekend. The game is slated to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS. A full breakdown of the playoff games is available here. This article will be updated as needed throughout the day. Check back here for more updates as the weekend unfolds.