NFL Playoffs 2019: Divisional-Round Schedule and Predictions

Is it possible for the NFL's 2019 divisional round to live up to the nail-biting excitement of Wild Card Weekend?

One glance at the quarterback battles says we might be in for another treat:

• Andrew Luck vs. Patrick Mahomes
• Dak Prescott vs. Jared Goff
• Philip Rivers vs. Tom Brady
• Playoff Nick Foles vs. Drew Brees

If you see a snoozer in that group...well, feel free to use that time slot for something other than going full-on couch potato. The rest of us, meanwhile, are already clearing our weekend schedules and preparing to devour every morsel of this football feast.

We'll start with an appetizer here of schedules and predictions for the upcoming four-game slate.

Divisional-Round Schedule

All times ET

Saturday, January 12

No. 6 Indianapolis Colts at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (4:35 p.m., NBC) 

No. 4 Dallas Cowboys at No. 2 Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m., Fox) 

Sunday, January 13

No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2 New England Patriots (1:05 p.m., CBS) 

No. 6 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 1 New Orleans Saints (4:40 p.m., Fox) 

In addition to the broadcast networks, all playoff games can be viewed on FuboTV.

Predictions

Chiefs 34, Colts 30

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

You wouldn't think a one seed going against a six seed would have game-of-the-week potential, but this looks awfully interesting on paper.

The Colts have basically been crushing everything in their path for the better part of three months. Indy has just one blemish in its last 11 outings and barely broke a sweat during Saturday's 21-7 triumph over the Texans.

That said, the Chiefs spent the majority of the season demoralizing opposing defenses. While Kansas City encountered a bit of a bumpy landing—2-2 in the final four games, including an overtime win—an extra week of preparation could be all that Andy Reid and Mahomes need to get back on track.

The passing numbers could be incredible in this contest. As ESPN's Adam Teicher noted, the combined 89 touchdown passes between Mahomes (50) and Luck (39) are the most ever in a playoff matchup. But we're betting that Mahomes, spurred on by the Arrowhead faithful, gets the last laugh.

Rams 27, Cowboys 17

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Dallas' game plan for success is simple: get a ton from Ezekiel Elliott and just enough out of Dak Prescott. With Elliott rumbling for 137 yards and a score on 26 carries in the opening round, Prescott made it work with 22-of-33 passing for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

That formula will be tough to replicate this round, though, as the Rams are well-equipped to win or at least draw the rushing battle. L.A. expects to get Todd Gurley back from a two-game absence (knee), but it also wants to find carries for C.J. Anderson, who produced 299 rushing yards and two scores during his two appearances with the Rams.

"If Todd's able to go, we want to get him going," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "But I think we want to get C.J. [going] as well. So I think you can expect to see a good balance of both—some different things that maybe gets those guys on the field."

If Elliott doesn't dominate his matchup, that means Prescott must outproduce Jared Goff. It would be tough to wager against Goff, considering he had more yards (4,688 to 3,885) and passing touchdowns (32 to 22), plus he'll be throwing to the only two 1,200-yard receivers in this game (Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks).

Chargers 31, Patriots 27

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Why does this feel like breaking the rules? Probably because New England hasn't been bounced out of the divisional round since 2011.

But these Patriots don't really look like the Patriots. The five regular-season losses were the club's most since 2009, when its playoff run ended in the wild-card round. Brady had his most interceptions since 2013 and didn't have a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time since 2010 (Julian Edelman came closest with 850 yards).

Plus, the Chargers are really good. After a choppy 1-2 start, L.A. went 11-2 the rest of the way—12-2 if you tack on Sunday's 23-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Rivers' 105.5 quarterback rating matches the highest he's posted as a starter, Melvin Gordon totaled 14 touchdowns in 12 regular-season outings and Keenan Allen delivered his second straight campaign with at least 1,100 receiving yards and six scores.

This defense is relentless, too, ranking eighth in scoring (20.6 points per game) and ninth in yards allowed (333.7). Between pass-rushing bookends Melvin Ingram (seven sacks) and Joey Bosa (5.5 in seven games), L.A. should be able to pressure Brady just enough to send the Patriots packing for an earlier vacation than usual.

Saints 31, Eagles 20

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The last time the Saints hosted the Eagles, they sent Philly home with a humbling 48-7 rout in the regular season. While we aren't expecting this contest to be quite as one-sided, there's still a significant talent advantage favoring the No. 1 seed.

Not even the postseason version of Foles can go toe-to-toe with Brees, who was busy pushing his efficiency to absurd levels this season. While you might think a 39-year-old future Hall of Famer couldn't possibly produce a career campaign, Brees' personal bests in completion percentage (74.4) and quarterback rating (115.7) would beg to differ.

Basically every angle of the stat sheet favors the Saints. While Philadelphia has tried (and failed) to find a consistent option in the backfield, New Orleans has two explosive weapons in Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. The Eagles might have an elite tight end in Zach Ertz, but even he can't match the output of Saints wideout Michael Thomas (125 receptions for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns).

If the supporting casts were equal, you'd favor Brees over Foles by a comfortable margin. Since Brees has more talent around him, that margin just grows even wider.

Statistics used courtesy of ESPN.