NFL Playoff Bracket 2019: AFC, NFC Divisional Round Schedule, Matchup Analysis

It's been a rough go for home favorites so far in the 2019 NFL playoffs.

Only the Dallas Cowboys held serve during a hectic Wild Card Weekend that saw the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles all knock off higher seeds.

But the difficulty level for the underdogs only increases in the divisional round. Record-wise, the worst home team on the schedule are the 11-5 New England Patriots, who figure to remain formidable as long as Tom Brady is under center and Bill Belichick is on the sideline.

Let's dive deeper into the four-round slate below.

Divisional-Round Schedule

All times ET

Saturday, January 12

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs (4:35 p.m., NBC) 

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m., Fox) 

Sunday, January 13

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots (1:05 p.m., CBS) 

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (4:40 p.m., Fox) 

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

Playoff Bracket

Analysis

Colts at Chiefs

As hot as the Colts have been, oddsmakers still favor the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium by a 5.5-point margin, per OddsShark. That number strangely feels too high and too low, which probably means it's just right.

Kansas City is as potent as they come, thanks in no small part to rocket-armed Patrick Mahomes. The second-year quarterback, surrounded by home-run hitters such as Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, torched NFL defenses for 5,097 passing yards and 50 touchdowns.

"When you have a guy like Patrick under center, you have a chance to win every game," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said, per ESPN's Adam Teicher.

The Colts, though, have reasons to feel the same way about Andrew Luck, who tossed for 4,593 yards and 39 scores. While the numbers still favor Mahomes, the margin might narrow a bit when factoring in the defenses. Indy finished 16th against the pass, while Kansas City landed second from the bottom.

Cowboys at Rams

It's tricky to find the offensive advantage for Dallas.

If Todd Gurley is healthy, he might be Ezekiel Elliott's only true rival at the position. Jared Goff gets the nod over Dak Prescott both on paper and in the eye test. Amari Cooper has given the Cowboys an explosive option at receiver, but the Rams already had two in Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks.

Defense, though, is a different story.

While L.A. might have the Defensive Player of the Year in Aaron Donald, Dallas has been the stingier stopper. The Cowboys have the sixth-best scoring defense; the Rams rank 20th. Dallas sits seventh in average yards against; L.A. is 19th.

Maybe the Rams have enough offensive firepower to overcome, but this Cowboys defense is ferocious. Their signature moment was surely shutting down the Saints in New Orleans earlier this season, but their wild-card work was phenomenal, too. The Seahawks brought NFL's top rushing attack into that tilt and left with only 73 yards to show for their 24 carries.

Chargers at Patriots

After coming up short in his first seven meetings with Tom Brady, Philip Rivers might finally have the formula to make the eighth time a charm.

And it has nothing to do with Rivers himself or even the Chargers offense. Rather, it's all about L.A.'s defense, in particular the stellar play of pass-rush bookends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

"The most tried and true formula to beat New England is pressure on Brady; LA's pass rush is more than capable," Tadd Haislop wrote for Sporting News. "Watch the tape of the Chargers' wild-card win over the Ravens if you need proof."

Even when the Patriots have been at their best, Brady has been vulnerable when he's under duress. That said, New England will surely be well-prepared and last lost on its home field on Oct. 1, 2017.

Eagles at Saints

The Eagles and Saints locked horns once this season, though it could hardly be considered a fight. New Orleans had a double-digit lead before the opening frame finished and kept the gas pedal floored throughout its runaway 48-7 home win in Week 11.

That could have clipped the Eagles' wings, as the loss dropped them to 4-6. But Philly went 5-1 from that point forward to snag a playoff berth, and that humbling defeat may have been the turning point.

"That game has helped us become the team we are today," Nick Foles told reporters. "Going through that, that's not easy as a team to lose like that. But there was never a pointing of the finger. It actually brought us closer."

The question now is whether the loss brought the Eagles any closer to the Saints' level. On paper, New Orleans looks like it could be headed to another big victory. The legend of "Playoff Nick Foles" is less potent than the real-life Drew Brees, and New Orleans has more explosive playmakers, too.