NFL Playoff Bracket 2019: Divisional Schedule Overview, Championship Predictions

The race to Super Bowl LIII is down to eight teams. While there is plenty of variance in the makeup of these teams, it's hard to argue that these aren't the best squads in the league.

Sure, the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles just barely squeaked into the postseason. But the fact that they had to finish the season strong actually makes these teams dangerous. On the other end of the scale, the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints rarely lost in the regular season, and few would question that they're among the league's best.

The question isn't whether these teams deserve to be in the divisional round; it's which ones will advance to championship weekend. That's what we're going to try predicting here. We'll run down the weekend's schedule along with the latest odds and over/unders from OddsShark. We'll also make score predictions for each game, predict which teams will reach Super Bowl LIII and look at some of the latest playoff-related storylines.

2019 NFL Divisional Round

Saturday, January 12

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

When: 4:35 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: NBC, NBC Sports App and fuboTV

Odds and Over/Under: KC -5, 56.5

Prediction: Colts 30, Chiefs 27

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams

When: 8:15 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: Fox, Fox Sports Go and fuboTV

Odds and Over/Under: LAR -7, 48.5

Prediction: Rams 28, Cowboys 24

Sunday, January 13

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots

When: 1:05 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: CBS, CBS All Access and fuboTV

Odds and Over/Under: NE -4, 47.5

Prediction: Patriots 26, Chargers 22

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints

When: 4:40 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: Fox, Fox Sports Go and fuboTV

Odds and Over/Under: NO -8, 51.5

Prediction: Saints 31, Eagles 22

Conference Championship Game Predictions

AFC: Patriots 27, Colts 26

NFC: Saints 33, Rams 26

Where to Watch: NFL playoff games, studio shows and more are available through Fubo.TV/welcome.

Prescott's Knee Injury Won't Be an Issue

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was on the injury report this week with a knee issue. While this may concern fans because of Prescott's mobile playing style, it isn't expected to significantly affect his play or the game plan.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Prescott took all of the snaps in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, which suggested the Cowboys weren't overly concerned. He was also listed as ready for the game on the team's final injury report Thursday. Dallas shouldn't avoid putting him in running situations because of the injury, and it seems Prescott won't change the way he plays either.

"I know if I'm running, there's two or three guys coming at once, it would be smart to get down," Prescott said Wednesday, per Jori Epstein of USA Today. "But other than that, it's just about going out there and getting what my team needs and what my offense needs, if it's getting a first down or getting the touchdown from scrambling for first down."

Prescott can be difficult to defend because of his dual-threat ability, and The Los Angeles Rams will have to respect that ability on Saturday night.

Eric Berry Won't Play

While the Cowboys will have their quarterback at least close to 100 percent Saturday evening, the Chiefs can't say the same about star safety Eric Berry. The five-time Pro Bowler only appeared in two games in the regular season because of a heel issue, which will keep him out of the afternoon game against Indianapolis.

Berry missed almost all of the 2017 season with a ruptured Achilles, and he's played just three games over the past two seasons. His availability for next week, should the Chiefs advance, also seems questionable.

On a positive note, the Chiefs will have wide receiver Sammy Watkins back in the lineup against Indianapolis.

Chargers Know They Must Execute

The Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the regular season. They beat them on Wild Card Weekend, largely because they made fewer mistakes. Quarterback Philip Rivers, for one, threw two interceptions in the regular-season contest and zero last week.

If the Chargers hope to get past the Patriots in New England, they'll have to play mistake-free football as well—and the Chargers know it.

"This week is about us and our preparation and how we get ready, because they do not beat themselves," Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said ahead of the game, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. "We can't beat ourselves. It's going to come down to execution and execution only."

The Patriots may not be as talented a team as Los Angeles, but they have been difficult to beat at home. In fact, they didn't lose in Foxborough in 2018. New England also has tons of playoff experience, and this will be just another game for Tom Brady and Co.

If the Chargers are going to pull the upset, they're going to have to be close to perfect.