NFL Playoff Picture 2020: Updated Scenarios and Bracket Before Divisional Round

Wild Card Weekend proved you can't look too far ahead when it comes to the NFL playoffs. 

Not many expected us to be talking about the big-game merits of Kirk Cousins, but here we are. 

Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings are one of the surprising teams playing in the divisional round. In fact, both sixth seeds advanced on a weekend that was marked by wild results. The Vikings were able to thwart the New Orleans Saints in overtime thanks to a Kyle Rudolph touchdown to end the game. The Tennessee Titans dealt a major blow to the fading New England Patriots dynasty. 

With the Vikings and Titans pulling off unlikely wins and the Seattle Seahawks vanquishing the Philadelphia  Eagles, the playoff bracket is far from what was expected heading into the first weekend. Here's where things stand heading into the divisional round. 

Divisional Round

• No. 6 Tennessee Titans at No. 1 Baltimore Ravens: Saturday, Jan. 11, at 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS
• No. 4 Houston Texans at No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs: Sunday, Jan. 12, at 3:05 p.m. ET on CBS
• No. 6 Minnesota Vikings at No. 1 San Francisco 49ers: Saturday, Jan. 11, at 4:35 p.m. ET on NBC
• No. 5 Seattle Seahawks at No. 2 Green Bay Packers: Sunday, Jan. 12, at 6:40 p.m. ET on Fox

Predictions

Titans at Ravens

Mike Vrabel's Titans were the talk of the NFL after ending the Patriots' Super Bowl defense on Sunday. Now, they'll set their sights on the AFC's top-seeded Ravens. 

With both team's run-centric offenses, this game should be the shortest of the weekend. 

This should be an easy game for the clock operator. The Ravens lead the league in rushing at 206 yards per game, while the Titans boast the top rusher in the league in Derrick Henry. The former Alabama star is coming off the game of his life:

The Ravens will undoubtedly counter with the most electric player of 2019 in Lamar Jackson:

Jackson has been great through the air this season, but his ability to gain yards in the running game has also led to a great season from Mark Ingram II. The other former Alabama running back in this game can't be overlooked after gaining 1,018 yards on 202 carries and 10 touchdowns. 

Henry's hot streak should be enough to keep the Titans in this game. Baltimore is an unimpressive 21st in yards allowed per carry, while the Titans rank eighth in the category. 

Jackson's ability to make plays will likely be the difference, but there's a case to be made for the Titans pulling off the upset. 

Ravens 26, Titans 20

Texans at Chiefs

The Texans can thank Deshaun Watson's penchant for making plays in big games for their win over Buffalo. The Bills were up 16-0 in the second half before the Texans were finally able to gain some momentum on offense and mount a comeback. 

The game actually followed a similar arc of the Texans' 31-24 win over the Chiefs in Week 6 of the regular season. In that game, the Chiefs got off to a 17-3 start before the Texans mounted a comeback in the second quarter and came back to win the game in the fourth quarter. 

Much has changed since then. 

For one, Damien Williams is playing much better. In the regular-season matchup, the running back had only two touches: a run for six yards and a touchdown reception of 14 yards. Now, he's established himself as the top back in the offense and has been explosive down the final stretch of the season:

That's bad news for a Texans defense that hasn't been all that great against the run this year. Houston is 28th in yards allowed per attempt in the league. The return of J.J. Watt could help in that department, but it's a lot of ground to make up from one defensive lineman. 

The Texans showed a lot of resolve as a team to come from behind, and Watson showcased his ability to show up in big games. It's going to take a lot more than that to take down a talented Chiefs squad that seems to be peaking at the right time after injuries have affected them all season. 

Chiefs 31, Texans 17

Vikings at 49ers

Kirk Cousins got the proverbial big-game monkey off his back with the upset win over the Saints, but now he'll have to prove he can do something with that achievement against the San Francisco 49ers. 

That won't be an easy task. While Cousins was the name in the headlines, Dalvin Cook and the offensive line got things done on offense that allowed Cousins to thrive. Cook amassed 131 total yards on 31 touches and scored twice on the ground. 

It was the most prolific rushing performance the Saints had given up all season. 

Finding success on offense will be even more difficult going against the Niners. Both rookie Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Arik Armstead are among the most double-teamed defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus:

Yet, both Bosa and Armstead have put up great numbers this season. Bosa is a shoo-in for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and Armstead was a Pro Bowl snub despite putting up better numbers than teammate DeForest Buckner, who was named to the All-Pro second team. 

That Niners pass rush has the ability to take away a passing game in a playoff matchup. That means the Vikings will likely have to turn to Cook once again to carry the load. 

San Francisco's run defense has been spotty. Robert Saleh's unit is 23rd in the league in yards allowed per rush, but it ranks ninth over the last three weeks of the regular season. 

Whether the Vikings can put together a run game will determine if they can keep the game close. After the Vikings held Drew Brees and Co. to just 20 points, they've shown what they can do on the defensive end.

49ers 17, Vikings 13

Seahawks at Packers

Rounding out the divisional weekend is a game between the Seahawks and Packers that feels vaguely familiar even if it probably shouldn't. 

The two franchises played each other at Lambeau Field in a memorable NFC Championship Game in 2015 that resulted in a 28-22 win for the Seahawks in overtime. 

Back then, the Seahawks defense was the best in the league. The Legion of Boom was in full effect, and Seattle had proved itself as a Super Bowl contender before that epic title game. 

Now, the Seahawks defense is significantly less scary. It ranks 27th in yards allowed per play, 20th in points allowed per game and 14th in third-down conversions. That's far from elite and plain bad in some categories. 

The fact the Hawks defense held a banged-up Eagles offense to just nine points doesn't do much to erase the fact that Seattle lost three of its last four games and gave up at least 24 points in each of those contests. 

Aaron Rodgers might not be what he once was, but neither is the Green Bay offense. Gone are the days of "Rodgers or bust" and in are the days of Aaron Jones challenging to be the best Aaron on the team. No one was as dangerous as Jones to opposing tacklers in the NFL this year:

Jones' ability to help the Packers stabilize the offense on drives when Rodgers' accuracy is failing him is something we haven't seen much. With Jones giving them consistency on the ground and the Seattle defense failing to impress for most of the year, this seems like the Packers game to lose. 

Packers 27, Seahawks 17