NFL Playoff Bracket 2021: Updated Postseason Picture, Divisional-Round Scenarios

It was a jampacked weekend of NFL playoff action, as for the first time there were six wild-card round matchups after the field was expanded to 14 teams for the 2020 season. Six teams advanced to the divisional round with victories, while six others had their seasons come to an end.

Among the notable winners over the weekend were the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, a pair of franchises that were starved for postseason success. The Bills hadn't won a playoff game since the 1995 season, while the Browns' last postseason victory had been in the 1994 campaign. 

Cleveland wasn't the only team to notch a road victory during Wild Card Weekend, as the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams were all away from home and ended up securing victories over teams that were seeded higher than them in the playoff bracket.

Now, the focus shifts to the divisional round, with two games set for Saturday and two more on Sunday. Here's a look at the updated playoff picture, along with scenarios for what could unfold.

AFC Playoff Picture, Scenarios

No. 6 Cleveland Browns at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 5 Baltimore Ravens at No. 2 Buffalo Bills, Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC

After resting during their first-round bye, the Chiefs are set to play their first game of the postseason as they look to make a run to the Super Bowl championship for the second year in a row. However, they're facing a team with a ton of momentum in the Browns, who scored an upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

Kansas City hosted the AFC Championship Game last year, and it would do so again if it beats Cleveland. As the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs have home-field advantage up to the Super Bowl, so they know they'd be back at Arrowhead Stadium again the following weekend if they beat the Browns.

Cleveland has no way of getting back home this postseason as the lowest-seeded team remaining, so it will have to keep finding ways to win on the road. And while Pittsburgh was a solid team, Kansas City is going to be a much tougher test.

On Sunday, the Browns quickly neutralized the Steelers' home-field advantage by becoming the first team in NFL history to score 28 points in the first quarter of a playoff game, while Pittsburgh had none. And with the Chiefs coming off a week of rest, the Browns will look to get off to another strong start to try to establish momentum.

Kansas City and Cleveland will be going head-to-head for the first time this season.

In the AFC's other divisional-round matchup, the Bills are home for the second week in a row as they host the Ravens, who are coming off a road win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon. Buffalo, which had lost in the wild-card round in two of the previous three seasons, defeated the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday afternoon to advance.

It's possible either the Bills or Ravens could host the AFC Championship Game. The winner of this matchup would get to do so if the Browns score an upset victory against the Chiefs. And while that's not the most probable scenario, anything could happen.

This will be the first time that Buffalo and Baltimore will face off in the 2020 season. These are two of the hottest teams in the NFL, as the Bills have won seven games in a row and the Ravens are on a six-game winning streak.

NFC Playoff Picture, Scenarios

No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 1 Green Bay Packers, Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET, Fox

No. 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 2 New Orleans Saints, Sunday at 6:40 p.m. ET, Fox

The Packers earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first time since the 2011 season, and they'll now return to action by welcoming the Rams to Lambeau Field for a divisional-round matchup. Los Angeles is coming off a road win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

As the No. 1 seed, Green Bay would go on to host the NFC Championship Game with a victory. And after going 13-3 during the regular season and getting an NFL MVP-caliber season from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are going to be favored to do so.

The Rams have already faced adversity this postseason. Not only did they have to go to Seattle, but they're banged up at quarterback. They started John Wolford in the wild-card round, but he left with a neck injury. So they had to put in Jared Goff, who was only 12 days removed from surgery on his right thumb. It's not yet clear who will start under center in the divisional round.

If Los Angeles can notch another upset victory, it would again be on the road the following weekend, as it's the lowest-seeded NFC team still in the field.

This will be the first time that the Packers and Rams are going head-to-head this season. The two teams playing in the other NFC divisional-round matchup, though, are much more familiar with each other.

The Saints and Buccaneers faced each other twice during the regular season as NFC South rivals, and now they're set to play again in New Orleans in the divisional round. The Saints beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday evening, while the Bucs are coming off a win over Washington on Saturday night.

It's tough to beat the same team three times in one season, but that's what New Orleans is going to have to do on Sunday night. It beat Tampa Bay 34-23 at home in Week 1 of the regular season then notched a dominant 38-3 road victory over the Buccaneers in Week 9.

It's possible the Saints or Bucs could host the NFC Championship Game. If the Rams upset the Packers, then either New Orleans or Tampa Bay would be the site of the conference championship matchup, depending on which team advances from the divisional round.