The NFL Divisional round is almost upon us. This weekend, eight teams will continue fighting for their chance to play in the Super Bowl, but only four can advance. After a wildly entertaining Wild Card weekend, let’s all hope the Divisional Round can deliver the same excitement.

Parity in the NFL is at an all-time high this year. All eight teams that made it to the Divisional Round have a legit shot at winning it all. But like I said before, four of those eight teams’ chances will die this weekend.

I went through all eight teams and identified one thing they must do if they want to advance to the Conference Championship round.

Denver Broncos: Stop Josh Allen From Being Superman

For the Denver Broncos, it sounds simple. They just need to stop Josh Allen from being Superman. This Bills team is not as good as it’s been in years past, but this is Josh Allen we’re talking about. He’s superhuman, and if you don’t contain him, he’s going to kill you.

If you’re Denver, you don’t have to stop Allen; you just have to slow him down, which is still much easier said than done. He will be without two of his top receivers in this game, so I think they really have to key in on stopping him from running. His legs are his biggest weapon, so if you take that away and make him throw it all day, I think Denver’s pass rush and secondary are good enough to give Buffalo some fits.

Again, you don’t have to completely shut him down. Just don’t let him turn into Superman and total 300+ yards and 3+ touchdowns, because if he does, this game is over for the Broncos.

New England Patriots: Force C.J. Stroud Into Mistakes

C.J. Stroud has proven to be very mistake-prone in his NFL career, especially in the playoffs. Just last week, Stroud fumbled five times (losing two) and threw an interception, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Last year, in two playoff games, he threw a pick and fumbled twice. In three playoff games since 2024, Stroud has thrown two interceptions and put the ball on the ground seven times. And after what we saw the New England Patriots’ defense do to Justin Herbert last week, there’s no reason to believe they can’t force Stroud into some mistakes.

Top Stories

Jerry Jones Announces Retirement Plans as Dallas Cowboys Owner Makes Triple Decision on Coaching Hiring

Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti Announces Plans to Sell Franchise and Explains John Harbaugh’s Firing

Mike Tomlin Receives New Job Offer as Steelers Make Final Decision on Firing HC After Aaron Rodgers’ Fury – Report

Ben Roethlisberger Doesn’t Hold Back in Statement on Mike Tomlin After Calling for Steelers to Fire Him

Browns Legend Bernie Kosar Announces Update From Hospital After Health Complications

Herbert didn’t throw a pick, but he fumbled twice, losing one of them. The Patriots also pressured Herbert 30 times, and while I don’t expect to see that high a number this week, their pass rush will have opportunities to get after Stroud, and they have the secondary to take advantage if he makes a bad throw.

If the Patriots can force Stroud to turn it over twice, they should be able to win this game. Houston’s defense is going to keep the score low, but if Stroud is rattled, the Patriots’ defense is good enough to win them this game.

Houston Texans: Pressure Drake Maye

For the Texans, their key is putting pressure on Drake Maye. Per PFF, Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter have totaled 187 pressures, 136 hurries, 20 QB hits, and 27 sacks this season. They are easily the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL, and Maye has struggled when pressured this year.

In the 18 games he’s played this season, Maye has been pressured 242 times (37.8 percent of his dropbacks). When pressured, Maye is completing 57.7 percent of his throws for 1,358 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. He has been sacked 47 times (19.5 percent), which is the ninth-highest pressure-to-sack percentage in the league, and the highest of any quarterback in the playoffs.

There will be opportunities for the Texans to put pressure on Maye in this game. If they’re able to put him on the ground a few times and bat some balls down at the line, they should be able to hold New England under 20 points, and that should be enough for them to win this game. The keyword is should. You never know with Houston’s offense.

Another small key: score 20 points. The Texans are 14-0 when scoring 20+ points since the start of last season.

Buffalo Bills: Protect Josh Allen

The key to the game for the Buffalo Bills is pretty simple: protect Josh Allen. He’s proven he can put this team, which doesn’t have a whole lot of weapons, on his back, so if they can just give him time to make decisions in the pocket, he’ll go out there and win them this football game.

The only thing is, Denver’s pass rush is one of the best we’ve ever seen. In 2025, the Broncos averaged 4.0 sacks per game. The only team since 2003 with more sacks per game is the 2022 Eagles, who averaged 4.1. This team can get after the passer at an extremely high rate, and they can do it from anywhere on the field. 12 players on their team have two or more sacks this year, and that includes two defensive backs, two defensive tackles, five linebackers, and three defensive ends. They’ll throw pressures at you from anywhere, and it’s up to the offensive line and quarterback to identify them before the play.

If the Bills can keep Allen upright for most of the game, I think they will beat the Broncos. But if Denver’s pass rush consistently gets home, it’s going to be too much for Allen to overcome on his own.

Seattle Seahawks: Take Advantage of San Fran’s Injuries

The Seattle Seahawks need to take advantage of San Francisco’s injuries. They are not the same team they are when healthy, and there are plenty of areas to expose.

First off, they need to take advantage of San Fran’s pass rush. With Nick Bosa out, they have not been great at getting after the quarterback. In fact, they rank 32nd in the NFL with 1.2 sacks per game. Sam Darnold, who didn’t perform well in the playoffs last year, will need to use the extra time he’ll have in the pocket to help gain some confidence in himself and Seattle’s passing attack.

Defensively, they need to take advantage of George Kittle being out. The 49ers have an explosive offense, but with Kittle not playing, it makes it much easier for them to key in on Christian McCaffrey. They still need to watch out for Jauan Jennings and Co. on the outside, but no Kittle makes this offense much less dynamic.

If Darnold can use the extra time he has in the pocket to build confidence and find open receivers, their offense will fire on all cylinders. And without Kittle, I’m not sure San Fran can keep up against Seattle’s elite defense.

Chicago Bears: Don’t Fall Behind Again

The Chicago Bears are the kings of comebacks this year, but they can’t afford to keep falling behind like this. They were able to mount a big comeback against a banged-up, Micah Parsons-less Packers team, but I don’t think it will be as easy against the Rams, especially with the weather they’re about to get in Chicago.

The Rams are a much more complete team than the Packers. They have a better quarterback, better receivers, better tight ends, a better pass rush, and arguably a better secondary (and definitely a better coach). Falling behind 21-3 is not an option, especially because points will be a premium with the real feel dipping into the negatives and high winds expected (and possibly even some snow).

I won’t be too worried if they’re down by seven or something like that entering the fourth. I’m just saying they can’t fall behind by multiple scores in the first half and count on divine intervention from the Pope again. Eventually, that luck is going to run out.

Los Angeles Rams: Weather The Storm

For the Los Angeles Rams, it’s all about weathering the storm. Literally. It’s going to be cold. Like cold, cold. The temperature at kickoff is going to be 18 degrees, but with constant 13+ MPH winds, it’s going to feel like five degrees. And as the night goes on, it’s only going to get colder. Oh, and did I mention there’s a pretty good chance it might snow?

The Rams aren’t used to playing in the cold, but I will give them credit for playing a close game in heavy snow against the Eagles in last year’s playoffs. They didn’t win, but the snow didn’t really seem to bother them all that much. But this is a different type of cold, with the wind playing a huge factor.

The Rams just need to weather the storm. They don’t need to go out and throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Pound the rock, and then throw it over the defense’s head when they start getting closer to the line of scrimmage. The weather’s going to be brutal, so they just need to take what the defense gives them, and if that means running it 40+ times, they need to do that.

San Francisco 49ers: Maximize Christian McCaffrey

The San Francisco 49ers are beat up. They’ve been without a lot of their top players this year, and now they just lost George Kittle for the rest of the season. This offense has been able to get by without a lot of their top talent, but if they want to beat Seattle, they need to feed Christian McCaffrey more than normal.

Jauan Jennings and some other receivers have proven they can make plays, but McCaffrey is their only sure thing. In their loss to Seattle in Week 18, where they scored just three points, McCaffrey touched the ball 14 times. That number has to be closer to 20-25 this time around. The Seahawks’ defense is too good to rely on Demarcus Robinson, Ricky Pearsall, and Kendrick Bourne to continuously make plays.

The 49ers already don’t have much of a chance in this game, so if I’m Kyle Shanahan, I’m putting the ball in my best players’ hands and letting them go to work.