Getty Marcus Mariota won his first career playoff game last week.
It’s called the best weekend of the NFL season, as the postseason narrows down to four teams in the Divisional Playoffs. Two games Saturday kick off the slate, with both number one seeds in action.
The Titans are in the Divisional Round for the first time since 2008, thanks to physical running by Derrick Henry. The Titans erased a 21-3 halftime deficit in Kansas City, shutting out the hosts in the second half. Marcus Mariota bounced back from a slow first half to score twice late, including a TD pass to himself and one to Eric Decker. The Titans are underdogs once again, as the Patriots are favored by 13.5 points according to OddsShark.com.
After an upset win in Los Angeles, the Falcons are favored against the top-seeded Eagles. It’s the first time a top seed has been an underdog to the sixth seed in NFL playoffs history, as Carson Wentz’s absence has seen Philly fall out of favor with bettors. Julio Jones has been nursing an ankle injury in practice, but should be good to return for the afternoon contest.
The Eagles will go as far as Nick Foles will take them, which is why they are the underdogs tonight. After a strong first start against the Giants, Foles was disappointing against both Oakland and Dallas to close the season. Even more discouraging is that in their last two games, the Eagles rushed for less than 80 yards as a team. They’ll need to feed their ground game to takes some pressure off of Foles.
The NFL Playoffs wouldn’t be complete without the Patriots on a Saturday night. Tom Brady is rested and ready, as he and his team pursue a seventh straight AFC Championship game appearance. Injuries have hit their backfield, but James White should be ready to return to action. Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee are expected to be inactive, but the Pats are confident Burkhead could return this postseason.
After Saturday’s action, we’ll be left with just six teams standing the NFL. Sunday’s games start earlier, as the Steelers host Jacksonville and the Saints visit the Vikings on Sunday.
Here’s how the 2018 bracket looks:
Upcoming Playoff Schedule
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS: JANUARY 13/14
January 13th, 4:35 p.m. Eastern – Atlanta at Philadelphia on NBC
January 13th, 8:15 p.m. Eastern – Tennessee at New England on CBS
January 14th, 1:05 p.m. Eastern – Jacksonville at Pittsburgh on CBS
January 14th, 4:40 p.m. Eastern – New Orleans at Minnesota on FOX
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: SUNDAY, JAN. 21
Conf. Championship 1- 3:05 p.m. Eastern
Conf. Championship 2- 6:40 p.m. Eastern
SUPER BOWL LII: FEB. 4, U.S. BANK STADIUM (MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA)
6:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC