Home Extra Stuff National

ESNY’s NFL Divisional Round Preview

Charles Krupa, AP

Charles Krupa, AP

In just a few hours, arguably the best weekend in sports will commence: the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs. Here’s ESNY’s full preview.

By Jeff Jarboe

Had it not been for Ben Roethlisberger and the Cincinnati Bengals defense, last weekend’s Wild Card round would have gone down as one of the most boring first rounds in recent NFL history.

Kansas City blew out the unmatched Texans by 30 points, Aaron Rodgers took care of business in Washington, and the Seawhawks survived the third coldest game in NFL history as they beat the Vikings 10-9 in Minnesota.

But now the fun begins.

The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is upon us and unlike the Wild Card round, it features some very exciting matchups — Josh Norman v. Doug Baldwin; Cam Newton v. The Legion of Boom; Tom Brady v. the Kansas City pass rush; Rodgers v. Palmer; Roethlisberger v. Manning…to name a few.

Which hall of fame quarterbacks are going to move on? Brady with a busted offensive line? Roethlisberger with no Antonio Brown? Can Carson Palmer leave Rodgers and the Pack in the dust on their way to the NFC Championship? And who of the young quarterback stars will take their team to the Championship round? Will it be Cam Newton the MVP favorite, or Russell Wilson the playoff veteran and former super bowl champion?

Here’s the breakdown of all four Divisional Round games.

1
2
3
4
5
I'm a senior journalism and communications major at THE University of Connecticut, as well as a die hard Jets and Knicks fan. College football and basketball have their place in my heart, but the NFL is my pride and joy.