👋 GOOD MORNING

Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 — Happy Friday! I’ll get to the NFL Divisional Round previews below, but I quickly wanted to give a shoutout to the Suns, who got back in the win column (and back to .500) with yesterday’s victory over the Wizards. Phoenix was shorthanded without Bradley Beal in the lineup, and new acquisition Nick Richards has not yet joined the team, but it was a big win heading into a matchup in Detroit on Saturday.

Devin Booker stole the show, leading all scorers with 37 points. Kevin Durant added 23 points, while Grayson Allen was huge off the bench with 21. Production like that, combined with the addition of Richards, offers plenty of reason for optimism heading into the final three games of this road trip.

Now for your weekly laugh, in case you need a joke to get you into the weekend: Why does Devin Booker still use a pay phone? He loves dropping dimes!

Let’s run it back next week — on to the show!

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Divisional Round Playoff Preview for Every NFL Matchup

It is truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Last week’s Wild Card games were a great primer as we head into the Divisional Rounds, and ultimately the conference championships. With games on both Saturday and Sunday, we’re about to enjoy some of the best football of the entire season, and the PHNX Daily is taking a peek at those matchups.

Enjoy your weekend, and the games!

AFC Divisional Games Include a Heavyweight Bout

Matchup: Texans (10-7) at Chiefs (15-2)
How to watch: Saturday, 2:30 PM, ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
bet365 spread: Chiefs (-8.5)

Texans player to watch: Quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was effective, but not perfect, in a 32-12 win over the Chargers. Stroud didn’t have to be brilliant since the Houston defense forced four interceptions (including a pick-six), but he’ll have to be on point to effectively move the ball against the defending back-to-back champs.

Chiefs player to watch: Receiver Xavier Worthy. It seems like Kansas City just continues to reload every season, and Worthy is no exception to that. The rookie wideout leads the team with six touchdown catches, and is second to only Travis Kelce in receiving yards. As 8.5 point favorites, it feels like it’s just another year, another Divisional Round matchup for Kansas City.

X factor: When the two met back in December — a 27-19 Chiefs win — Kansas City forced Stroud into two interceptions, and sacked him twice for a loss of 17 yards. The Chiefs’ defense will need every bit of a repeat performance if they are going to continue their pursuit for a three-peat.

Matchup: Baltimore (12-5) at Buffalo (13-4)
How to watch: Sunday, 4:30 pm, CBS/Paramount +
bet365 spread: Baltimore (-1)

Ravens player to watch: None other than Lamar Jackson, and it looks like he’s going to have to survive yet another playoff game without his leading wideout, Zay Flowers. Jackson was masterful in Baltimore’s win over the Steelers last weekend, passing for two touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for 81 additional yards, and leads the league’s top regular season offense. His playoff mettle, though, has been challenged in years past. Can he get over the hump, starting with his divisional round matchup?

Bills player to watch: James Cook, who rushed for 120 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries last week. Josh Allen will need to be his usual self if Buffalo is going to move on, but Cook — who recorded 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season, needs to have yet another impactful game.

X factor: Can the Ravens’ rush defense live up to its regular season numbers? Baltimore allowed just 29 total rushing yards against Pittsburgh last week, and the Bills ranked just slightly higher than the Steelers in the ground game. If Buffalo is unable to establish the run, can Josh Allen carry them to victory? Odds are whoever can control the clock is going to head to the AFC Championship next weekend.

NFC Divisional Round Matchups Are An Underdog Story

Matchup: Commanders (12-5) at Lions (15-2)
How to watch: Saturday, 6 pm, FOX
bet365 spread: Lions (-9.5)

Commanders player to watch: Jayden Daniels. The dynamic rookie quarterback seems to top himself every week, and last week’s win over the Buccaneers was no exception. Daniels was 24-for-35 for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, and was also the team’s leading rusher with 36 yards.

Lions player to watch: Running back David Montgomery, who is returning from injury to offer star Jamyr Gibbs a little breathing room in their divisional round matchup. Detroit sought three medical opinions on Montgomery before ruling out surgery, so can “Knuckles” return to form to give the offense an added boost?

X factor: Can a banged-up Lions defense contain Daniels? The Commanders rushed for just 82 total yards last week, but will likely need a more balanced attack to beat the high-scoring Lions. Detroit’s defense has been suspect against offensively gifted quarterbacks (See: Josh Allen), so it has its work cut out for it. On the flip side, can the Commanders’ defense stop the Lions’ Sonic and Knuckles tandem? Washington allowed the third-most rushing yards from scrimmage in the regular season.

Matchup: Rams (10-7) at Eagles (14-3)
How to watch: Sunday, 1 pm, NBC/Peacock
bet365 odds: Eagles (-6.0)

Rams player to watch: Quarterback Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles scored just two offensive touchdowns in their 27-9 win over the Vikings, but it was more than enough. Even so, Stafford and the Rams were held to just three points in the second half last week, so he’ll need to dig deep in the divisional round against a stacked Eagles defense, which allowed the fewest yards per game (278.4) in the regular season.

Eagles player to watch: Running Back Saquon Barkley. Not sure if you remember this, but Barkley set the Eagles franchise record when the two teams met in November, rushing for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 win. Barkley has lit up teams all season, and is the league’s rushing leader with 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. He takes care of the ball, as well, having only lost one fumble.

X factor: Can the Rams’ pass rush disrupt quarterback Jalen Hurts in the divisional round the way it did last week against the Vikings? L.A. sacked Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold nine times for 82 yards (!!) last week, and though it’s highly unlikely to see Hurts that uncomfortable throughout the game, the Rams need to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage to keep their dream season alive.

Enjoy the Festivities; The Best is Yet To Come

This will be a fun week of divisional round games, but it’s only an appetizer to what will be an incredible main event, the conference championships next week. If you’re feeling daring, head down to the survey and vote for which matchup you think will most likely end in an upset (Yes, the Bills over the Ravens would technically be an upset, according to the spread).

Whoever you cheer for, enjoy the games!

Full PHNX Coverage

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🧢 TIP OF THE HAT BY BRANDED BILLS

Nice bucket from Ryan Dunn, who finished with a career-high 18 points.

RYAN DUNN CAREER HIGH 🗣️

18 PTS and counting. pic.twitter.com/A3MqLTnqVR

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 17, 2025