January 13, 2025
Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images
This is a weird picture of Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford.
With the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Commanders' win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, the Commanders will play the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round, and the Eagles will play the winner of the Monday night matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams.
The NFL announced the Divisional Round schedule late on Sunday night:
Saturday, January 18
• Texans at Chiefs, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
• Commanders at Lions, 8:00 p.m., FOX
Sunday, January 19
• Vikings or Rams at Eagles, 3:00 p.m., NBC
• Ravens at Bills, 6:30 p.m., CBS
Had the Buccaneers beaten the Commanders, the Eagles would have hosted them in the Divisional Round. Including the playoffs, Jalen Hurts has a 1-4 career record against the Bucs, and head coach Todd Bowles has consistently devised gameplans that have confused him. The Eagles are probably happy to have avoided them.
Of the Rams and Vikings, the more ideal opponent is debatable. The Rams finished 17th in DVOA (10th offense, 26th defense), and had a -19 point differential on the season. The Eagles also beat them Week 12 on the road in a physically dominant blowout during which Saquon Barkley ran for 255 yards.
On the other hand, the Rams employ Matthew Stafford, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, while the Vikings employ Sam Darnold, who in his seventh NFL season and has never started a playoff game.
The Vikings have the better overall roster, but the Rams have the better quarterback. Either way, the Eagles are nearly certain to be home favorites.
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