The 2016 Wild Card weekend is in the books, and it was an eventful one to say the least. Whether it was a blowout victory or an old-school defensive battle, the teams provided us with some entertaining football. It’s fair to say home-field advantage didn’t mean much this year, as all Wild Card games were won by the road team; that’s the first time it’s happened in NFL history. Before we dive into the divisional round, here’s how this year’s Wild Card weekend played out:

• Chiefs 30, Texans 0: The Chiefs dominated the Texans throughout all 4 quarters. Whether it was on special teams or on offense, Houston never stood a chance versus a red-hot Chiefs team. Houston’s QB Brian Hoyer had an atrocious game, throwing 4 interceptions and fumbling twice. Other than a 49-yard run by running back Alfred Blue, Houston’s running game was non-existent. Star defensive player J.J. Watt was basically invisible, recording only one tackle and no sacks for Houston. When the Chiefs took the opening kickoff for a touchdown, you could tell this was going to be their game. Altogether this was a disaster for the Texans, and Kansas City took advantage.
• Steelers 18, Bengals 16: We were all expecting a high-scoring game, but that isn’t AT ALL what happened. Since the opening possession, these bitter rivals were giving it everything they had. Pittsburgh had a 15-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, but there was a major turning point: a blatant helmet-to-helmet hit Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier dished out to Bengals running back Gio Bernard, which went uncalled by the referees. This ordeal took a while to settle, and once it did, Cincinnati picked up the pace. The Bengals scored 16 points in the 4th quarter, but downright stupid personal fouls committed by Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones essentially lost the game for the Bengals. Now, head coach Marvin Lewis is 0-7 in the playoffs with Cincinnati, and they need to decide if he’s the right guy for them.
• Seahawks 10, Vikings 9: This was one of the most heartbreaking losses for any team in recent memory. The Vikings came into his game as the heavy underdogs, but came out and had a 9-0 lead heading into the 4th quarter. This is when inexperience began hurting Minnesota. Early in the 4th quarter, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson began working his magic, leading to a touchdown to wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Later, an Adrian Peterson fumble led to Seattle taking the lead with a field goal, 10-9. With under 2 minutes left, Minnesota had the ball with a chance to win the game. A Seattle penalty and a catch-and-run by tight end Kyle Rudolph advanced them down the field. Then, with under 30 seconds left, Vikings kicker Blair Walsh had a chance to kick the potential game-winning field goal from only 27 yards out, but missed. Before this, Walsh was 33 out of 34 on kicks less than 30 yards, so nobody expected this to happen. As a Vikings fan, these two words will haunt me and all other fans for months to come: laces out.
• Packers 35, Redskins 18: The Redskins came into this game as the favorites, but there was a trend that continued in this game that started with the first matchup on Saturday. Overall, the team with the better quarterback won. Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Alex Smith all won this weekend, and their quarterback play was a huge advantage. Sure, Washington did have a red-hot Kirk Cousins on their side, but Green Bay played a more consistent game because they had the reigning MVP on their side, a guy who’s been there, done that: Aaron Rodgers. Paired with a good running day by Eddie Lacy and James Starks, Green Bay was “as cool as the other side of the pillow,” and they weren’t going to let the hype around Washington consume them. They went out there, did their job, and now they’re on to the next round.

Now that we have that out of the way, here’s who will play this weekend for a spot in the conference championships: In the AFC, the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will return to action after coming off bye-weeks. Peyton Manning has been announced as Denver’s starting quarterback and New England expects star wide receiver Julian Edelman to play this week after sitting out because of a foot injury he suffered back in Week 10. Their opponents will be the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. Pittsburgh is coming off a hard-fought victory over division foe Cincinnati, and the Chiefs are riding high after a blowout victory over Houston. In the NFC, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are coming off a week’s rest, and look to potentially earn victories and face off for a spot in the Super Bowl the following week. But, standing in their way will be the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. Seattle somehow survived the conditions from last week and found a way to beat Minnesota, and Green Bay reminded us of much of a good team they are with a convincing win over Washington.

We have some great games ahead of us this weekend folks! So sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself! Now, here’s who I and fellow Lion Tales reporters Noel Ramirez and Mahad Hangol think will move one step closer towards hoisting the Lombardi Trophy:

Saturday, January 16th

New England Patriots (#2 seed, 12-4) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (#5 seed, 11-5)

(1:35 P.M., Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA)

• Juan De Anda: The Patriots are coming into this game having lost the final 2 games of the regular season, and the Chiefs are arguably the hottest team in football right now. I actually wanted to pick the Chiefs in this one, but my brain literally won’t allow me to count out the Patriots. Julian Edelman is back, saying Monday that he’s “going to go full throttle.” Also, Rob Gronkowski is healthy, for the most part. One thing that worries me about the Chiefs is Jeremy Maclin’s questionable status leading into Saturday. Without him, tight end Travis Kelce would be the only weapon on offense. The Chiefs boast a great defense and New England’s offensive line is weak, but I’m not picking against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots: Patriots 26, Chiefs 17.
• Mahad Hangol: The Chiefs are on an 11 game win streak with their defense red hot, and the Patriots are having issues on the offensive side of the ball. This one is going to be a game to remember. Patriots are dealing with key injuries with Gronk being beat up and Edelman having foot problems. Tom Brady is limited on offense, especially with the how great the Chiefs defense is playing. New England is going to have a rough day: Chiefs 28, Patriots 14.
• Noel Ramirez: The Chiefs are coming into the game red hot as they annihilated the Houston Texans last week and keeping their winning streak alive. Although wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is suffering from a sprained ankle when he went down, it was reported to be a serious knee injury. On the other side, the Patriots are well rested for this week’s game and they’re getting Julian Edelman back from a broken foot. With that being said, I feel as though the Chiefs will continue their winning streak as the Patriots will be rusty for the game by not playing last week and the defensive dominance of the Chiefs: Chiefs 24, Patriots 17.

Arizona Cardinals (#2 seed, 13-3) vs. Green Bay Packers (#5 seed, 10-6)

(5:15 P.M., University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ)

• JD: Arizona obliterated Green Bay 38-8 in Week 16, and while I don’t think this result will happen again, I do think Arizona will once again pull out a victory. The Packers did seem to have things figured out last week, but the Cardinals are a completely different monster than the Redskins. Arizona can smother you on defense for four quarters, and also light you up on offense for four quarters. With a revelation in rookie running back David Johnson, a star receiving core, and an elite defense, Arizona will simply be too much for Aaron Rodgers and company to handle: Cardinals 30, Packers 20.
• MH: This matchup is just plain out not fair. Arizona’s defense is one of the best in the NFL, and the Packers have been letting Aaron Rodgers get hit an unbearable amount of times. Carson Palmer is having an MVP type season with his two deadly receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, so you already know Palmer is going to have a good day through the air: Cardinals 28, Packers 21.
• NR: We all know what happened in Week 16 between the Cardinals and Packers, and I expect the same to happen this weekend. The Cardinals not only beat the Packers: they destroyed them. They dominated every aspect of the game on both sides of the ball. You could say that the Packers have their mojo back after beating the Redskins last week. But with Carson Palmer leading the #1 offense in the entire league and the strength of their defense, I have without a doubt that the Cardinals will show their dominance over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers once again: Cardinals 31, Packers 17.

Sunday, January 17th

Carolina Panthers (#1 seed, 15-1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (10-6, #6 seed)

(10:05 A.M., Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC)

• JD: Great defenses? Check. Great quarterbacks? Check. This is going to be the best game of the weekend, period. This one could go either way, but I believe Cam Newton will showcase why he deserves the MVP award, leading his team to a victory. I do think that Seattle’s defenses is a bit better than Carolina’s, but this will come down to who will step up more for their team: Newton or Russell Wilson. Seattle has vastly improved since they allowed Carolina to mount a comeback and win their Week 6 matchup. But, the Panthers have shown time and time again that they deserve to be the #1 seed, and with Superman on their side, they will beat the Seahawks. Panthers 23, Seahawks 21.
• MH: This is a battle of the deadliest teams in the playoffs right now. This will be one for the ages and this is going to be a tough one to decide: Panthers 24, Seahawks 21.
• NR: This is the must watch game of the weekend because they’re the two most exciting football teams to watch. Their high powered offenses. Their ferocious defenses. But it comes down to the quarterbacks of Russell Wilson and Cam Newton. The magician of Russell Wilson comes into play when he scrambles outside of the pocket and finds the open receiver in a broken play like when we saw him complete a pass to Tyler Lockett from a botched snap last week. The favorite to be named the 2015 NFL MVP, Cam Newton, shows his excellence when they run the read option or when he throws the ball to tight end Greg Olsen. The duo are an absolute threat especially in the red zone. This will be a very close contest as I have the Panthers advancing to the NFC Conference Championship: Panthers 27, Seahawks 24.

Denver Broncos (#1 seed, 12-4) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (#6, 10-6)

(1:40 P.M., Sports Authority Field, Denver, CO)

• JD: I want Peyton Manning to have one last playoff run à la Ray Lewis with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. It’s only right, given how many times he’s come close, that Peyton goes out a champion. That is why Denver is my pick to win it all, but they first must beat a worthy Pittsburgh team this week, whose offense is as stacked as any, but come into this game dinged up. The “injury bug” is hitting Pittsburgh at the worst possible time! Star receiver Antonio Brown, who torched Denver just a couple weeks ago, has been officially ruled out for this game. Also, Ben Roethlisberger and DeAngelo Williams’ statuses for Sunday are up in the air. If even just one of these players are out for Pittsburgh, it’ll make winning a much harder challenge. Now that Brown won’t be on the field, it’ll be an uphill battle for Pittsburgh to say the least. Regardless, Denver’s defense will come in as motivated as ever, wanting to redeem themselves after allowing Pittsburgh to mount a comeback against them in Week 15. Peyton Manning will have a good game, and become one step closer to capturing that elusive 2nd Super Bowl victory: Broncos 27, Steelers 21.
• MH: This game to me is a no brainer. The Steelers are battling key injuries, with Big Ben and DeAngelo Williams possibly being out this weekend. It isn’t looking good for the Steelers, with the Broncos having arguably the greatest defense in the entire league. Manning is still going to continue his run with a win over the banged-up Steelers. Broncos 35, Steelers 18.
• NR: The injury bug is hitting the Steelers big time. Ben Roethlisberger has a sprained AC joint and torn ligaments in his throwing shoulder, Antonio Brown remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol as he took a vicious hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, and DeAngelo Williams is still suffering from a foot injury which Head Coach Mike Tomlin is saying he is “on the outside looking in”. Meanwhile, it looks like the Broncos will be starting Peyton Manning for the first time since November 15 after being replaced by Brock Osweiler. This is huge news as Peyton Manning possesses the ability to work out of the shotgun and under center by diagnosing plays quickly and potentially helping the offensive line by getting rid of the ball more quickly. That is why the Broncos will take this one: Broncos 30, Steelers 17.