Current:Home > reviewsNFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 21 -InvestPioneer
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 21
Indexbit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-07 23:05:10
We’ve got two former No. 1 draft picks, and two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL taking center stage in two NFL playoff games on Sunday.
First up, Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions – fresh off their first postseason win in 31 seasons – will host another playoff game, this time against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And in prime time, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen could deliver another instant classic when the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Buffalo Bills.
Both games will decide who will meet the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game next week.
Here’s what you need to know about the NFL playoff games on Jan. 21:
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
How to watch Buccaneers vs. Lions game?
The Buccaneers and Lions will kickoff at 3 p.m. inside Ford Field on NBC.
How to watch Chiefs vs. Bills game?
The Chiefs and Bills will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. inside Highmark Stadium on CBS.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions
Talk about an unlikely matchup, but it will be one to deliver.
The Lions feel like a team of destiny this postseason behind coach Dan Campbell, and their first playoff win in three decades last week was somewhat poetic.
Goff got some subtle revenge last week against the Rams – the team that drafted him No. 1 in 2016 and traded him. Goff also beat Rams quarterback Matt Stafford, the player he was traded for who happened to be Detroit’s former No. 1 pick in 2009.
Meanwhile, Mayfield’s journey as the 2018 No. 1 pick has landed him in Tampa Bay where he scored the Buccaneers’ first playoff win since Tom Brady retired.
While some Buccaneers players have recent playoff experience, the Lions have been one of the best teams in the NFL all season. They’ll play with a chance to reach the NFC championship game on the line.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
Sunday’s main event is must-watch TV, just because of how these recent matchups have unfolded.
Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney lining up offsides earlier this season. The Chiefs forcing overtime in a matter of 13 seconds in the 2021 playoffs. Their first matchup in the AFC championship game in 2020.
This will be Mahomes’ first playoff road game in the NFL, and the third matchup in the playoffs between these teams in the last four seasons.
The Bills have won the last two games in the series during the regular season, but the Chiefs have won the two playoff games.
Overall, Allen and Mahomes are 3-3 against each other. But the stakes are simple in this one: Winner advances to the AFC championship game and is one step closer to a Super Bowl.
Predictions for Sunday's NFL divisional games
Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for Sunday's playoff games:
- Jarrett Bell: Lions, Chiefs
- Chris Bumbaca: Lions, Chiefs
- Nate Davis: Lions, Chiefs
- Safid Deen: Lions, Bills
- Tyler Dragon: Lions, Chiefs
- Victoria Hernandez: Lions, Bills
- Jordan Mendoza: Lions, Bills
- Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: Lions, Bills
- Lorenzo Reyes: Lions, Bills
veryGood! (9627)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- An assassin, a Putin foe’s death, secret talks: How a sweeping US-Russia prisoner swap came together
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Missouri’s state primaries
- First two kickoff under NFL’s new rules are both returned to the 26
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- USA Basketball's Steve Kerr, assistants enjoying master’s class in coaching
- ‘Taking it off the speculative market’: These nonprofits help tenants afford to stay put
- Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Last Weekend to Shop: Snag the 40 Best Deals Before They Sell Out
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Italian boxer expresses regret for not shaking Imane Khelif's hand after their Olympic bout
Ranking
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Every M. Night Shyamalan movie (including 'Trap'), ranked from worst to best
- Harvard appoints Alan Garber as president through 2026-27 academic year
- Katie Ledecky makes more Olympic history and has another major milestone in her sights
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Deadly force justified in fatal shooting of North Carolina man who killed 4 officers, official says
- As USC, UCLA officially join Big Ten, emails show dismay, shock and anger around move
- Olympian Kendall Ellis Got Stuck in a Porta Potty—& What Came Next Certainly Doesn't Stink
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
2024 Olympics: Sha'Carri Richardson Makes Epic Comeback 3 Years After Suspension
Why Simone Biles was 'stressing' big time during gymnastics all-around final
When does the Pumpkin Spice Latte return to Starbucks? Here's what we know.
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
Surfer Carissa Moore says she has no regrets about Olympic plan that ends without medal
Election 2024 Latest: Harris raised $310M in July, new poll finds few Americans trust Secret Service
When does Simone Biles compete next? Olympic gymnastics event finals on tap in Paris