Current:Home > StocksNFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 21 -Thrive Capital Insights
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 21
View
Date:2025-04-21 14:49:11
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! (3213)
Related
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- US inflation likely cooled again last month in latest sign of a healthy economy
- Is Travis Kelce Going to Star in a Rom-Com Next? He Says…
- 'Do not do this': Dog tied to fence as Hurricane Milton advances highlights pet danger
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- The Latest: Harris visiting Nevada and Arizona while Trump speaks in Michigan
- Lionel Messi, Argentina national team leave Miami ahead of Hurricane Milton
- ‘The View’ co-hosts come out swinging at Donald Trump a day after he insulted them
- American news website Axios laying off dozens of employees
- Youngest NFL coaches 2024: Mike Macdonald replaces Sean McVay atop list
Ranking
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- 'Love Island USA' star Hannah Smith arrested at Atlanta concert, accused of threatening cop
- Jennifer Lopez says divorce from Ben Affleck was 'probably the hardest time of my life'
- Opinion: Now is not the time for Deion Sanders, Colorado to shrink with Kansas State in town
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Last Chance! Hailey Bieber-Approved HexClad Cookware Deals Will Sell Out Soon—Shop Before Prime Day Ends!
- Sum 41's Deryck Whibley alleges sex abuse by ex-manager: Biggest revelations from memoir
- Florida power outage map: 3 million Floridians without power following Hurricane Milton
Recommendation
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
Anderson Cooper Hit in the Head With Flying Debris Live on Air While Covering Hurricane Milton
Opinion: Now is not the time for Deion Sanders, Colorado to shrink with Kansas State in town
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers accuse government of leaking video of Cassie assault
Small twin
Crane collapses into building where Tampa Bay Times is located: Watch damage from Milton
TikTok sued by 13 states and DC, accused of harming younger users
'God's got my back': Some Floridians defy evacuation orders as Hurricane Milton nears