Current:Home > MarketsNFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 21 -Insightful Finance Hub
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 21
View
Date:2025-04-16 22:45:27
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! (9)
Related
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Produce at the dollar store: Fruits and veggies now at 5,000 Dollar General locations, company says
- See full Super Bowl replays on this free, limited-time streaming channel: How to watch
- Police officer fatally shoots man holding a knife at Atlanta veterans hospital
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Boeing withdraws request for safety waiver for the 737 Max 7
- Boeing withdraws request for safety waiver for the 737 Max 7
- House Democrats release new report defending Mayorkas against GOP's sham impeachment effort
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- SpaceX launches Northrop Grumman cargo ship to space station
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Residents of an east Arkansas town have been without water for the past two weeks
- Trump-era White House Medical Unit gave controlled substances to ineligible staff, watchdog finds
- Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after sex abuse suit
- Average rate on 30
- At least 2 people hospitalized after Amtrak train hits milk truck in Colorado
- Four Mexican tourists died after a boat capsized in the sea between Cancun and Isla Mujeres
- Rep. Cori Bush under investigation by Justice Department over security spending
Recommendation
Average rate on 30
New Hampshire lawmakers consider multiple bills targeting transgender students and athletes
Mississippi lawmakers advance bill to legalize online sports betting
Billy Idol, Nelly, Shaggy revealed in SunFest's 2024 lineup
Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
Utah joins 10 other states in regulating bathroom access for transgender people
Former NBA, Kentucky basketball star Rajon Rondo arrested on gun, drug charges
Russian billionaire loses art fraud suit against Sotheby’s over $160 million