Dallas Cowboys

2016 NFL Playoff Predictions: Divisional Weekend Winners

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:09 a.m. ET

Fansided, Erik Lambert/FanSided via NFL Mocks

The 2016 NFL playoff predictions are about to resume with the divisional round of games. It’s a proper mix of old and new rivalries reborn.

In a rare case it features four contests that are all rematches of games played earlier in the regular season. That adds an extra layer of intrigue to an already exciting situation. Will the home teams dominate like they did on wild card weekend or could the road warriors emerge? Here is a breakdown of each game and ultimately who will head on to the conference championships next week.

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

At home there is no harder team in the NFL, aside from the Patriots, to beat at home than the Seahawks. That 12th man is for real. However the situation is quite different on the road. Since Pete Carroll took over the team in 2010, they are just 2-3 in road playoff games. At home they are 6-0. It’s a massive difference, especially since the team goes into Atlanta without one of their best players on defense in star safety Earl Thomas.

The Falcons know they lost to the Seahawks earlier in the year but that was in Seattle. This time it will be in the Georgia Dome, and Matt Ryan knows he can beat them there. Why? He did once before back in 2012. It remains his only postseason victory. It’s not a matter of whether the Falcons offense will be able to move the ball. It’s can their 28th ranked defense stop Russell Wilson from having a big afternoon? The good news is his only appearance in a dome game this year did not go well. A forgettable 25-20 loss to the Saints, whom Atlanta swept this year.

Winner: Falcons 27-21

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

This is beyond a David vs. Goliath matchup. Everything favors the New England Patriots. They’re almost unstoppable at home. Tom Brady had just two interceptions total the entire year. Houston was shutout 27-0 in their regular season meeting and the Patriots have lost to the Texans just once in eight total meetings dating back to 2003. During the span New England has averaged 32.62 points scored in those games.

In other words if the Texans want any hope of winning this game, they can’t rely on their defense. Great as its been this season, it won’t matter against Brady. He finds a way to wear even the best units down. The key is putting up points, and it’s hard to imagine Brock Osweiler being up to the challenge. He was completely befuddled in the last game and looked shaky at times against Oakland. Nothing short of a miracle will give Houston a win here.

Winner: Patriots 38-14

Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys

Everybody remembers the controversial finish to the last epic clash between these two teams in the playoffs. Not that the Packers care. They’re busy thinking about the whooping this Cowboys team put on them at Lambeau Field earlier in the year. The script has flipped a bit since then. Dallas has the home field advantage but Green Bay is the hotter football team with the hottest quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. A classic case of momentum vs. matchups.

The Packers have done well most of the year stopping the run but they struggled against Dallas. What’s worse is that their pass defense is bad and could be getting worse. Sam Shields is dealing with marijuana chargers and Damarious Randall has a foot injury. It will be a chore for them to handle the veteran group of Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Cole Beasley. The key will be whether Rodgers does his job by putting up points, placing the stress on rookie quarterback Dak Prescott.

Winner: Packers win 28-24

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs

This is not a playoff matchup that happens very often. Despite being two of the oldest AFC franchises, the Chiefs and Steelers have only met once in postseason play. That was back in 1994. Pittsburgh went into Arrowhead Stadium and lost an overtime thriller to Joe Montana in one of his last great comebacks. No doubt Kansas City is hoping for more of the same magic this time around while the Steelers are trying to erase the sting of that 43-14 humiliation they suffered back in October.

The good news for them is their offense is humming. Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are giving defenses fits. Bell especially will be a concern for the Chiefs defense who allowed 121 yards per game on the ground this year. By that same token the Steelers must remain wary of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill whom other teams have found no answers for the past couple months. This might be the hardest matchup to predict.

Result: Steelers win 21-20