The NFL playoffs heat up (and cool down) this weekend

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The opening round of this year's NFL playoffs was reasonably entertaining, at least based on what we've come to expect since the league added a seventh team in each conference in 2020.

Yes, the average margin of victory was 12 points, we saw predictable blowouts by AFC powers Buffalo (over Denver) and Baltimore (over Pittsburgh), and NFC No. 2 seed Philadelphia's 22-10 win over Green Bay was fairly dull. But small upsets by Houston (over the Chargers) and Washington (over Tampa Bay when a last-second field goal doinked off the upright and in) spiced things up before the Rams shredded the 14-3 Vikings on Monday night.

Not bad. And now the road to the Super Bowl gets more interesting this weekend as defending champion Kansas City and fellow No. 1 seed Detroit come off their byes before Buffalo and Baltimore collide in what could be the best (and coldest) game of the year on Sunday night.

Here's a quick look at all four second-round matchups (team records include playoffs):

Houston Texans (11-7) at Kansas City (15-2) — Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET

K.C. has won two straight Super Bowls and lost only one meaningful game all season, back in mid-November at Buffalo. They're also very well rested after clinching the AFC's No. 1 seed and a bye on Christmas Day, allowing the champs to keep Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and company out of harm's way for more than three full weeks.

Kansas City returns to action as eight-point favourites to reach their seventh consecutive AFC championship game after drawing a Texans team missing two of its three playmaking receivers. But K.C. outscored their opponents by only 59 points this season (just the 11th-best margin in the league) and won five games by a field goal or less. Is this the week their luck runs out?

Washington Commanders (13-5) at Detroit Lions (15-2) — Saturday at 8 p.m. ET

Despite having not won a championship since 1957 (a decade before the Super Bowl was born), Detroit is the betting favourite to win its first Lombardi Trophy after leading the league in scoring this season under aggressive head coach Dan Campbell. Quarterback Jared Goff is no MVP, but he's surrounded by explosive playmakers like running back Jahmyr Gibbs and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and he's good at getting them the ball in co-ordinator Ben Johnson's inventive offence.

The Lions, favoured by nine points, are less certain about their banged-up defence. It'll try to contain Washington's dynamite rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who instantly turned the woeful Commanders around with his Lamar Jackson-like package of rushing and passing skills.

Los Angeles Rams (11-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (15-3) — Sunday at 3 p.m. ET

L.A. turned Sam Darnold into a pumpkin on Monday night, sacking the Vikings QB nine times and forcing two turnovers in a 27-9 blowout to squash his Cinderella season. Philly's Jalen Hurts is harder to bring down, and he threw only five picks this year for an Eagles offence that leans heavily on 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley.

If the Rams' sub-par defence sells out to stop Barkley, Hurts can turn to his excellent receiver tandem of DeVonta Smith and bookworm A.J. Brown. And if that doesn't work, Philly's top-rated defence might step up again after forcing four turnovers against Green Bay. The Eagles have a lot of outs, which is why they're favoured by six against QB Matthew Stafford and the Rams' dangerous offence.

Baltimore Ravens (13-5) at Buffalo Bills (14-4) — Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET

Can a second-round game be bigger than the Super Bowl? No. But this might be a better matchup, and the winner could emerge as the top championship contender.

The main characters here are Buffalo's Josh Allen and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, the top two candidates for regular-season MVP. Stylistically, they're a bit different. Jackson is the more electrifying athlete, while Allen plays a brawnier (and sometimes riskier) game. But they both possess an incredibly exciting blend of passing and rushing ability that gives their teams top-shelf offences despite limited talent at receiver. One argument against Jackson in the MVP debate is that he had a near-2,000-yard rusher in Derrick Henry at his side to lighten the load.

The surging Ravens look, to me, like the best team in the NFL at the moment, and they're favoured by one point despite being on the road in the league's wildest stadium. It's going to be extremely cold and maybe a bit windy in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday night, which might seem good for Baltimore because who wants to tackle the big, bad Henry in that kind of weather? But Buffalo could say the same for Allen, and we've seen visiting teams freeze up in Orchard Park many times before.