Ranking the remaining playoff teams entering the divisional round

The NFL's postseason field has been reduced from 14 to a remaining eight teams. So with the wild-card round now over and the divisional matchups set, it's time to go back and rank the playoff teams again as the path to Super Bowl LIX narrows. 

1. Detroit Lions 

The Lions enjoyed the week off after earning the NFC's No. 1 seed in the final game of the regular season. Despite the franchise's poor postseason past, Detroit is a favorite to win it all for a reason. 

The Lions have everything that screams being championship caliber: a quarterback playing at an elite level, offensive weapons, a coach who gets the most out of his players and a defense who can step up when called upon. While it might be strange for Detroit to be in this position, anything shy of a Super Bowl appearance will be a grave disappointment. 

2. Baltimore Ravens 

After Baltimore completely bullied the Steelers on Sunday, many are now predicting this could finally be the year for the Ravens to reach the Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson. And part of what makes people believe this year is different is Derrick Henry serving as Jackson's co-star. In fact, Jackson led the way in the wild-card win over Pittsburgh with 182 yards rushing. 

But it's also possible Baltimore was simply able to take advantage of a struggling Pittsburgh team. We will find out what this Ravens team is really made of when they meet Buffalo on Sunday. 

3. Buffalo Bills

Speaking of the Bills, they are riding high off a convincing 31-7 victory against Denver. The Bills have been elite all season and have multiple statements wins over the Lions and Chiefs on their resume. 

However, nothing will matter for Bills fans if Josh Allen can't get his team past another round and into the AFC Championship game. 

4. Kansas City Chiefs 

On the heels of a season in which they appeared vulnerable while winning, Kansas City finally started to show signs of why it is the back-to-back Super Bowl champions towards the end of the regular season. And now a rested Chiefs team continues their attempt at an historic three-peat against the Texans. 

First order of business for the Chiefs is to take care of the football, something the Chargers were unable to do against a Houston defense that hunts for turnovers. 

5. Philadelphia Eagles 

With their quarterback back on the field, the Eagles feel they can beat anyone. But with that said, Jalen Hurts wasn't asked to do too much against Green Bay. He will likely need to be even better moving forward unless Saquon Barkley carries the offense on his back. Barkley ran for 119 yards on 25 carries in the wild-card round. 

6. Washington Commanders 

Jayden Daniels might be a rookie, but he's proving he's not scared of the bright lights. Daniels led the Commanders to their first playoff win since 2005 and has fans feeling as if this team is destined for even bigger things right now. 

7. Los Angeles Rams 

The Rams were inconsistent on offense most of the season, but none of that was evident in their Monday night domination of the Vikings. And in addition their success on offense, Los Angeles also played with a high energy on defense, showing their potential as a complete team. 

The advantage Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford have in knowing how to win a championship, doing so just three years ago, is tough to ever count out. 

8. Houston Texans 

As mentioned earlier, four interceptions of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert helped the Texans accomplished what some classify as an upset. While Houston is a tough team to predict because it had some really rough moments throughout the season, it also looked extremely confident and in a groove in its first playoff game. 

Obviously, eliminating the Chiefs will be a difficult task no matter how the Texans are playing.