We made it through the wild-card round with a 5-1 record, with only the Cleveland Browns failing to come through. The Browns collapsed in the second half, eventually falling to the upstart Texans 45-14.

Now comes perhaps the best weekend of the playoffs – the divisional round with the pretenders (I’m looking at you – Dallas, Philadelphia and Miami) gone. These games should make for an entertaining weekend.

Here we go with this weekend’s predictions:

AFC

Texans (11-7) at Ravens (13-4)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Texans QB C.J. Stroud already looks like the real deal just one year into his NFL career. Stroud has pinpoint accuracy on both the short and the deep throws, and he takes good care of the football with only five interceptions this season.

His mettle will certainly be challenged by the Ravens defense, which, just like always, is opportunistic and still has the same knack for creating turnovers that they have for the better part of two decades.

His Baltimore counterpart, Lamar Jackson, is having one his best passing seasons and is probably the favorite for MVP.

The Ravens were playing at an extremely high level late in the season, earning a first-round bye.

Will that momentum be curtailed by the upstart Texans and their hotshot rookie quarterback? It should be interesting and closer than some think.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Texans 19.

Chiefs (12-6) at Bills (12-6)

Sunday, 5:30 p.m., CBS

Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen. What more could you ask for with a conference championship berth on the line?

This will mark the first time Mahomes has had to play a playoff game (other than the neutral site Super Bowl, of course) outside of Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs have had their issues with dropped passes and receivers not making plays for Mahomes.

The Bills have turned it on after being sluggish for the first two thirds of the season, as Allen has overcome the turnover problem he had in the middle of the year.

This one could turn out to be a classic matchup between two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

Which team has one more big play at the end could be the difference.

Prediction: Sorry, Swifties. Bills 30, Chiefs 27.

NFC

Packers (10-8) at 49ers (12-5)

Saturday, 7:15 p.m., FOX

Like the Ravens in the AFC, the 49ers are probably the most complete team the NFC has to offer.

Brock Purdy is the exact right guy to operate Kyle Shanahan’s offense and has plenty of playmakers at his disposal with Christian McCaffery, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle among others.

The Packers are riding on the second-half surge of first-year starter Jordan Love, who after a poor start this year, now looks like he is going to continue the quarterback legacy in Green Bay.

Green Bay also has a good crop of young receivers, led by Christian Watson and, just as they weren’t afraid of the Cowboys, won’t be intimidated by the 49ers either.

But it feels like the Packers have arrived a year early. I think they will make a game of it, but San Fran just looks like a little too much.

Prediction: 49ers 34, Packers 24.

Bucs (10-8) at Lions (13-5)

Sunday, 2 p.m., NBC

No matter who wins this one, it’s a redemption story for a starting quarterback.

If it’s the long-deprived Lions, then it continues the rejuvenation that has been Jared Goff’s 2023 season.

Goff exorcised some personal demons and some for the franchise when he led the Lions to their first playoff win in more than 30 years by beating the Rams, who gave up on him and traded him to Detroit.

On the other side, Baker Mayfield, waived last year by the Carolina Panthers, continued his comeback story by lighting up the Eagles in the wild card round for 337 yards and three TD passes.

Both teams have plenty of weapons, as the Lions feature Amon Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Titans castoff Josh Reynolds, while the Bucs have Michael Evans and Chris Godwin leading the way for them.

It could very well come down to which defense can make the most plays in a game featuring two high-powered offenses.

Prediction: Lions 34, Bucs 31.