The Chicago Bears may have been eliminated last weekend. They also may be in dire straits for the future, according to some (many). But the rest of the league’s true elite, the final eight teams that is, play on. The Divisional Round of the playoffs is here.
The respective No. 1 seeds of each conference — the Chiefs in the AFC and the Packers in the NFC — will be heavily favored to charge on through to the first Sunday of February. Having the two best quarterbacks in the field, a loaded stack of offensive and defensive playmakers, and a good week of rest while everyone else was forced to play an extra game, will afford such a reality.