Big games for the No. 2 seeds mean our weighted DVOA ratings are now grouped very close together going into the conference championships.

Indianapolis moves up to No. 2 in weighted DVOA, setting up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in Saturday's divisional game against Kansas City. Plus, updated DVOA ratings for the other six remaining teams.

The Kansas City Chiefs finish the year on top of the Football Outsiders DVOA ratings, and rank among the best offenses we've ever tracked. On the flip side are the Arizona Cardinals, in distant last place as one of the worst offenses we've ever tracked. But there are also plenty of interesting stories in between.

New England doesn't have the fantasy superstars or explosive playmakers that Kansas City has -- but they do have the kind of versatile pieces and deceptive schemes that will give the Chiefs headaches on Sunday.

Take a young Pro Bowler such as Zach Ertz, add a second-round rookie in Dallas Goedert, and you get one of the the NFL's most versatile and dangerous personnel groups. Few teams can match up with Philadelphia's 12 personnel, and they're the Eagles' best bet at another playoff upset this weekend.

Two weeks ago, Los Angeles scored only 10 points in a loss to Baltimore that ultimately cost them home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. Derrik Klassen examines how the Chargers can reverse strategic mistakes and overcome injuries when the two teams meet again in the wild-card round this weekend.

The Colts may wear a lucky charm on their helmets, but their offensive line suffered ill fortune against the Chiefs, being undone by teammate's mistakes and badly timed (and badly called) penalties. Still, Ben Muth finds plenty to like about their chances in 2019.

The Indianapolis offensive line played exceptionally well in a win over the Houston Texans and their star-studded defensive front -- but you might be surprised at who their best and worst blockers were.

The Colts have candidates for Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Ben Muth shows it was the physical dominance of their offensive line that led to the playoff-clinching win over the Titans. Can they do it again against Houston?

There were not a lot of close games this weekend, but a trio of running backs had notable performances -- two really good, one really bad.

Our look at the best passers, runners, and receivers of the wild-card games focuses on Marlon Mack, who did things to the Houston Texans defense that nobody else had done all year long.

The most statistically notable players of 2018 included a trio of first-year starters at quarterback, a running back who is currently unemployed, and a receiver who was literally perfect.

For the first time in history, both conference championship games go to overtime. The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl, as they once again play an explosive Rams offense, led by an offensive genius head coach, in an NFC South dome. And, uh, how about that officiating?

A very tame divisional round again ends in a quartet of home-team victories. Only one of those road teams could even be truly described as competitive, but even Old Saint Nick was stopped late against the Saints.

Newbie quarterbacks go 0-3 in their playoff debuts. Old Saint Nick leads another seasonal upset (courtesy of an ill-timed Cody Parkey crossbar challenge). Both road teams advance in the AFC. The only matchup of two playoff veterans sees both take a back seat, as running and defense are the order of the day in Dallas.

Who needs an exciting divisional round? With the conference championships running back some of the best games of the year, Bryan and Andrew are giddy with excitement.

Bryan and Andrew look through the eight flawed teams remaining in the postseason, and determine that none of them will end up winning the Super Bowl.

Bryan, Andrew, and friends are back for another go-round of the Staff Playoff Draft. Chiefs and Saints abound, while Ravens and Eagles fail to take off. Can you beat them in the Best of the Rest challenge?

Guest columnist Ben Baldwin returns for another look at play-action passing in the NFL. Does a team's effectiveness on standard passes have an effect on play-action success? Do teams that run the ball a lot use play-action more often? Do teams that run well use play-action more? And finally, is play-action more effective when it's used sparingly?

Guest columnist Ajit Kirpekar applies machine learning techniques to pressure rates from a dozen NFL seasons and comes up with some interesting conclusions -- most notably, that quarterbacks might be even more responsible than we thought for the pressure they do or do not face.

Alex Vigderman of Sports Info Solutions introduces Total Points, a tool for player evaluation. Like DVOA, it starts with play-by-play data, but then it adds charting information to more accurately measure the contributions of each player on the field. And it will tell you that Matt Ryan has been the NFL's best quarterback for several years now.

Alabama was the best team all year, but Clemson was the best team in the postseason. The SEC was the best conference, but were its second-tier teams really that much better than everyone else? It was a screwy season in college football, and it's sending Brian Fremeau back to the drawing board.

Jerry Jeudy and Alabama were very good this year, just like we all expected. Same goes for their Playoff competitors in Clemson, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame, and other top teams like Ohio State and Washington. Brian Fremeau looks back at a year filled with boring predictability and tries to find out why good teams don't play each other anymore.

Not long ago, Benny Snell and the Kentucky Wildcats were riding high at 7-1, but then back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee brought them back to earth. Brian Fremeau looks at which other teams have declined throughout this season, and which have made the biggest improvements.

Even though Alabama was more efficient on a per play basis, Clemson stalled Alabama's drives in the red zone, converted third downs, and made more explosive plays to create a game that looks lopsided on the scoreboard.

It seemed etched in stone that Alabama and Clemson, the preseason two top teams in the F/+ projections, would meet in the national title game following dominant wins over Oklahoma and Notre Dame in the semifinals. But there's still a lot to enjoy about that upcoming game (including Tigers receiver Justyn Ross), and the season as a whole.

Georgia tried to bring a little chaos to the playoff race, but Jalen Hurts' comeback win ensured that all Power-5 conference favorites would win.

"We meet again at last." For the fourth year in a row, Hunter Renfrow and Clemson will face Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Which of the two undefeated teams will finish off their rival and take the trophy home?

At last we reach the main event(s) of bowl season, including big matchups between high-profile teams such as Texas vs. Jake Fromm and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Plus: Urban Meyer's last game as the head coach at Ohio State, and potentially another claimed national championship on the line when Central Florida takes on LSU in the Fiesta Bowl.

The bowl games of Friday and Saturday include the most important games of the postseason so far, the College Football Playoff semifinals. Clemson will play Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, while Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray leads Oklahoma against Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Yes, the dramatic change at quarterback is a big part of the story of the 2018 Baltimore Ravens. But it's the secondary -- one of the best in the league -- that is really driving their playoff push.

The Sean McVay express has taken quite a turn over the last few weeks. Is it all good defenses, or are the Rams suddenly beatable?

Chris Boswell donates six points to the Oakland Raiders. Joshua Dobbs plays until Ben Roethlisberger's hero alert sensor goes off. We try to find nice things to say about Jon Gruden.

This week, there's a little about the Rams, Patriots, Eagles, Ravens, Chargers, and Packers, and then a whole lot about the Saints. Laissez les bon temps rouler.

This week: new coaches and their roster-building plans, old coaches and their motivational techniques, old players and their thoughts on coaches, current players with old rivals on new teams, old players with old grudges, and an ape.

This week: playoff berths clinched, players not acting their age (or like civil human beings, for that matter), sad farewells, family feuds, flame wars, kicker touchdowns, meme participation, and the latest adventures of Antonio Brown.

The NFL will crown a new champion for the 14th year in a row. We look at how the Eagles went from all-time playoff upset to all-time playoff blunder. Also: Sean McVay needs two seasons to get to a round the Cowboys haven't seen since 1995. After a bland weekend, let's talk about whether teams down 15 points should wait on the two-point conversion like Dallas did.

Nick Foles adds to one of the most unexpectedly impressive resumes in NFL history. Also: Seattle forgets how good Russell Wilson is, and the Ravens get taken out of their comfort zone.

The AFC North is decided in dramatic fashion. Are the Ravens built to come back in the playoffs, and did the Steelers just have their most disappointing season in franchise history? Also: a fun, but meaningless Dallas comeback, and our season review looks at which teams might regress in close games in 2019.

For the first time in history, both conference championship games go to overtime. The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl, as they once again play an explosive Rams offense, led by an offensive genius head coach, in an NFC South dome. And, uh, how about that officiating?

The Los Angeles Rams visit New Orleans to play the Saints for the NFC Championship and the George Halas Trophy at 3:05 p.m. EST. Then the New England Patriots head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs for the AFC Championship and the Lamar Hunt Trophy at 6:40 p.m. Winners meet in the Super Bowl two weeks later. Let's do this.

Hold that shootout narrative for a moment! Over the last three months, the New Orleans Saints are the one remaining NFL team that could really play good defense. That should lead them to a win over Los Angeles and a trip to Super Bowl LIII. But what if Drew Brees struggles like he has since the start of December? And what will the presence of Aqib Talib really mean for slowing down the unguardable Michael Thomas?