Who will be coming out of the divisional round in the NFL
Ah yes, another week of NFL playoff action for all of us to soak in.
Wild Card weekend brought us some interesting matchups, ranging from the Bills versus Patriots blowout, to the down to the wire 49ers versus the Cowboys. The remaining teams vying for a spot in the championship round are hungry. Some have been in this exact position before, and some are fresh-faced, eyeing up the Super Bowl trophy. Let’s run through each one of these matchups, as I give you my personal opinion on who will take home the “W,” and who will be sent to Cancun on Monday morning.
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, credit to sportskeeda.com
Another matchup of these two historic franchises will go down this weekend, but I think it’s relatively clear who will be coming out alive.
The Green Bay Packers are fresh off of a bye, boast a top 5 defense in the NFL, include an immense running back tandem in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion, and have the best QB/WR duo in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.
The San Francisco 49ers also have a top 5 defense as well but have more questions on the offensive side as compared to the Packers. Outside of star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, I am unsure of who to trust. San Francisco has dealt with a quarterback controversy the entire season, with the young gun Trey Lance prepping to take over for the veteran, Jimmy Garoppolo. This offense also offers the likes of Elijah Mitchell, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle.
My biggest question in this game remains, which offense do you trust more?
For me, it’s without a doubt the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers and Adams are an unstoppable duo that have absolutely blasted through teams for the past few years. I fear that the combination of those two, their stud running back tandem, and this elite defense could spell serious trouble for a 49ers team that I have been campaigning for the entire year.
Final score prediction: Packers: 27, 49ers: 14
Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans and Tom Brady, credits to khou.com
Yup, I will be betting against the G.O.A.T. once again this week. But before we get to the end result, let’s talk about how we got here.
The Los Angeles Rams have created what has been called somewhat of a “super-team” after adding Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. to a roster already containing the likes of star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, perennial defensive player of the year candidate Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford, and Cam Akers. This roster is truly a work of art, and it’s all credit to the general manager, Les Snead, for constructing this beautiful roster.
On the other side you have the reigning Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are of course led by the greatest player ever to touch grass, Tom Brady. He is joined by the likes of long-time running mate Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, and a defense that has simply seemed impossible to stop including Devin White and Jason Pierre-Paul. This roster unfortunately, has been depleted by injuries and outbursts. Star wideout Chris Godwin went down earlier this year after suffering a torn ACL, running back Leonard Fournette has been placed on IR with a hamstring injury, and we all know what happened with Antionio Brown.
The biggest difference maker in this game will be the status of offensive tackle, Triston Wirfs, who is dealing with an ankle injury that could keep him out of this pivotal matchup. Wirfs is well regarded around the league as being a top 5 offensive lineman, and his status is crucial to Tampa Bay’s success this weekend.
With that being said, I fully expect the Rams to come out on top in this matchup. Without Wirfs and multiple other complementary pieces, my heart-of-hearts is telling me that Tampa Bay will be knocked out this weekend.
Final score prediction: Rams: 35, Tampa Bay: 27
Cincinatti Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry on the sideline, credits to tennesseean.com
This might be the hardest game to predict this weekend.
The Cincinatti Bengals are the hottest team in football. Quarterback Joe Burrow has taken the world by storm. Rookie wide receiver Jamar Chase is putting up video game type numbers week in and week out, along with this offense supplying the likes of running back Joe Mixon, and wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. This offense has been nothing short of explosive and has haunted teams down the stretch during the NFL regular season. Cincinatti has been the healthiest team in the NFL this season, with a majority of their players staying off of the injured reserve list, allowing this roster to blossom to its full potential.
The Tennessee Titans on the other hand, are getting the best running back in football back on their roster. Star running back Derrick Henry has been on the injured reserve list since week 8 with a foot injury, yet lead the NFL rushing charts until week 14. Let’s not forget about the star playmakers such as AJ Brown and Julio Jones; this Titans offense has a ton of potential that could be instantly unlocked by bringing Henry back into the fold.
My forward thinking on this game is telling me, momentum kills.
I am in full confidence that the Cincinatti Bengals will continue to stay hot this week and topple a Tennesse team that has given us relatively sub-par performances without their star running back. Give me the coolest guy in football, Joe Burrow, and the Cincinatti Bengals.
Final score prediction: Bengals: 38, Titans: 21
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
Josh Allen. Credits to buffalonews.com
Man, my pick here is bold. Not only being the Bills fan that I am, but for a general statement this is BOLD.
Kansas City has had quite the up and down season. After starting the season 3-4, the Chiefs were able to put together a magical 8 game winning streak, shooting them into the top of the AFC West, and reminding everyone that they are still the Kansas City Chiefs that we know and love. With Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce manning the ship, what could go wrong? Kansas City’s early season defensive struggles were quickly erased once star defender Chris Jones came back into the fold and was crucial to their 8-game win streak. Coming off of a blowout win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, this team has to be unstoppable, right?
Buffalo has also endured quite an interesting season. After walking into Arrowhead Stadium earlier in the season against the Chiefs, they have experienced bad losses to the likes of Jacksonville and New England. Although, this Bills team showed us last week that they are legit, pounding on division rivals New England 47-17. Star quarterback Josh Allen is on another level right now. My biggest plea with this team was for the run game to improve, and clearly running back Devin Singletary heard me. He has averaged 5 yards per carry over the past 6 weeks, including 9 touchdowns. On top of that, the defense, who have been without star cornerback Tre’Davious White, have been spectacular, with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde providing some much needed solidarity in their secondary.
As I alluded to at the beginning of this section, I will be picking the Buffalo Bills in this game. Yes, the Chiefs have the better coach, are at home, and are the better overall football team. Although, like I said earlier, momentum is key. I don’t think there’s anything stopping Josh Allen and the Bills right now on route to a second straight AFC championship game.
Final score prediction: Bills: 38, Chiefs: 31
