The Wild Card round was a great weekend of football. I really wasn't expecting much out of the weekend, but I was wrong. On Saturday, Seattle-SF was a good game until late in the 3rd quarter, then the Niners pulled away. Jacksonville made an historic comeback down 27-0 to knock off the Chargers 31-30. Sunday saw the Bills get taken to the limit by the Dolphins and escape with a 34-31 win. The Giants went into Minnesota and upset the Vikings 31-24, and on Sunday night the Bengals barely survived the Ravens 24-17. Monday night was a bit of a dud with the Cowboys blowing out the Buccaneers, but overall the weekend was great. Now, the Divisional weekend is upon us and the two #1 seeds in the AFC and NFC get into the action with Kansas City and Philadelphia hosting games on Saturday. It should set up to be another great weekend of playoff football. Here are the picks for the 2022 Divisional Playoffs....
Final 2022 Regular Season Overall Record: 137-119-16
Last Week's Playoff Record: 2-4
Overall Playoff Record: 2-4
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
AFC Divisional Playoff
(4) Jacksonville at (1) Kansas City
A Case for the Jaguars: The Jags are really playing with nothing to lose after pulling off the stunning upset last week over the Chargers. A year after having the #1 overall pick, the Jags won the AFC South at 9-8, and won a home playoff game. They have exceeded expectations this year, and now they can just go out there in Arrowhead on Saturday and see what happens. Maybe Doug Pederson can outwit Andy Reid? Maybe Trevor Lawrence can out duel Pat Mahomes? Maybe the Chiefs try to get a little too cut like they always do and the Jaguars make them pay.
A Case for the Chiefs: They are the #1 seed for a reason. Pat Mahomes was lights out once again this year, and he will probably win the MVP award. We know how tough they are at home, and I can't see them losing back-to-back home playoff games after they lost the AFC Championship at home last year to Cincy. They smoked Jacksonville in the regular season in Arrowhead, and I just can't see a scenario in which the Chiefs don't come out and take care of business at home in this spot on Saturday.
Prediction: KANSAS CITY (-9) over Jacksonville: KC comes out and gets an early lead on Jacksonville and cruises to their 5th straight AFC Championship Game.
Final Score: Chiefs-30 Jaguars-20:
NFC Divisional Playoff
(6) NY Giants at (1) Philadelphia
A Case for the Giants: The G-Men are well-coached with Brian Daboll at the helm, and that was proved last week in their win over Minnesota. Daniel Jones was tremendous in that game, and you can expect Daboll to once again craft a gameplan to utilize Jones and Saquon Barkley like he has all season long-especially against a division opponent. The Giants are always playing with house money since no one saw them getting to the playoffs and actually winning a playoff game this year. All the pressure is on the Eagles, and the Giants can take advantage of that. Maybe Jalen Hurts is more banged up with that shoulder than the Eagles are letting on. The Giants have that "Dangerous 2011" feel to them this year as well.
A Case for the Eagles: They were the best team in the NFC all year long. They dominated the Giants in the first matchup in the Meadowlands. Although the game was close in Week 18, I don't put too much stock into that game. Also, the crowd in Philly will be electric on Saturday night-especially with their rival Giants coming to town for a playoff game. I think the Eagles will be rested and ready. I also think the Eagles defense will provide a significant challenge to the Giants offense, and that could be the real difference in this game.
Prediction: PHILADELPHIA (-7) over NY Giants: The Eagles will win the game on Saturday night in Philly, but I think the Giants will keep it close for while. They will make the Eagles sweat a little bit in this one, but ultimately Philly gets by their rival and advances to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2017.
Final Score: Eagles-28 Giants 20
AFC Divisional Playoff
(3) Cincinnati at (2) Buffalo
A Case for the Bengals: The Bengals are legitimate Super Bowl contenders all year, and they have be kind of forgotten in the AFC with the Chiefs and the Bills. This team feels a little disrespected, and I can see them using this as extra motivation this week on the road in Buffalo. It feels a little like "Us against the World" mentality with the Bengals. I also think the Bengals will have a chip on their shoulder because they felt like they might have won that game in Cincy in Week 17 before Damar Hamlin got injured. I can see the Bengals coming out, matching the emotions of the Bills and their crowd, and putting together a terrific performance.
A Case for the Bills: It has felt like it was going to be the Bills year before the whole thing happened to Damar Hamlin, and now they have Cincy coming to Buffalo with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line. They got by Miami, but I could see that reinvigorating the Bills and perhaps they come back and play lights out against the Bengals at home. The emotion of Damar Hamlin will still be there, and I see the Bills cleaning up their mistakes from last week, and playing well in front of the home crowd in Orchard Park.
Prediction: Cincinnati (+6) over BUFFALO: It feels like this matchup was supposed to happen after their Week 17 MNF game that got cancelled due to the Damar Hamlin injury. I think this a really good game that goes back and forth, and I think Buffalo wins it on a late field goal and sends them to their third straight AFC Championship Game.
Final Score: Bills-27 Bengals-24
NFC Divisional Playoff
(5) Dallas at (2) San Francisco
A Case for the Cowboys: They looked so dominating on Monday night in their win over the Bucs in Tampa. Dak Prescott had a great game, and when their offense is on, they are hard to stop. They won 12 games this season for a reason. When is Brock Purdy story going to go badly for SF? I can see this being the week where the Cowboys defense forces Purdy into mistakes, and he has a bad game. Also, Dallas is due to advance past the Divisional Round. They haven't been to a NFC Championship Game since 1995. They have had some heartbreak in the Divisional Round in recent years, and at some point they are going to breakthrough and get back to Championship Sunday. This could be their time.
A Case for the 49ers: They are the best team in the NFC and they proved it once again last week in their win over Seattle in the Wild Card game. Seattle hung tough for almost three quarters, then the Niners turned it on and just blew them out of the water. They are the better team in this game, and you would expect their defense to be able to give Dak Prescott fits. You also have to worry about the Cowboys kicker, Brett Maher, after he missed FOUR extra points in the playoff win over Tampa. I also favor Kyle Shanahan over Mike McCarthy in the coaching matchup and it is not even close. Also, be careful putting too much stock in Dallas' win over Tampa Bay in Round 1. That Bucs team was 8-9 and pretty bad all year. The Niners are certainly a different level of opponent.
Prediction: Dallas (+4) over SAN FRANCISCO: This is a classic matchup between two storied franchises. This is a throwback to my childhood and the rivalry between these two teams in the 1990s. I am look for an upset this week, so I'm going to go with Dallas here. I think they spoil the 49ers playoff run and advance to their first NFC Championship since 1995.
Final Score: Cowboys-23 49ers-20
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