Our NFL Divisional Round Preview
Jacksonville Travels to Arrowhead
Last week, Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars completed one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the NFL playoffs. Their prize: a chance to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Lawrence can’t turn the ball over as much as he did last week if he wants to give his team a chance. Lucky for him, the Chiefs don’t force many turnovers. They ended the regular season 20th in takeaways per game. Kansas City can usually find ways to win most games, but they struggle with finishing an opponent early if they have the chance. They might end up like Los Angeles if they let Jacksonville hang around. Mahomes and Co. need to put the pedal to the metal early if they want to advance.
Final Score: Chiefs 34 Jaguars 24
Divisional Rematch: Philadelphia vs New York
This matchup is one of the more interesting ones this weekend. On one hand, Philadelphia could come out and beat the brakes off the Giants. On the other, New York could ruin the season of a team everyone thought to be receiving and automatic Super Bowl bid. The Eagles have done their best to get healthy, but only had a limited time frame. I’m not worried about their defense, mainly their offense. Supposedly, Lane Johnson was a full participant in practice, yet he still needs surgery. Something isn’t adding up there. Hurts came back to give his team a win in Week 18 and secure the one seed in the playoffs, but he didn’t look good doing it. Now the Eagles face a Giants team whose morale meter is maxed out. Daniel Jones is coming off arguably the best game of his career. The key to this game for both teams is their line play. If Philadelphia can put a lot of pressure on Jones, I think they win. However, if the Giants offensive line can just give Jones a little bit of extra time, the Eagles will be in trouble.
Final Score: Eagles 24 Giants 21
Allen vs Burrow
Currently, the Cincinnati Bengals are 5.5-point dogs against the Buffalo Bills. 5.5 points! The game being in Buffalo helps, but I still can’t get over that number. Vegas thinks Cincinnati’s line issues must be a huge problem. Normally, I would say three starting linemen being out in a playoff game is a big issue, but Burrow somehow doesn’t mind. He found ways to win last postseason under pressure. Between the Wild Card and Championship rounds, he was sacked 19 times and still won each game. Getting pressure will definitely help Buffalo’s chances, but it’s not their key to a win. Their key can be found in Josh Allen’s turnovers. Allen has to reduce his risk level if Buffalo is going to finally make a Super Bowl. His big play ability is what makes him great, but he can’t justify his number of turnovers with how magical everything else he does is. If Allen has 0 turnovers, I think this game is locked up for Buffalo. The problem is once he has one, he has two, then three, leaving a banged-up Cincinnati team a lot of opportunities to steal another playoff win.
Final Score: Bills 31 Bengals 27
Will the Rookie Keep it Going?
Brock Purdy has been on a streak unlike any the NFL has ever seen. Not only is he a rookie quarterback leading his team into the playoffs, but he’s not doing it in the usual rookie fashion. His stat lines don’t resemble a kid just trying not to mess it up. He’s making big throws, passing for multiple touchdowns each game and most importantly, not turning it over. This Dallas defense will be his biggest test yet and I can’t wait to see how he does. A major reason for his success is how stacked the 49ers weapons room is. When you have Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk to throw to, McCaffrey coming out of the backfield and Shanahan calling the plays, it’s hard to mess up. His offensive line has kept him upright every game, only allowing 9 sacks in Purdy’s 6 starts. The 49ers offensive line isn’t the one I’m worried about in this game. In order for Dak to have another excellent showing, his line will have to give him time to throw. That’s easier said than done against guys like Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. The Cowboys have a great pass rusher of their own in Micah Parsons. Whichever defensive line unit can get home more will lead their team to a victory I believe. This will be the toughest test for each team on the road to a Super Bowl appearance. I think whoever comes out of this game will be representing the NFC in the biggest game of the year.
Final Score: 49ers 21 Cowboys 17