The Wild Card weekend is done, and we now head to the Divisional Round of the Playoffs. My record was 5-1 during Wild Card weekend with the only loss coming from the Patriots and Chargers game. New England defeated the Los Angeles Chargers to advance to the Divisional Round. Buffalo went to Jacksonville and defeated the Jaguars to advance. On Monday Night, the Houston Texans put on a defensive clinic by beating the Steelers 30-6. The day following the loss, Mike Tomlin stepped down as the Pittsburgh Steelers Coach after 19 seasons. In the opening game of the weekend, the Los Angeles Rams avenged a loss in Carolina by beating the Panthers. San Francisco went to Philadelphia and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. The loss ended the season for the Eagles, and they fired Kevin Patullo a couple days later.
Green Bay went to Chicago and jumped on them early, but the Bears achieved another come from behind win. The AFC will see Denver hosting Buffalo and the Texans heading to New England in the Divisional Round. Seattle hosting the Niners and Rams heading to Chicago to battle the Bears in the NFC for the Divisional Round. Who will advance from the Divisional Round of the Playoffs and head to the conference championship games?
The Buffalo Bills will head to Denver to Mile High Stadium to take on the Broncos. Josh Allen guided this Bills team to the 27-24 win over the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Allen threw for over 270 yards, completed 80% of his passes and the defense picked off Lawrence twice. Allen will need a similar performance if they’re going to get by the top seed in the AFC. Can Allen and the Bills defense come up with another great performance on the road? The last loss for Denver came against the Jaguars team the Bills defeated. Bo Nix continued to grow towards the end of the season and the Broncos defense is one of the league’s best. How will the Broncos defend Allen? Can they slow down James Cook like the Jaguars? Denver will use that home field to their advantage and defeat Buffalo. Broncos Win 24-23
The nightcap on Saturday Night will see San Francisco head to Seattle to battle the Seahawks. San Francisco took down the Eagles to reach the Divisional Round. The Niners will be without George Kittle after tearing his Achilles in the game against Philadelphia. San Francisco defeated this Seahawks team in the first game of the season on the road. With the top seed of the NFC on the line, the Seahawks took down the Niners in the season finale. Seattle is looking for the opportunity to host the NFC Championship game. The Seahawks are currently on a 7-game winning streak heading into this game. Seattle has the top scoring defense and held this Niners team to 3 points in the season finale. Can they do it with the Niners have Trent Williams? I’m rolling with the Seattle defense to dominate and guide them to the win. Seahawks Win 20-13
The first game on Sunday will see the Houston Texans head to New England to face the Patriots. Houston went to Pittsburgh in the Wild Card game and their defense shutdown the Steelers offense. Houston is currently on a 10-game winning streak, and the defense has been dominated for most of the streak. Nico Collins exited their game in Pittsburgh with a concussion, and he remains in protocol. Can Houston go on the road against and upset another team and head to the AFC Championship? New England is also one of the hottest teams in the playoffs. The Patriots have won 14 of their last 15 games and that includes their 16-3 win over the Chargers. New England and their defense are just as good as the Texans, and this could be a low scoring one. Houston kicks a game winning field goal to advance. Texans 19-17
The final game of the Divisional Round will see Los Angeles heading to Chicago to face the Bears. Los Angeles avenged their loss a few weeks back by defeating the Panthers in the Wild Card Round. Los Angeles has been the favorite to reach the Super Bowl since acquiring Davante Adams. The Rams defense was one of the best earlier in the season, but that’s not the case now. Can they slow down Caleb Williams and that Bears explosive offense? Chicago is trying to reach their first NFC Championship game since the 2010 season. The Bears entered the playoffs on a 2-game losing streak. They made a miraculous comeback against the Packers to advance here. Does the Bears have one more in them for a chance to head to the NFC Championship? This is a tough one to pick, but I’m picking Los Angeles to win. Rams Win 30-28
What do you think about my picks? What games would you pick differently? Below are my Conference Championship matchups based on my Divisional Round predictions.
AFC Championship Game
Denver Broncos vs. Houston Texans
NFC Championship Game
Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams
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