AFC
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans: The Cincinnati Bengals have an uphill battle as they look to advance to the AFC Championship Game. The Titans are better at virtually every position other than quarterback, but in playoff games, a superior quarterback can turn a loss into a win. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns in his playoff debut last Saturday.
The Titans overcame a rash of injuries this season to get the AFC’s top seed, and the return of their best player Derrick Henry, will be sure to galvanize the team. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill will lead the Titans offense effectively as the Titans defense will get after Burrow and ensure the AFC goes through Nashville in 2022.
Prediction: Titans: 27 Bengals: 24
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs: The storylines surrounding this game are plentiful. The Bills look to exact revenge on the Chiefs for keeping them from the Super Bowl last season as the Chiefs look to rebound from a 37-20 loss to Buffalo in week five. The matchup between Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is also an exciting one as Allen needs a marquee victory against Mahomes in the playoffs to plant his flag as the best AFC quarterback, and possibly the best quarterback in the NFL.
Both defenses are rounding into form at the right time, and both offenses looked great on wild card weekend. It’s always a risky proposition betting against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs have been a little off all season long. Buffalo will get a franchise-defining win on the road to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Prediction: Bills: 38 Chiefs: 35
NFC
Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Back in week three, the Rams defeated the Buccaneers at home by a score of 34-24. A few months later, the two face off down in Tampa Bay with a trip to the NFC title game hanging in the balance. When the teams met in week 3, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady threw for one touchdown while Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw four.
Tampa enters this game beat up with Leonard Fournette, Tristan Wirfs, Ronald Jones III, and Ryan Jensen all questionable to play on Sunday due to injury. Even with all of the injuries of Tampa, one team has Brady and one team does not. The Buccaneers will ultimately win because Brady will find a way, as he has been doing for the past 22 years.
Prediction: Buccaneers: 26 Rams: 23
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers: A rematch of the 2020 NFC Championship Game, this time at Lambeau Field, will determine who gets to play for a trip to the Super Bowl this time around. Back in week three the Packers went on the road and knocked off the Niners 30-28. The Niners only rushed for 67 yards earlier this season. The Niners need to run the ball better on Saturday night if they want to pull off the upset.
The Niners must follow a similar recipe to the one from the NFC Championship Game two years ago. In that game, Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo only threw eight passes as San Francisco rushed for nearly 300 yards. Keeping Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers high-flying offense off the field gives San Francisco the best chance to win.
Ultimately, the Niners will be able to recreate the formula from two years ago and hand the Packers another home playoff loss as the NFC’s top seed.
Prediction: Niners: 24 Packers: 23
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