AFC:
Pittsburgh Steelers (7) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (2): It truly is a great story that Ben Roethlisberger will be in the playoffs in almost certainly his last NFL season, but the future Hall of Famers stay in the playoffs will be a short-lived one. Even though the Chiefs, and specifically Patrick Mahomes have not looked as sharp in years past, Pittsburgh does not have the offense to keep pace with a Kansas City offense that can still explode at a moment’s notice.
Prediction: Chiefs: 31 Steelers: 16
New England Patriots (6) vs. Buffalo Bills (3): The last time the Patriots visited Buffalo they were able to win and only needed three passes from their rookie quarterback to do so. New England will certainly need a better performance from Jones on Saturday if they want to pull off the upset. Since Jones’ win against these Bills on December 6, he has six touchdown passes and five interceptions. Jones is playing his worst football of the season at the most inopportune times, heading into the playoffs. Bills quarterback Josh Allen can be inconsistent at times, but he will play well enough against a stout Patriots defense and take advantage of a suboptimal Patriots offense.
Prediction: Bills: 24 Patriots: 17
Las Vegas Raiders (5) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (4): The fact the Raiders are even in this position, given the dysfunction surrounding the team all season long, is a testament to how great of a leader quarterback Derek Carr is. Even though the Vegas Raiders are a sentimental favorite heading into these playoffs, the Bengals are a better football team. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow came back from a debilitating knee injury suffered in 2020 and picked up right where he left off.
The biggest reason why the Bengals will win this game is rest. Cincinnati rested many of their key players in a week 18 loss to the Cleveland Browns, while the Raiders went to OT against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders flying cross-country after an exhausting week 18 game just to make the playoffs is a recipe for disaster.
Prediction: Bengals: 27 Raiders: 20
NFC
Philadelphia Eagles (7) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2): The entire Eagles organization deserves immense credit for getting into the playoffs, but they do not currently have a good enough roster to compete with a team as deep as the Buccaneers. These two teams played on a Thursday night in mid-October and Tampa prevailed 28-22. Tampa enters the playoffs beat up, but the Eagles will not be able to take advantage of a hobbled Bucs team. Tampa begins their title defense with a resounding win against the Eagles.
Prediction: Buccaneers: 31 Eagles: 20
San Francisco 49ers (6) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3): This game, like many other playoff games, will come down to which quarterback will rise to the occasion in key spots. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Dak Prescott are inconsistent at times though. Dallas finished the regular season with the most points in the NFL, and the Niners have won four of their last five games and seven of their last nine. San
Francisco will be able to pull off the upset because they should be able to run the ball on the Cowboys defense and keep the high-flying Dallas offense off the field.
Prediction: Niners: 24 Cowboys: 23
Arizona Cardinals (5) vs. Los Angeles Rams (4): These NFC West foes split their games this season with each team winning on the road. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has struggled down the stretch throwing eight interceptions over his past four games. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has also slowed down as of late due to an ankle injury. The Rams are a slightly better team, but Stafford’s turnover problems will haunt him once again. Arizona was 8-1 on the road this season and will go on the road on Monday and knock off the Rams.
Prediction: Cardinals: 27 Rams: 23
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