Indianapolis Colts (7) vs. Buffalo Bills (2): The Buffalo Bills are heavily favored in their first home playoff game since 1996. Bills quarterback Josh Allen has played at an MVP level all of 2020, and the high-powered Bills offense will be the driving force behind Buffalo defeating a very talented Colts team.
Indy has a top 10 rushing attack, and the Colts will need to control the time of possession through the rushing attack and short passes to have any chance on Saturday afternoon against one of the hottest teams in the entire league.
Prediction: Bills: 34 Colts: 21
Los Angeles Rams (6) vs. Seattle Seahawks (3): This NFC West matchup is sure to be a close game because these teams know each other extremely well, and every Seahawks game comes down to the last possession. Even though the Seahawks’ offense is very inconsistent, they will be able to outscore a hobbled Rams offense and win this game.
Regardless of which quarterback is under center for the Rams on Saturday, or if Head Coach Sean McVay turns to a platoon of some sort, Los Angeles will not be able to muster enough offense to win on the road.
Prediction: Seahawks: 24 Rams: 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5) vs. Washington Football Team (4): Washington enters their most consequential game of the season without a quarterback they are comfortable with. Earlier in the week Head Coach Ron Rivera discussed the possibility of rotating quarterbacks. Alex Smith and Taylor Heinicke would be the quarterbacks utilized. Tampa Bay blitzes the second-most of any team in the National Football League so either quarterback would struggle against the pass rush.
The Tampa Bay offense has also been firing on all cylinders entering the playoffs, and Washington will need their ferocious pass rush to wreak havoc to keep the game even remotely close.
Prediction: Buccaneers: 31 Washington: 17
Baltimore Ravens (5) vs. Tennessee Titans (4): Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens look to avenge their loss to the Titans in the Divisional Round last season. Jackson is also seeking to win the first playoff game of his NFL career. This game is going to be a shootout, and the best game all weekend. The Ravens and Titans have the number one and two rushing attacks in the league respectively, and the Titans defense has been terrible all season meaning the Titans will have to outscore a suddenly red-hot Ravens offense to win. The Ravens need to find a way to stop Derrick Henry, something they were unable to do last year in the playoffs and make the Titans a one-dimensional team.
Ultimately this game will boil down to how Jackson plays on Sunday, and if he will be able to rewrite the narrative that he shrinks when the spotlight is the brightest. Jackson will play the best game of his playoff career, but he will come up just short. This game is not going to be a fun watch for fans interested in defensive battles.
Prediction: Titans: 35 Ravens: 30
Chicago Bears (7) vs. New Orleans Saints: Even though the Saints have many question marks entering this game, and playoff heartbreak in the back of their minds, New Orleans finds themselves in a great spot. The playing status of Saints star players Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas is up in the air, and even if one or both of them were to not play, the Saints should win handily on Sunday.
The Bears are led by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, and even though Trubisky improved down the stretch of the regular season, he has never shown anything that would lead one to believe he can rise to the occasion in such an important game.
Prediction: Saints: 34 Bears: 17
Cleveland Browns (6) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3): The Browns were always going to struggle to win this game, but now with COVID-19 running rampant through the team, Cleveland has no chance of winning this game. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio will be unavailable for the game due to testing positive for COVID-19. In addition to being the head coach, Stefanski is also the play-caller for the team. With Stefanski not able to coach on Sunday, there is upheaval on the coaching staff days away from the team’s first playoff game since 2002. This is not a recipe for success.
The Browns played the Steelers in week 17 and struggled to beat a Pittsburgh team that was resting many of their key players for the playoffs. The Steelers offense has been inconsistent at times, but the Browns are not a franchise that can overcome such turmoil, and quarterback Baker Mayfield will play poorly in his first career playoff game.
Prediction: Steelers: 28 Browns: 19
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