NFL Picks, Divisional Round

A lot was made about the fact that Seahawks-49ers is on Saturday and Rams-Bears is on Sunday, even though the Rams and Bears played on Saturday last week.  I agree that it would've made more sense to put that game on Saturday night and Seattle-San Francisco on Sunday.  My guess is NBC is to blame for why Bears-Rams ended up on Sunday. 

Last week, there was that interesting piece explaining why Bears-Packers was the Prime game and how NBC essentially drew the short straw on Wild Card Weekend.  That same article implied NBC would get first choice this weekend.  So, if they wanted Rams-Bears and were tapped for a Sunday game (FOX usually gets Saturday night), that would explain it.  Does it suck for the 49ers to have a cross country trip AND a short week?  Yes.  But I bet that's why.

Do I know this for sure?  No.  But it does make sense.  Just like how the "times and networks TBA" announcement after the Patriots-Chargers game makes sense in hindsight, too.  If the Steelers had won, New England-Pittsburgh likely would've been on Sunday night (probably on CBS instead of ESPN).  Since the Texans won, that game became less appealing, so Bears-Rams got the late slot on Sunday.  Do I know this for sure?  Also no.  But if the timeslots weren't dependent on the Steelers-Texans result, we almost certainly wouldn't have had to wait until after the Monday night game to find them out.

What's weird, though, is how neither of the Sunday afternoon networks has a game on Sunday afternoon.  CBS has Bills-Broncos on Saturday afternoon and FOX has Seahawks-49ers on Saturday night.  When was the last time there was a Sunday with multiple games that didn't feature any on either CBS or FOX?  Has it ever happened?  It's especially odd because CBS won't have a primetime playoff game at all this season (the AFC Championship Game is first this year).

Anyway, Divisional Playoff weekend is typically the most anticipated weekend on the NFL calendar.  The top eight teams in the league, all two wins from the Super Bowl.  I'm not sure it'll be able to match last weekend, though.  The first four games of Wild Card Weekend, especially, were exceptional.  They were decided by a combined 14 points!  Sure, the last two games weren't close.  But those were two dominant defensive performances by teams that will face each other this weekend.

Before the playoffs started, I thought it was wide open and had absolutely no idea who'll be in the Super Bowl.  What happened on Wild Card Weekend did nothing to change that opinion.  In fact, it might've had the opposite effect.  I can legitimately see all eight teams playing this weekend taking the field in Santa Clara on February 8.  So, if that's the case, this week could very well give last week a run for its money.

Bills (13-5) at Broncos (14-3): Denver-The Bills earned their first road playoff win since the 1992 AFC Championship Game last week.  And they did it because Josh Allen was being Josh Allen.  He essentially willed them to victory.  That playoff experience was on full display.  Now Buffalo is tasked with winning another road playoff game in conditions that would be a problem for any other team and any other quarterback.

When these two met in the Wild Card round last season, it was clear the Bills were the better team.  This time, I'm not so sure.  Buffalo has Josh Allen and hasn't lost a playoff game to an opponent other than Kansas City since 2022.  They obviously don't have to face the Chiefs this year, but they do have to face that Broncos defense.  In Denver.  If the game were in Buffalo, I'd take the Bills.  Since it's in Denver, I'm going with the Broncos.

49ers (13-5) at Seahawks (14-3): Seattle-These two are meeting on a Saturday night for the second time in three weeks.  And the first one directly set up this one.  Had the 49ers won, they would've gotten a week off and been at home.  Instead, they had to travel to Philadelphia and face the defending champions.  They came away with a win, but lost George Kittle, the latest in their long line of injuries.

Can they overcome another injury and take down a rested division rival on the road?  A division rival that completely shut them down two weeks ago.  That Week 18 game could end up proving to make a big difference in this one.  The Seahawks earned the 1-seed with a dominant effort in that game.  They haven't played since.  While this game won't be a carbon copy of that one, it'll be pretty close.  The NFC Championship Game will be in Seattle.

Texans (13-5) at Patriots (15-3): New England-Both of their defenses stole the show in their Wild Card wins.  Neither offense did much.  Which leads you to believe that we'll see a low-scoring struggle.  Points will almost certainly be at a premium, and whichever offense is able to move the ball with any sort of regularity will figure to be in good shape.

Houston has a championship-caliber defense and is the hottest team in football.  The Texans got their first-ever road playoff win last week, and it's a very realistic possibility that they'll be playing in their first-ever AFC Championship Game next week.  Winning on the road two weeks in a row will be a tall order, though.  The Patriots' defense isn't the Steelers' defense.  New England shuts down Houston enough to get the win.

Rams (13-5) at Bears (13-5): Rams-I saw the craziest stat the other day.  This will be Sean McVay's 15th playoff game as Rams coach.  In those 15 games, the Bears will be their 15th different opponent.  All he needs to finish off the entire NFC is the Giants and Commanders.  Of course, he can't make it 16-for-16 with a win since they've already played both Seattle and San Francisco in the postseason.

Heading into the playoffs, I thought the Rams were the best team.  They got a bigger challenge than expected from the Panthers, but managed to pull it out.  The Bears, meanwhile, did their regular thing and had a fourth-quarter comeback.  It wouldn't be a surprise at all to see them do it again.  It also wouldn't surprise me to see the Rams not let them get away with it this time.  I still think they're the best team.  They've already got one road win.  Now they'll add another.

Last Week: 3-3
Overall: 174-103-1