After 18 weeks of upsets, blowouts, and barnburners, the NFL playoffs are underway. Beginning on Jan. 13, the 14 best teams in the league have started to compete for the coveted Lombardi trophy and a visit to Super Bowl LVII.
This past weekend was the Super Wild Card Weekend, which showcased six exciting matchups. On Saturday, the Texans dominated the Browns 45-14. Houston’s defense was stout, picking off Browns quarterback Joe Flacco twice and sacking him four times. On the other side of the ball, the Texans offense was led by star rookie quarterback, CJ Stroud, who threw for almost 300 yards and accounted for three touchdowns. Later that day, the Kansas City Chiefs blew out the Miami Dolphins 26-7. Despite the abysmal weather, the Chiefs offense was able to grit it out behind Pro-Bowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes and four field goals from kicker Harrison Butker.
On Sunday, things got interesting. In the biggest upset of the weekend, the Green Bay Packers went into Dallas and beat the Cowboys 48-32, making history as the first seven seed to win a playoff game. Packers running back Aaron Jones tallied 118 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, while the defense intercepted Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott twice, one of them being for a touchdown. Later that evening, the Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams by one point, with head coach Dan Campbell being able to eke out another gritty win.
Monday, much like Sunday, showcased two lopsided matchups. The Buffalo Bills overpowered the Pittsburgh Steelers, with quarterback Josh Allen having four total touchdowns. The evening ended with the Buccaneers destroying a defeated-looking Eagles team. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield showed up ready to play by throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns.
This upcoming weekend is the Divisional Round, which should continue the excitement of what was seen in the Wild Card games. The first game is on Saturday at 4:30 p.m, where the Texans will play the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. Despite the Texans stellar Wild Card performance, it is going to be tough keeping up with the star studded Baltimore Ravens, who are led on offense by All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson and on defense by All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith. This sportswriter is taking the Ravens by at least two scores.
Later that day, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Packers at 8:15 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium. The Packers shocked the football world in the Wild Card, but unfortunately might struggle to do so again. The 49ers offense is extremely explosive and Pro-Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy does not turn the ball over as much as Dak Prescott. The Packers offense will face San Francisco’s stout defense, who has been top-10 in yards allowed this season. With this matchup, the 49ers should also win by at least two scores, earning the lowest odds to win from sportsbooks of any time this weekend.
The action resumes on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. when the Buccaneers travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. Despite their dominant win over the Eagles, the Lions have a much better defense and offense than Philadelphia. Lions Pro-Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had two sacks last weekend, and should be expected to earn more against the Buccaneers average offensive line. On the offensive side, All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown should have a field day against a secondary that was exposed by Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith. This game may be close, but Head Coach Dan Campbell just knows how to win. Look for the Lions to come out on top.
For the last game in this round, the Bills and Chiefs will meet in Buffalo: Josh Allen versus Patrick Mahomes. In the past two seasons, including playoffs, these teams have met three times, and although the Chiefs have ended up on top of that series, this has been a down year for the defending Super Bowl champs. Given Josh Allen’s rushing and passing ability and the Chiefs lack of offensive weapons, this might be the year Buffalo finally gets to the AFC Championship.
As of now, the team with the highest odds for winning the Super Bowl are the 49ers at +180. The next to highest are the Ravens at +290 and the Bills at +500. As far as the lowest odds, the Packers sit at +3000, only slightly ahead of the Texans and Buccaneers who are both at +3300. Based on everything known about these teams, I believe the Ravens will end up beating the 49ers in the Super Bowl. However, anything can happen in the NFL, and if this weekend is anything like last weekend, fans should tune in to see it unfold.
