IT’S THE DIVISIONAL ROUND!
And then there were 8!
Eight teams are still standing in the NFL’s annual single-elimination tournament. The Ravens and Texans kick off the weekend festivities and we’ll dive into that in a separate piece. In this one we’ll serve up our thoughts on the other three divisional games. Let’s set the table with the games on the slate for this season’s divisional round.
• Saturday January 20, 8:15PM: Green Bay Packers (+9 ½) at San Francisco 49ers, 53 degrees with an 84% chance of rain.
• Sunday January 21, 3:00PM: Tampa Bay Bucs (+6) at Detroit Lions, Ford Field Dome.
• Sunday January 21, 6:30PM: Kansas City Chiefs (+3) at Buffalo Bills, 18 degrees, 11% chance of snow.
A reporter asked Todd Bowles how the Bucs are preparing for the weather in Detroit this weekend.
Here’s the thing…..the game is being played in a dome. Just like every Lions game has been played for the past 50 years. @BSMotorCity pic.twitter.com/ipbQBHIFWo
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 17, 2024
Tony Lombardi
Packers at 49ers
The Green Bay Packers ambushed the Dallas Cowboys and put “America’s Team” out of their misery – well maybe just the rest of the country. And while Cowboys’ HC Mike McCarthy guided his club like he was on propofol, the 49ers brass steered clear of the milk of amnesia and consequently, they’ll be ready for the truckload of cheese headed their way. And the 49ers don’t intend on being the Swiss variety that Dallas was.
Much like the Packers game against the Cowboys was over early, this one will be decided by the third quarter. Deebo Samuel is the game’s star with 160 yards from scrimmage.
49ers 37, Packers 17
Bucs at Lions (yes, indoors)
Indoors or outdoors, the Bucs will have no chance in this one. Baker Mayfield & Co. faced a cream puff in the wildcard round. That’s not the case in this one. Mayfield will bring his bloated swagger early but that will soon be put to sleep by Aidan Hutchinson who leads the Lions defensive roar with 2 ½ sacks, one of the strip variety. The star on offense for Detroit will be Jahmyr Gibbs who like his namesake will help keep Detroit “Stayin’ Alive”.
Lions 27, Bucs 13
Chiefs at Bills
It’s the battle of whiners – Patrick Mahomes at Josh Allen. The over/under on the number of times the two signal callers will complain to the game referee for a late hit has been set at 4 ½. In the past, this game has been decided on which team possesses the ball last. This time around, expect a defensive struggle. Allen will get a little home cooking on the heels of his petulant flopping antics but Mahomes gets to continue his playoff road show beyond the divisional round next week – destination, Baltimore.
Chris Jones leads the way for the chefs!
Chiefs 20, Bills 17
Josh Allen:
Graduated Summa Cum Laude from
The Lebron James School of Flopping…
👨🎓 #Bills #Lakers pic.twitter.com/d2CUjb96aH— 𝕃𝕠𝕣𝕕ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕖𝕗ℝ𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕒 (@JordanTribe) January 17, 2024
Rob Shields
Packers @ 49ers
Green Bay was very impressive against Dallas. I didn’t think they would win but I thought they had a better chance than most were giving them. I think GB can make this a game but I also think the 49ers defense will give them a lot more resistance than Dallas did. I also think SF’s offense will exploit the GB defense where the Cowboys didn’t.
Look for McCaffrey to have a big game.
49ers 38 Packers 24
Bucs @ Lions
Detroit should walk all over Tampa… but. The Lions defense has given up a lot of big plays this year and that is what Tampa is all about. If Baker can hit some big throws, they could make a game out of this.
However, look for the Lions run game to have a big day though and Jared Goff to play off of that.
Lions 31 Bucs 17
Chiefs @ Bills
This game is a big toss up for me. The Chiefs are more vulnerable than ever but they also have a game that travels and they are tough to beat in January with Mahomes. The question I have is, can they make enough plays against the Bills defense to score enough points to beat Allen?
Contrary to popular belief, the Bills aren’t playing great football despite the winning streak. They have been very up and down the last several weeks, squeaking by bad teams and still having some turnover issues.
Ultimately, I think the Bills will do enough against a KC team that hasn’t won a game this year when the other teams scores more than 21 points. I just have my doubts that KC can score and/or stop Allen enough.
This one goes down to the wire.
Bills 24 Chiefs 20
Darin McCann
Packers @ 49ers
The Packers’ youth movement will come to a jarring stop against a formidable 49ers team playing at home. San Francisco just has too much talent on both sides of the ball, to go along with outstanding coaching, for the upstart Packers to handle.
49ers 27 Packers 16
MVP — Christian McCaffrey
Bucs @ Lions
Reality will come home to roost for Tampa Bay this round, as a better team puts an end to their season.I feel like this one could be “over” by halftime.
Lions 33 Buccaneers 9
MVP — Jared Goff
Chiefs @ Bills
This will be the tightest game of the weekend, and a great way to wrap up the Divisional round. A late-game flurry by the Bills will come up just short as Kansas City once again finds a way to win in the AFC playoffs.
Chiefs 27 Bills 23
MVP: Isiah Pacheco
Chris Schisler
Green Bay Packers 17 San Francisco 49ers 24
MVP: Fred Warner. He will have an interception that seals it near the end of the game. He leads the 49ers defense and puts out the Packers hot streak.
Detroit Lions 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
MVP: Jared Goff has four touchdown passes. The Lions go 4-4 in the red zone and that’s the difference in the game.
Buffalo Bills 31 Kansas City Chiefs 17
MVP: Josh Allen is on fire, it’s him. The Bills are trending up. The Chiefs needed the cold weather to scare off the Miami Dolphins. The Bills have been playing great football for the past two months. The Chiefs don’t seem like the same old Chiefs.
Tanner George
The Wild Card round was insane.
I can’t imagine that Roger Goodell’s unhappy with how the games played out, especially since the Peacock streaming numbers were relatively high (grumble grumble). Now, we have more clarity as we forge on into the Divisional Round, which will determine the league’s final four…
Packers at 49ers
Jordan Love and the Packers have been on fire. They absolutely throttled Dem Boyz at Jerry’s World last week, coming away with a 48-32 win that was much more dominant than the final score suggests.
But the 49ers are just too good. The lethal combination of Purdy, McCaffery, Kittle, Deebo, and Aiyuk have completely steamrolled every team in their path (except the Ravens). And you have to keep in mind who the Pack beat. Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott. On the Cowboys. In the playoffs. As Stephen A. likes to say with that franchise, “Just be patient.” Niners win big here, but the future is bright for the cheeseheads.
49ers 37 Packers 24
Player of the Game: Christian McCaffery
Buccaneers at Lions
Detroit is fired up. The Lions scraped out a win last week at Ford Field against LA and have shown no signs of slowing down. Dan Campbell’s hungry. The players are hungry. Heck, the fans are hungry. They want it too much to lose to a team like the Bucs, who did perform admirably against Philly. Baker Mayfield & Co. keep it close, but the Lions will be the ones flying out to the Bay Area to take on the Niners.
Lions 27, Buccaneers 24
Player of the Game: Jared Goff
Chiefs at Bills (Sunday, 6:30)
This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Allen vs. Mahomes. McDermott vs. Reid. These two teams have provided us with some thrillers over the past few years, but this time it’s in Orchard Park. Expect the Bills Mafia to be loud and the weather to be intense, two factors that spell bad things for Kansas City.
Oh, and Patrick Mahomes has never played a road playoff game.
I see the Bills winning here, but it’ll be tight for sure. If Josh Allen makes mistakes, this game can easily swing in favor of the Chiefs—and fast.
Bills 31, Chiefs 28
Player of the Game: James Cook
Nick Polinsky
Packers @ 49ers
I’m sold on the Green Bay Packers. They just throttled Dallas on the road and Jordan Love hasn’t thrown an interception since December 11th. The defense also looks strong behind guys like Jaire Alexander and Kenny Clark, as well as Kesean Nixon who is also a big time special teams playmaker. I think the Packers have the facilities to pull off this upset and I think Jordan Love will lead them to a win without any turnovers.
Packers 31 49ers 27
Player of The Game: Jordan Love
Buccaneers @ Lions
When the Lions and Bucs played earlier this season, both offenses struggled to run the ball. At the time, Jahmyr Gibbs was injured and Craig Reynolds and David Montgomery combined for 29 yards on 16 carries. Once Gibbs returned from his brief injury, his breakout began. Gibbs provides a whole new dynamic to this offense that we didn’t see in the first half of the season. He will propel the Lions to a trip to the conference championship.
Lions 23 Buccaneers 16
Player of The Game: Jahmyr Gibbs
Chiefs @ Bills
After seven years, Patrick Mahomes will finally travel away from Arrowhead for a playoff game. When these two quarterbacks face off in the playoffs, everything you’ve seen previously in the season can be tossed out the window. We’ve seen legendary Chiefs/Bills matchups, and I think another classic is in order here. Josh Allen will play hero in the fourth quarter, and will carry the Bills to a home playoff victory.
Bills 30 Chiefs 29
Player of The Game: Josh Allen
Derek Arnold
Packers @ 49ers
The Packers, much like the Texans, have a very bright future. Their season, much like the Texans’, ends this weekend though.
49ers 30 Packers 20
MVP: Christian McCaffrey
Bucs @ Lions
The Bucs took advantage of a team that long ago mailed it in, and good for them. But Dan Campbell’s knee-biters are headed to the NFC Championship.
Lions 30 Bucs 13
MVP: Amon-Ra St. Brown
Chiefs @ Bills
This will be the game of the weekend. The Bills seemed to already be looking ahead to it after taking a 21-0 lead against Pittsburgh. They’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. They finally get Mahomes in their house. They won’t let the opportunity pass them by.
Bills 24 Chiefs 23
MVP: Josh Allen
Kevin McNelis
Lions 30 Bucs 17
Game MVP: Jahmyr Gibbs
Niners 38 Packers 24
Game MVP: Christian McCaffrey
Chiefs 24 Bills 13
Game MVP: Rashee Rice
Jared Pinder
Niners 42 Packers 27
MVP: Brock Purdy
Lions 27 Bucs 21
MVP: Jameson Williams
Chiefs 21 Bills 17
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Chad Racine
Lions 24 Bucs 20
Game MVP: Jared Goff
Niners 27 Packers 16
Game MVP: Brandon Aiyuk
Chiefs 21 Bills 20
Game MVP: Patrick Mahomes
6 Responses
Handicapping this mediocre league and it’s mediocre teams comes down to expecting the unexpected especially with weather a factor in many of the games!
It’s amazing how the 49ers(9/10) and the Lions(10/10) are near unanimous choices in the NFC.
I don’t disagree with the choices. The majority want to see a 49ers/Lions NFCC game. This includes the NFL. The prohibitive favorites against the overwhelming underdogs.
The Bills/Chiefs game is evenly split. Many still expect the Chiefs with Mahomes, Reid and a very good defense to come into Buffalo and walk away with a win. Others are expecting Allen, an improved offense under Brady, and a beat up defense to squeak out a win. The NFL I think prefers the Chiefs(with a Swiftie following) to win.
I’m expecting a Bills win. The AFCC game between the Bills will be quite entertaining. I can’t wait. Just what the NFL ordered.
In the end, with my track record, I’m expecting to be wrong on 50%. Which 50% I don’t know but it sure will be entertaining. Just enjoy the games. It’s that time of the year.
Tony, I’ve watched the Bills more than any other team but the Ravens, and I just don’t see Allen as a flopper, certainly not more so than Mahomes, and certainly not one who gets the Mahomes treatment, which is sometimes at Brady 2.0 levels. I can’t quantify it, but my impression is when Allen wants a flag, more often than not he’s right, especially since the Bills have gotten more than their share of inexplicable bad calls and non-calls this season and over the years.
In order to provide some visual proof, I added a video above that features a sequence of Allen’s flops.
Bring on Festivus Maximus!!!
9ers 32 GB 29
Bills 20 KC 19
Lions 27 Bucs 24