Chargers 12-32 Texans
Well, I thought the Chargers had turned a corner, thought Coach Harbaugh brought a new mindset, thought QB Herbert was ready to level up, thought the Chargers were ready to make a move. Nope. Same ol' Chargers. They flat out sucked. The Texan pass rush was effective and the secondary had some moments but really it was the Chargers sucking that produced the score line. Are the Texans ready to move on?
Steelers 14-28 Ravens
Yawn. Every year the Steelers bluster their way to 7th seed in the AFC and then they get blown up in the playoffs because they're not actually any good. This year was no exception. Didn't even think the Ravens played all that well--they didn't have to!
Broncos 7-31 Bills
The Broncos had a good year: 2nd year of the Coach Payton regime, rookie QB, frisky defense, took a nice step forward this season. And when they opened up with a bomb for a TD, their 7-0 lead had a real edge to it. And then....nothing happened. The Bills were pretty great at home this year and it was only a matter of time before they pounced on the Broncos.
Packers 10-22 Eagles
Ugh! The Packers really sucked, the blame will go to QB Love--and he did suck!--but frankly I thought the whole team sucked. As bad as they played, the game was still winnable in the 4th quarter--so how bad were the Eagles (well, not quite as bad as the Packers). This was not even a fun game to watch.
Commanders 23-20 Bucs
THIS, this was the game this weekend! Back and forth but I really thought the Bucs were on their way, but a clumsy 4th quarter fumble upended their brilliant defensive stand just minutes earlier. Giving the Commanders a second crack at the red zone late in the game was too much to overcome. Everyone loves QB Daniels now, and he's been ballin' all season long, but I still thought the Bucs should've won this game.
Vikings 9-27 Rams
Yawn! QB Darnold had such a nice season...until the last 2 weeks, when suddenly he turned tentative, held the ball too long, took too many sacks and single-handedly stalled the Vikings offense. The Rams were nice and they knew that Darnold was wobbly, but this was not as massive a win as the score implies--it was just that the Vikings were that bad.
Division Round:
Texans @ Chiefs (-9) (o/u 41.5)
Are the Texans ready to beat the #1 seed? They might be able to move the ball on the Chiefs and their D-line will be getting after Mahomes, so if they can force turnovers and break an occasional big play, they can hang. The Chiefs haven't exactly been plowing opponents lately, they have been winning late all season long, snatching W's in the final minutes and I expect that to continue. The Texans have a good pass rush, Mahomes won't have an easy time of it. But Mahomes is still the best and I fully expect a typical 4th quarter recovery after a slog of a game. Chiefs 20-13 (Texans and the under)
Commanders @ Lions (-8.5) (55.5)
Everyone is big on the Commanders at the moment, been a while since Washington football has mattered in January and Daniels is giving them some hope. That said, the Commander defense is not good and the Lions offense is arguably the best in the league. I like Daniels as much as the next guy, but I don't see this game particularly competitive. I think the Lions are rested and ready, they've had a bunch of injuries on defense but I don't think that stings them this week (although it'll hamper them in the coming weeks). I like the Lions to score steadily (though perhaps they pull off the gas in the 4th quarter) and get enough stops on defense to rather easily win this game. Lions 34-17 (Lions and the under)
Rams @ Eagles (-6.5) (42.5)
The Rams have veteran savvy, a good coach, a good QB and enough youth to keep the intensity high; but they have a so-so offensive line and so-so defensive line and I don't see them getting turnovers, so even at their best, I just don't think they're better than a final 8 squad. As for the Eagles, they've got arguably the best O-line in the league, a great RB in his prime, excellent WR's and a pass catching TE, and a QB I've always kinda loved....so why isn't this offense better? Some say it is the scheme, which would suggest that now is the time to pull the governors off and go full throttle, we'll see if they do that. So while at first I suggest that the Rams aren't good enough and the Eagles are better, let me flip it now and suggest that if the Eagles don't bring their best game, then the savvy Rams might hang around and steal it. I dunno, man, could go either way, I mean, the Eagles should win but maybe they won't (meh, I'll take 'em anyway). Eagles 20-16 (Rams and the under).
Ravens (-1.5) @ Bills (51.5)
And we come to the game of the week. The two best teams in the AFC (sorry, Chiefs), the two best QBs in the game right now (sorry, Chiefs), two crazed fan bases that have been denied too long (f yourself, Chiefs!), should be a barn burner, right? Uh....I kinda don't think so. I think this game will end up being a blowout. Here's the thing: if RB Henry gets off on the Bills defense, then the game is over; if he doesn't, then I think the Raven offense completely sputters and the Bills win big. Derrick Henry is the key: if he's on, the Ravens will win easily, if not, then I say the Bills win easily. Could go either way but what I'm suggesting is that the 4th quarter of this game will be a dud. Either way, the tongues will be wagging on Monday morning, and either Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen will be taking all the blame. So, even though this is the game everyone is waiting for, I think it might be over--one way or the other--by halftime. (Is now an awkward time to point out that I am a life long Buffalo Bills fan?) I'm going Bills 27-16 (Bills and the under--but if you wanna bet on the Ravens, just flip the score, but either way, I think the Under in this game is the lock of the week, I just can't see both of these teams scoring a ton)
