A tame NFL playoffs wildcard weekend means an exciting divisional round weekend, right? I was frankly unimpressed with many of the games last week outside of the Dallas upset, but there is still a football to be played. There are some great matchups to be played this weekend so, let let’s take a look at the NFL Playoffs AFC Divisional matchups.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Tennessee Titans:
Saturday – 4:00 ET
The Bengals inched out a win against the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend and Joe Burrow was excellent in his playoff debut. This Bengals team is young and fun, and they show a lot of promise. That being said, they have a real test this week against a Titans team being dubbed as one of the worst one-seeds ever. I understand why that term is being thrown out there. Tennessee struggled at times this year and didn’t dominate anyone, outside of drubbing the Chiefs 27-3 the end of October. However, this team had to cycle through 90 different players this season, an NFL record, and appears relatively healthy now.
This week, the Titans are likely getting back Derrick Henry, who completely changes the makeup of this offense. And, with a healthy Julio Jones this team does have some offensive weapons. It’s set to be a cold day in Nashville on Saturday and those Bengal linebackers are going to get tired of being run over by Henry play-after-play. The Titans defense is their biggest issue, they can certainly get burned in the secondary and allow big plays. I think there is a great chance for Ja’Marr Chase to have one of his best days yet, which says a lot for the explosive rookie. But the Titans are a one-seed for a reason with a home-field advantage and more postseason experience. Prediction: Titans by 4
Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs:
Sunday – 6:30 ET
This is going to be the best game of the weekend in my book. It’s a rematch of the 2020 season AFC Championship Game in which the Chiefs had their way with the Bills. But don’t overlook the fact that Buffalo played Kansas City in the regular season this year and absolutely crushed the Chiefs. Both teams are coming off wins that weren’t remotely close. Each offense is playing at a peak level and the two QBs in this game are the top two young guys at the position right now. Patrick Mahomes vs Josh Allen could be a matchup that we see for a very long time in the playoffs, and I am very happy about that.
Buffalo pitched a perfect offensive game last week against the Patriots, something that was seemingly impossible to do against a Bill Belichick-coached team The Chiefs turned on the offensive jets and ran away from Pittsburgh very early on Sunday night and never allowed that game to be close. My hope is that the offensive power carries over for both teams on Sunday and that we are treated to a shootout. The advantage goes to Buffalo who has the top defense in the league. Their secondary is talented, and their rushers are quick. When it comes to getting a much-needed stop, I think Buffalo is the team that pulls it off. This is my one upset pick of the weekend. Prediction: Bills by 2