The NFL postseason bracket roars on into the divisional round, and we look to take the next step from a strong week, going 5 of 6 on selections, to a perfect one with only four games on the slate.
It is an exciting group of teams remaining in my eyes, so there is not much else to do but crack into this one.
AFC Conference
When looking at this heavyweight bout, from a rest point of view the Broncos have the leg up, having earned a first-round bye by owning the number one seed heading into the playoffs. Another major positive for the Broncos is their elite defence, which for me is second only to the Houston Texans in the league. Outside of that, this marks Bo Nix’s second trip to the playoffs, and after last year’s early exit, I would expect him to be searching for some form of redemption.
Looking at the other side of this matchup, the Bills have one clear headliner, and that is the best quarterback remaining in the playoffs, Josh Allen, at the helm. The reigning MVP has taken his side to multiple AFC Championship games and other high-stakes matchups, where they have ultimately fallen short against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
For Allen, his roster is nowhere near as talented as the Broncos’, but with the difference he can make when he goes supernova, along with his playoff experience, I am leaning towards the Bills to claim this one on the Road.
My Pick: Bills To Win @ $1.94
The new regime of the New England Patriots are beginning to look like the side that dominated the NFL for the better part of two decades, with them finding another stud quarterback. That man is former third overall pick in the 2024 draft class, Drake Maye, who has taken the league by storm in his sophomore season.
While his step forward has been the most important factor, the rest of the Patriots, following their franchise leader’s suit, has also been a major bonus for the side, as they roared through the season and won their division. Last weekend in their wild card game, though, everything did look a little more sped up, as things often do in the playoffs, and it was not quite the same Patriots side we were used to seeing in postseason action.
The Texans, on the other hand, took their play to another level as soon as the single-elimination games hit. They went into Pittsburgh and stole their lunch money, while seemingly sending future Hall of Famers Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers into the sunset. Their offence was solid in that one, running the ball well and with C.J. Stroud making his plays, but it was the defence that played bully ball against the Steelers. I expect that unit, led by Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter, to flex their muscles in this one against a much less experienced quarterback in Drake Maye and, regardless of being on the road, cause issues for the North Carolina product.
For me, I think this one will be a 15-round, old-school heavyweight fight, and if there is one team you do not want to be stuck in that ring with, it is the Texans, so give me them on the road.
My Pick: Texans To Win @ $2.45
NFC Conference
The second game on Sunday will see the 49ers take on one of the most improved sides this season in the Seattle Seahawks. After taking a swing on Sam Darnold in the offseason and paying him like a franchise quarterback, he has certainly been that for Mike McDonald and his staff, as through around 12 weeks of the season he was leading MVP discussions. Outside of him, the Seahawks have one of the best receivers in the game in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, along with an offensive line that tends to win most of its battles.
The most exciting part of the team, though, is on defence, where across all three levels they are able to suffocate opponents, firstly with their talent and secondly with the head coach’s innovative schematics, which will certainly be a thorn in Kyle Shanahan’s side.
The 49ers, on the other hand, remain somewhat the walking wounded, losing George Kittle last weekend but obviously still getting the win in the wild card round. The offence is once again the key unit for them, led by Kyle Shanahan, who remains one of the best minds in the game, and Brock Purdy playing some solid football under centre.
Many will count out the Niners on the road against a well-rested opponent who, for the most part, have been utterly dominant this year. However, I for one think this Kyle Shanahan side has one more trick up its sleeve during this playoff run, and we have also never seen Sam Darnold play good football in the postseason.
My Pick: 49ers To Win @ $3.40
The last game on this slate is the best one on paper in my books, and I cannot wait to watch this one come Monday afternoon. The visiting side are a team I felt before the season had everything in place to go all the way back to the Super Bowl, along with the best quarterback and head coach pairing left in the playoffs. I do not need to go in depth into that pairing, as I have waxed lyrical about them at just about every chance, so I want to focus instead on this side’s defence.
The Rams were able to overhaul this unit with so much talent in the later rounds of the draft, and their coordinator, who might be the cream of the crop in the current head coaching cycle, Chris Shula, has turned it into one of the best units in the league, irrespective of it being the lowest-paid group.
On the other side waiting for that defence is Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, who look to be a budding pair of superstars as head coaches and quarterbacks go in this league. Johnson is always one step ahead of other teams’ play callers, while Caleb Williams lives for the big moment, seemingly always coming up clutch down the stretch. While they are freakishly talented, I do worry about this team’s run game and their overall defence, which is susceptible to being dominated during games.
So when coming up against a Rams side that is built to expose those weaknesses of the Bears, I am not sure that cold weather and Caleb Williams’ brilliance will be enough to propel Chicago over the Rams.
My Pick: Rams To Win @ $1.50