The second round of the road to the Super Bowl is this weekend with two games on both Saturday and Sunday. Below is a preview of the matchups from least exciting to most...
4. Jacksonville Jaguars @ Kansas City Chiefs
You could simply base this on it being the first game of the weekend, a Saturday afternoon, or that it has the largest spread of all the games, Jags getting 8.5 points. Or maybe it's because a playoff team with the worst regular season record, 9-8, is playing one with the best, 14-3. But not all hope for a competitive game is lost. The Chiefs have played close games this year, they are not the dominant force they've been in the past.
This season 12 of their 17 games have been decided by 10 points or less. In fact, in both their games this year against the Chargers, the Chiefs only won by 3 points in each, that same Chargers team the Jags just beat! But after a week off on bye as the #1 seed and following an emotional victory this past week for the Jaguars, the expectation is it'll be tough to bounce back against a high powered team and the Chiefs will take care of business.
See the results to our Props from the game!
Game time: Saturday, Jan 21, 4:30PM ET on NBC
3. New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
The Giants were not supposed to be in the playoffs this year. Their first year with a new head coach, new front office, and more or less the same team that finished last year with a record of 4-13. Not to mention in their last 10 games of the regular season, they only won 3. Likely the team with the least gifted roster remaining in the playoffs, but they just might have the best coach. But that only takes you so far, especially when up against a team as talented as the Eagles, the #1 seed in the NFC.
But there are some aspects that make this game compelling, at least more so than #4 on this list. After their last victory over the higher seeded Viking, the Giants feel that they can beat anyone. Especially a division rival who they know very well. While they’ve lost twice to the Eagles this season, as the old saying goes, it’s difficult to beat the same team three times in one season, not to mention in a row. The last variable is their MVP candidate QB, Jalen Hurts, is not necessarily 100% healthy. He missed two games before coming back for the season finale only to look rather rusty and not fully recovered. But now with an extra week of rest after the bye week, he appears to be back to full health. With that, and the rest of the studs on the Eagles roster healthy and ready to pounce, the expectation is they win by at least a touchdown.
See the results to our Props from the game!
Game time: Saturday, Jan 21, 8:15PM ET on FOX
2. Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers
There are many similarities between these two teams, and that's not even including the fact that this is a rematch of round 1 of last year's playoffs where the 49ers came out on top. To start, they are behemoths of football, maybe the two most known in the sport. Both are tied with the second most Super Bowl victories of 5. This season they support the two top defenses in the league, the rock solid driving force that carry each team. And only one win separated them in the regular season. The one key difference is on the offensive side of the ball. And that’s where things get very interesting.
The 49ers are currently on their third-string QB after injuries to their top two, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. In the current spotlight stands Brock Purdy, who was the very last pick of the most recent NFL draft. This pick is called “Mr. Irrelevant” because mostly, really all the time, the players picked here never turn into anything. But this kid is different. He seems very solid skillswise and poised under pressure. The 49ers have won all 7 games he’s started, a part of their current 11 game win streak. With statistics better than Cowboys’ QB, Dak Prescott, Purdy has led this 49ers team to one of the best offenses in the league. Doesn’t hurt to have all the stud playmakers and brilliant offensive minded head coach supporting him. So it’s with that where this matchup, while intriguing, leans toward the 49ers.
Don't forget to play our Props for the game!
Game time: Sunday, Jan 22, 6:30PM ET on FOX
1. Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills
So many intriguing storylines for this game. We must start with the great news that the recovery of Bills’ Demar Halin has gone very well and he is now joining his team at the team facilities throughout the week. For those unaware, 2.5 weeks ago Damar Hamlin fell to the ground during the first quarter of a game vs the Bengals with a heart attack and needed CPR administered on the field. The game was stopped, never continued, and ultimately canceled. There were many implications with this result. The biggest and most relevant right now, is if the Bengals had won that game, this current playoff game would instead be in Cincinnati instead of Buffalo. What a huge difference home field advantage makes, especially in the playoffs. And it’s very possible that the Bengals would have won that game, they were winning 7-3 and looked like the better team until the game was stopped.
Joe Burrow vs Josh Allen. The first time these two have played against each other. Without a doubt, the best matchup of QBs this weekend. After Patrick Mahomes (and maybe now Brock Purdy ;), they are unquestionably the two best QBs in the NFL right now. They have led their teams to be the top (Bills) and fifth (Bengals) ranked in DVOA in the league. DVOA measures a team's efficiency by comparing success on every single play to a league average based on situation and opponent. It is considered the best measurement to evaluate teams against one another. So it basically says that these two teams overall are two of the top 5 teams this season.
And both these two finished the regular season on fire. The Bengals closed out with an 8 game win streak while the Bills won 7 straight. But even with all this, neither looked very dominant in their first round playoff victories. With both appearing vulnerable, we should have ourselves a close and exciting showdown. Which one of these two future MVPs and Hall of Fame QBs will win the first of what will likely be many future battles between these two?
Don't forget to play our Props for the game!
Game time: Sunday, Jan 22, 3:00PM ET on CBS
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