NFL Divisional round predictions – AFC

Cincinnati Bengals vs Tennessee Titans

This match up should be a good ole fashioned shoot out. The Bengals have arguably the best receiving room in league with Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase. Along side their excellent receivers the Bengals have a Pro-bowl running back in Joe Mixon. And the man that ties it all together, the gunslinger, Joe Shiesty, Joe Brrrrrr, Joe Burrow. Burrow is becoming a top QB in the league and a win over the 1 seed will solidify him as one of the best in the league.

pc: nfl.com

The Titans may be the least talked about 1 seed in recent memory, and for them, it may be a good thing. They get star running back Derrick Henry back for this match-up (the first time he’s played since week 8). With Henry back, their passing game might actually improve, QB Ryan Tannehill with King Henry in the backfield averages around 10 yards on play-action passes compared to abruptly 6 yards on play-action passes. The Bengals are also the 5th worse defense against play-action passes.

I have the Bengals nabbing the victory over the Titans 45-35.

Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs

The Bills are coming into this game hottttttt. Last week they blew out the Patriots, scoring tuddies on their first 7 drives. Led by QB Josh Allen and elite receiver Stefon Diggs the Bills offense is scary and hungry. While their defense has played well as well, they will have a tough task at hand facing TikTok legend Jackson Mahomes’s older brother Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes, who had struggled early this year, has been playing back at an elite level. Alongside Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, this offense is poised to have another deep playoff but they need to get past Buffalo first.

With a rematch from last year, I believe the Bills taking the victory this year 31-21

pc: wsj.com

Philadelphia Freedom…not so sweet

The Eagles…what can I say about the Eagles? As I sit here typing on this beautiful San Diego night, I look back on the day’s occurrences. While my family and I sat down to a game of Scrabble without one “E” tile, we discussed the most recent failure of our beloved Philadelphia Eagles. “It’s the coaching”, my mother said. “It’s all Andy Reid’s fault.” I have only ever followed the Eagles while Andy Reid has coached them. Yes, I feel it is time for a change also. But, how would this even feel? Certainly wouldn’t feel right for a few weeks. Seeing a new coach on the Eagles sideline. Turnover after turnover occurred for the Eagles and once again found themselves on the losing end of a very sloppy competition. This time, it was made even more humiliating because they suffered at the cleats of the Buffalo Bills. What is happening with the supposed “Dream Team”? Are they really all hype? Are they really just a high payroll franchise? How can this be corrected? I’d welcome any comment on this very pressing matter.

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Please, think of the Philadelphian children.

Dream Team travels to Buffalo

A couple posts ago, I expressed my surprise regarding the Buffalo Bills’ progress through the NFL season. Now, I’m out to say that the Bills’ story ends here. The Philadelphia Eagles (for whom I have a very extreme bias) face off against the Cinderella story Bills in Buffalo this Sunday. I will be taking the trip home to San Diego to witness this battle with my family. I have been a fan of the NFL for years and as long as I can remember, I have never been really all that excited for a game between the Eagles and Bills. However, with the Eagles seeking a much-needed second win and the Bills showing that they aren’t going to just roll over this season, I have pre game butterflies for this competition. The so-called “Dream Team” will enter battle once again. Will we be surprised as fans and witness a well-played game? My vote goes for no. I love the Eagles, but after the past few weeks, it has been very difficult to be an Eagles fan. After the massive pickups in the offseason (Asomugha, Babin, Young, Brown, Rodgers-Cromartie, Jenkins) we were slated to be competing for a Super Bowl. Now, it’s not even an easy game to face the Bills. Don’t put your money on either team. The Eagles because of their horrid play this season and the Bills because even though they beat the Patriots two weeks ago, they lost to the Bengals last week. What has this league come to?

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If this trend of random wins keeps up, the 49ers are going to face the Browns in the Super Bowl with the halftime show being Lil Bow Wow. See what I did there? I named three things people don’t care about.

Please NFL. Stop confusing us.

How about those…BILLS?!?!?!

As I’m sitting in my hotel room in Los Angeles this past weekend with my NFL-addicted family. Football games are on and emotions fly. It was a sad sight to watch the flightless Eagles perish against the equally as ineffective Giants. But, as I have known, anything can happen on any given day in the NFL. That includes the AFC East powerhouse New England Patriots falling to the usually pathetic Buffalo Bills. The New York misfit franchise came back from a score of 21-10 to defeat the Patriots by a score of 34-31. This brings the Bills’ record to 3-0. Wait, WHAT?! THE BILLS?!?! I’m not going to complain. I am tired, as I’m sure many others are, of the Patriots winning everything year after year after year. I’m glad a team finally put them in their place. However, I never thought for one second that this team would be the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick graduated from the football “powerhouse” known as Harvard University, has led the Bills through the first part of the season with perfection. However, Harvard grads rarely opt to enter the NFL. In fact, to my knowledge, only one other player in NFL history has graduated from Harvard and played for at least 7 seasons (Matt Birk). Maybe teams should add Harvard as a college of interest when they recruit players pre-draft. Certainly seems to have worked out well for the Bills. Will it last? I don’t know. Like I said, anything can happen.