It's playoff time in the NFL. Here are my predictions for this weekend and Monday.
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans Los Angeles Chargers. Honestly, the home team has an advantage in the playoffs, and it's much bigger than in the regular season. However, the Texans just don't have any momentum heading into this game while the Chargers have won three in a row. The Chargers have a significant edge when it comes to their offensive line versus the Texans offensive line. The only hope Houston has is to generate enough pressure on Justin Herbert to force quick off-target throws on third downs. I think they will do that some but not quite enough. It would not shock me to see Houston win, but I just can't predict it to happen.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Baltimore. The Steelers are limping into the playoffs having been hammered by several opponents lately. The Ravens are as hot as any team right now. This is a matchup of divisional opponents who play each other twice. That means the game could be closer than one would think, but I expect the Ravens to come out on top.
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills Buffalo. The Broncos have exceeded expectations this year. If they had more experience, I would give them a chance in this game. However, the Bills have tons of playoff experience and are hungry to win a Super Bowl. I expect a Buffalo win.
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia. The Packers know how to play hard and generally play well. They killed Dallas in this same position last year, but the Eagles defense is miles better than the Dallas defense was last year. I think that defense will be the difference in a relatively close game.
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay. Talk about teams with playoff experience! The Buccaneers have won their division four years in a row. The Commanders have a rookie quarterback who is very talented but new to the playoffs. The teams are about evenly matched if you ask me, but I like the home team with it having the playoff experience edge.
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams in Arizona Los Angeles Rams. When the fires around the Los Angeles area forced this game to be moved to Arizona, I almost changed my pick to the Vikings, then I got to thinking that the Rams are very familiar with the stadium since they play the Cardinals there every year and usually do very well. The field has a natural grass playing surface. Both the Rams and Cardinals play home games on artificial turf. The natural grass surface could slow the speed of the Vikings receivers just a little. This is a game that figures to be very close. The defensive line of the Rams can generate a lot of pressure, and I did not like the way Vikings QB Sam Darnold looked against the Detroit Lions last week when they put pressure on him. The Rams already beat the Vikings once this year, and I think they can do it again in a very close game.
May God always be your number 1 draft pick!
Draftman Rick
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