We're now into the second week of the National Football League's postseason, and it's now down to 8 teams to fight for the Lombardi Trophy. It's time for some hot takes on the Divisional round.
The Games
6Minnesota Vikings (10-6) @ 1San Francisco 49ers (13-3), Saturday, January 11, 2020, 3:35 PM CST
The Vikings are coming off of a highly improbable victory over one of the favourites to win the NFC this season. Kirk Cousins was able to find a way to make plays in big games and get the win in a high-pressure situation, but is he going to be able to pull the feat off two weeks in a row. The Niners are also favourites to win the NFC this season, and they are also playing the Vikings at home, but will it go the same way. I would look for the Niners front seven to shine here. They're going to get after the Vikings offensive line and make their job hard. That's going to make things difficult to win for a second week in a row against a contender for the NFC and Super Bowl. If the Viks want a hope to win, they need to run the ball well and keep it close, but I don't see that happening. It's tempting to take the Viks, but I'm not taking them yet, maybe if they win.
I expect the Niners to take notice of what happened last week in New Orleans and be prepared for the Viks.
6Tennessee Titans (9-7) @ 1Baltimore Ravens (14-2), Saturday, January 11, 2020, 7:15 PM CST
The Titans should be high coming off their big win last week, upsetting the New England Patriots (who were not contenders to win the AFC in my opinion). This Team showed that they can play well down the stretch, and the insertion of Ryan Tannehill has provided a spark that this team is using to make a Cinderella run, but Baltimore is a very different beast than New England is this year. Baltimore posted the league's best record at 14-2. This team broke their franchise record for points in a season. They've lit up the scoreboard on pretty much every team, and the defence is capable of shutting down almost every team this season, especially after the insertion of Marcus Peters, who has found another level to play on since joining the Super Bowl contenders and has this team on top of the league with a twelve game win streak. The hope that the Titans have is Derrick Henry, who has been running all over teams this year. The Titans need to keep the ball away from Lamar to have a hope of moving on to the AFC Championship Game, but even that may not be enough.
Baltimore can drain the clock, or strike quickly. My one concern is that Lamar's one playoff game came last year in a loss to the Chargers at home. If he can shake the nerves of playing in the big time, which he has shown he can do this season, the Ravens will not have to worry about their quarterback play.
The Ravens defence is hot, and I'd rather bet on Lamar against the Titans' defence, than Tannehill against the Ravens' defence. Give me the Ravens to do what everyone expects them to.
4Houston Texans (10-6) @ 2Kansas City Chiefs (12-4), Sunday, January 12, 2020, 2:05 PM CST
This game has the possibility of being sneaky good, or complete rubbish. The Texans barely survived the Buffalo Bills last week, but they're playing this week, and Buffalo isn't. The Chiefs are coming off of a bye and should be ready to play. Andy Reid has his team in a great spot again this year after a long run last year with hotshot, young quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The concern of the defence has faded down the stretch, but will it resurface. The real concern in this game will be the Chiefs' defensive unit. If they can hold off the Texans attack, they will be able to stay alive to play next week for the AFC title, but if not, I foresee the Texans pulling off an upset that many people don't see.
I'll going to take the Chiefs in this one because I expect them to be ready to play this week, and that is the major factor in my mind. If they show up, the Chiefs will be around to play next week.
5Seattle Seahawks (11-5) @ Green Bay Packers (13-3), Sunday, January 12, 2020, 5:40 PM CST
This is a great matchup for this week, and really could have been a matchup for next week if the cards lined up properly. The Seahawks were relegated to Wildcard Weekend, but displayed enough to defeat the Eagles to move on. In my opinion, both these teams are underperforming. The Seahawks limped down the stretch, but were within an inch of winning the NFC West. Green Bay was winning close games all the time this season, and playing down to their competition. That can be very dangerous in this league. This week, do I want to pick the team that is underperforming the whole season, or underperforming the end of the season? Both are bad, but I'm going to take the team that is underperforming lately. The 'Hawks have a great quarterback in Russell Wilson, and the Packers have their own in Aaron Rodgers, but the Pack is not the team that it should be and their record is a lot better than the team.
I have more confidence in the 'Hawks than in the Pack, or in actuality, I have less confidence in the Pack than the 'Hawks, I'll take the team from Seattle to play for the NFC title.
Players to Watch
MIN @ SF: In this one, the players to watch are the Niners front seven. If they are able to get pressure on Cousins and make him do things that he doesn't want to or isn't prepared to do, then that will decide this game for sure. If not, we may watch the Vikings take down another top seed.
TEN @ BAL: How can I not name this guy: Lamar Jackson. When I watched the Ravens this season, he has stood out in every game. He will stun you with his legs with his dazzling runs, and his passing ability to make you respect both aspects of his game, which is what makes him dangerous. If he doesn't show up, the Ravens don't play next week.
HOU @ KC: I'm going to make a similar move to the Minnesota San Francisco Player to Watch, the Kansas City Defense. If they can be the better version of themselves this year, they should have nothing to worry about when they play Houston, if not, they may be concerned about not playing next week.
SEA @ GB: Watch for Aaron Rodgers in this game. He needs to lead this team to a complete game. They don't need to dominate Seattle, but they do need to be the better team, which they haven't been for all their games this year. Watch to see if Rodgers can lead his team on a deep run in the playoffs, starting Sunday.
Upset Alert
The Packers are on upset alert this week. The 'Hawks are a really good team, and cannot be underestimated, which is what I think that Packers may do. After a week of many upsets, this may be the only one this weekend.
La Cheeserie, Littles
Fight On, Sleepers
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