Happy Sunday, everyone! Today is day two of the NFL Divisional Round. What an unbelievable first two games we had on Saturday. Evan McPherson knocked down the game-winning field goal to send the Bengals to the AFC Championship over the top-seeded Titans. Then, later that night, Jordan Willis and Talanoa Hufanga punched in the game-tying touchdown on a blocked punt against the Packers. Then, Robbie Gould, who has never missed a field goal in the postseason, nails down another one right down the middle to send the 49ers to the NFC Championship. Now, both of the NFL Divisional games are high stakes today. Not only do the winners today go to their conference championship, but they will host the game. Two unbelievable matchups happen today: Rams-Buccaneers and Bills-Chiefs. I’m excited and you should be too. Here are my picks to wrap up the Divisional Round:
Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) (-3)
Over the years, we have learned one thing: never bet against Tom Brady. Tom Brady may be without his star right tackle Tristan Wirfs, and doesn’t have Chris Godwin or Antonio Brown, but no one gets rid of the ball better than Brady. The Rams lead the series 18-9, and many are betting on them to win due to their loaded, all-in roster. They have Matthew Stafford at the helm, throwing the ball to Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Their defense is stacked as well, with Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and Jalen Ramsey. But, Tampa’s defense is just as scary, with the best linebacker depth in the NFL. When in doubt, bet on Tom Brady to get the job done.
Tune into Rams at Buccaneers at 3 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.
Buffalo Bills (11-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) (-1.5)
This is the matchup I have been looking forward to the most. Even though I do hate both teams because of my Patriots fandom, these two teams are tough as hell. Patrick Mahomes has Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to throw the ball to, as well as handing it off to Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Their defense includes Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu. Buffalo has their best team in recent years, despite what last year’s team looked like. Their defense ranks #1 in the NFL, and there’s a good reason why. With Ed Oliver, Tremaine Edmunds, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde, there’s no doubt they’re the best defensively. Offensively, they have Josh Allen throwing to Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders, Gabriel Davis, and Dawson Knox. Running back Devin Singletary has been on fire as well. It’s a tough ask for the Bills to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs in Arrowhead Stadium, where they have only lost once in the playoffs since Mahomes became the quarterback. I’ll take the Chiefs, as they have the best home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Tune into Bills at Chiefs at 8:15 PM ET on CBS and Paramount+.
Calhoun's Corner 