Divisional Round Game Predix: Who Goes to Conference Championships?

Hi, here is my game predictions for the 4 divisional round games. I was 2-2 on predictions last week:

SATURDAY GAMES:

Falcons @ Eagles:
This is going to be a great game, possibly the best of the weekend. We have 2 teams who have totally flipped in a few short weeks. We have the Eagles who used to be the obvious, no. 1 Super Bowl pick and the Falcons sucked. Now the Eagles have lost their star QB and look like they are in a bad spot while the Falcons are playing like the best team in the NFC. Lets start by breaking down the Eagles offense. At QB Nick Foles has a lot of question marks around him as no one can tell if he is actually any good or not but I think people are way underrating him. If he plays well, it could be the key to the game. I think there is a 50/50 chance Foles is good and a 50/50 chance he is bad so the Eagles will hope they see the good Foles. The rest of the Eagles offense isn't a question mark. The O-line is top tier, the receiving core is also top tier head by breakout Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor. The run game is ALSO top tier with Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, and Corey Clement an amazing trio. The Eagles defense is also top 5. I am confident in this D. The Eagles have such an amazing team but

Eagles QB Nick Foles

their starter in the main position is bad so that could ruin everything. Foles will NEED to throw well for the Eagles to stay in this. Now lets look at Atlanta. Its rare that a #6 seed is favored on the road against a #1 seed but the Falcons are favored in this one. Atlanta is looking unstoppable. Matt Ryan has STEPPED up lately and is playing like his MVP self from last season. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman continue to be a punishing duo in the backfield and Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu are a great WR tandem. The O-line is also really good. Their D has also stepped up lately and they have a great CB room. I also LOVE linebacker Deion Jones who is constantly clutch. Atlanta just needs to make sure Nick Foles doesn't have one of his good games and that should be all they need. While I do not count out the Eagles, the Falcons have been so fiery lately and its hard to pick against them especially when the team's star QB is out. Atlanta the #6 seed will move onto the NFC championship.
FINAL SCORE: Falcons 24, Eagles 14

Titans @ Patriots:
While some people say the Pats could blowout the Titans, I think this game will be closer than that and with a possible Titans upset. The Pats are probably not very scared. Even if you think you can gameplan against them you really can't. The Pats can not be reckoned with in the playoffs and so on a rare occasion with a Pats playoff loss, the opposing team game-planned hard and got lucky. The last team to beat the Pats in the playoffs were the Denver Broncos in 2015. Lets start with the Titans team who upset a sad Chiefs team. Marcus Mariota has regressed this season but had an elite game last week as the Titans upset the Chiefs. Mariota played very well and made an amazing play also. He will need to play as well and better than he did last week for the Titans to stun the Pats. The Titans have a makeshift receiving core that has actually been working. What a story it would be if first round pick WR Corey Davis finally stepped up against the Pats. Eric Decker will be a good player to watch. Titans RB Derrick Henry was really good last week and if he does it again the Pats will be in for

Titans QB Marcus Mariota

trouble. The Titans O-line is maybe the best in the league. The Titans D could be better but defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau does a good job bringing pressure and will need to do that to limit Tom Brady. On the other hand, the Pats O is top tier. Brady is amazing as you know but has showed some cracks this year. This can not be a game where those cracks come out. The Pats run game has been steadily better with Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead. The receiving core is amazing with Brandin Cooks and Gronk. The O-line is great too. The Pats D is also playing at a very high level this season despite a bad start. The Pats obviously have a much better chance of winning but the Titans should not be slept on like they were last week. They are a good team that can go on the road and make upsets. While I want the Titans to win and think they could pull off the upset, I still see the reigning Super Bowl champs winning this to go to another AFC championship.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 34, Titans 24

SUNDAY GAMES:

Jaguars @ Steelers:
This game could go either way. The Jags offense sucks but their defense is amazing while on the other hand the Steelers offense is amazing but their defense sucks. Lets start by breaking down the Jags. The Jags have been up and down all season but their offense will NEED to be function otherwise they won't have a chance. QB Blake Bortles played well in 2015 but since then he's constantly been worse. There were times this season when he played okay and the Jags then looked like deep Super Bowl contenders but then he would be bad again. I expect him to play badly vs the Steelers but if he plays well, the Steelers could be screwed. RB Leonard Fournette has had a great rookie season and looks like he will be an elite back in the NFL for years to come. If he has a good game like I expect, it could be really good for the Jags. I also love Jags WR Keelan Cole. I think he is super underrated but quietly had a breakout season and I think could be an X factor in this game. The Jags O-line is decent but it hasn't seemed to matter much so far this season as the offense has handled ok. The Jags D as we know is by far the best in the league. Its scary playing against them. They boast 2 of the best young corners in the league, an amazing pass rush headlined by a leading defensive player of the year candidate, and a great linebacker core. This D will terrorize anyone...except

Steelers WR Juju Smith-Schuester

possibly for the Steelers. The Steelers were a different team when they lost to the Jags in week 5. Since then Big Ben has enjoyed an amazing season and the Steelers offense has once again been unstoppable. RB Le'Veon Bell has had yet another amazing season and should be tough to defend even for this Jags no. 1 D. If Bell has a good game that could easily demolish the Jags D. The Steelers receiving core is amazing. Antonio Brown cemented himself as the no. 1 WR in the league this year enjoying an AMAZING season in which he DOMINATED. I also LOVE Juju Smith Schuester the Steelers no. 2 receiver. Quietly he has had an amazing rookie season and may have been the steal of the draft. He is an X factor for the Steelers game and if the Jags forget about him, they will pay. The Steelers O-line is another top tier O-line like pretty much every line in the playoffs right now. The Steelers D will need to play well because if they can completely stop a bad Jags O, they will easily win. This will be a close game and it could go either way but I have to pick...
FINAL SCORE: Steelers 24, Jaguars 21

Saints @ Vikings:
This is my favorite game of the weekend because it could go literally either way. This is a great clash between 2 NFC super teams that are about even with power. I am so excited for this game and lets get into it. The Saints offense has been amazing this season. QB Drew Brees has shown no signs of slowing down and despite leading this team deep into the playoffs right now, he still has not signed a new deal with New Orleans even though his deal is up with them after this season. This possibly could be his last game as a Saint if they lose. The RB duo is the best in the league as you know. Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are unstoppable! You would think they would be better just having one but they are actually better together. It is crazy. The Saints WR's are so good as Michael Thomas is a great WR1 while Ted Ginn is a sneaky slot WR who does a lot for the team that you don't realize. The Saints O-line is really good which can only help. The Saints D is also SO good. Rookie CB Marshon Lattimore will likely be the Defensive Rookie of the Year and is so good. He might have a huge game which would hugely help the Saints. The Saints D is elite and it could push them over the top. Now the Vikings are also good on offense. QB Case Keenum has been literally amazing this season and he might have become my favorite breakout player of the year. He is my pick for

Vikings QB Case Keenum

comeback player of the year. If he plays as well as he has the entire season, the Vikings could be in for a good game. The Vikings also have a good RB duo. Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon are a sneaky duo that actually take over games. The Vikings also have a true elite receiver in breakout Adam Thielen. He is so unguardable and Case Keenum loves throwing to him. The Vikings O line is also pretty good. Moving on to D, the Vikes have a top 5 D. That could prove very useful against such a good O. They have defensive STARS everywhere from Harrison Smith to Xavier Rhodes to Everson Griffen to Anthony Barr. This will be the game of the week and super close but I have to give it to the...
FINAL SCORE: Vikings 35, Saints 28

Thanks for reading my predictions for the week!

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