NFL Divisional Playoffs
1. Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers– This has old school written all over it. The Vikings stunned the world with their shocking win over the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday. Kirk Cousins finally silenced his critics by winning his first-ever playoff game. Talk about a gritty game, that’s exactly what we saw in New Orleans. That was the Vikings’ first playoff road win since the 2004 season. The 49ers are playing January football for the first time in six years. They’ve been the biggest shocker this year. 13 wins, a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo, a stingy defense, and consistent running game have them in this position. These two will kick off the divisional round on Saturday afternoon.
2. Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens– If you like black and blue football, this is the game for you. Both these teams are more similar than you may realize. Both pride themselves on establishing a physical brand of football, they each have running backs that can run the ball consistently and they both play good defense. Ryan Tannehill may not be the athlete that Lamar Jackson is, but he can move the pocket. The Titans punched New England in the mouth on Saturday. The Ravens enter winners of 12 in a row. Saturday night can’t get here soon enough. These are the games that make me want to put the shoulder pads on.
3. Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs– The second-ever meeting between Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. When they met this year, the Texans handed the Chiefs their second straight loss. I was impressed with how Houston was able to bounce back after being down 16 points to the Buffalo Bills. You saw “Clemson Deshaun” come out and will his team to a victory. The Chiefs enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league. This is the second straight year they’ve had a first-round bye and the third time in four years. I truly think this could be one of the next great quarterback rivalries.
4. Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers– The history between these two teams! From the infamous Matt Hasselbeck guarantee to Fail Mary and even the epic NFC title game, they played in 2015. This has always been one of my favorite matchups. This time, we get it in the playoffs. Seattle loves playing away from home. They almost look like a different team. The Seahawks ground the game out to win against the Eagles to advance. The Packers won their first division title since 2016. Let’s see how the week off is to them. It’s another meeting between Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
