NFL Divisional Round Preview (2023)

I write the introduction to these posts at the very end, which means I’m going to cut this one short, since the first game is about to kick-off.

AFC	NFC
Kansas City Chiefs	Philadelphia Eagles
Buffalo Bills	San Francisco 49ers
Cincinatti Bengals	Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Los Angeles Chargers	Dallas Cowboys
Baltimore Ravens	New York Giants
Miami Dolphins	Seattle Seahawks

Jacksonville Jaguars (4) at Kansas City Chiefs (1)

I don’t think the Jaguars are going to be able to cope with the atmosphere at Arrowhead. Trevor Lawrence acknowledged that it is one of, if not the best, atmospheres in the NFL. However, he also said he can’t imagine it’ll be much louder than Jacksonville was last Saturday.

They should’ve cut off his microphone at the podium before that last line. All week, I’ve been seeing things like, “Hey Chiefs fans, let’s break our own decibel record on Saturday.”

He just poked about 75,000 bears.

The Chiefs should be well rested and I expect them to come out firing. A score of 21-0 after the 1st quarter would not surprise me.

I’m sure the Jaguars are going into the game with a “Let’s shock the world mentality” and that’s great, but reality is going to take over. The Chiefs have been there and done that (multiple times), while the Jaguars are fresh on the seen.

If nothing else, this will be a good experience for the Jaguars. They’ll get it out of their system and know what to expect in the future.

Prediction: Chiefs Win, 38-17

New York Giants (6) at Philadelphia Eagles (2)

First of all, I must touch upon the breaking news from this morning. As of 11:18 AM, the Giants team hotel had no water. They couldn’t shower. Probably couldn’t flush the toilet. There was a busted pipe.

At 12:04 PM, it was revealed that the water was back on.

What effect will this have on the game tonight? Are the Giants’ body clocks thrown off? Do they think a saboteur was on the loose? Have Scooby and the gang found the guilty party hanging out in the basement of the hotel, with a mask on?

Something like this would happen before a big soccer game. Not the Scooby Doo part (but maybe). I’ve seen the stories of fans blaring sirens and horns, and setting off fireworks outside a visiting countries hotel the night before a match. Anything to get an advantage.

I’m overhyping this. I’m sure the Giants are fine.

The Eagles were rolling through the first 15 weeks of the season, and then Jalen Hurts injured his shoulder. He sat for two games – the Eagles lost both – and returned in Week 18 against the Giants to end the regular season with a win.

My question is: are the Eagles back in rhythm? Will it take them a few series to get going, or are they going to come out flying and put everyone’s doubts to rest?

For a team that finished atop the NFC, they seem to have been lapped by the 49ers as the team to beat. I feel like the Eagles are ready to plant their flag and make a statement.

The Giants are going to go into Philadelphia and be unbothered by the atmosphere. They are division rivals. There are no secrets between these two teams. To that end, I’m sure each team probably has a trick play, or two, to unveil at some point.

If Daniel Jones can get out in space and run the ball, then the Eagles defence is going to have a tough time getting off the field. That being said, I could write the exact same sentence about Jalen Hurts

This game could come down to who has the ball last and how the wind is blowing at the time of a game-winning field goal.

Last week, my heart said Giants, but I went with the Vikings.

This week…

Prediction: Giants Win, 27-24

Cincinnati Bengals (3) at Buffalo Bills (2)

This could be the best game of the year. I have no clue what’s going to happen.

The Bills defence goes from Waddle and Hill last week, to Chase and Higgins this week. And then if they win, they probably get Mahomes next week. If the Bills make it to the Super Bowl, they will have run the gauntlet.

I don’t think either team was able to fully spread their wings last week and put forth a complete playoff performance. This week, they’ll be ready for each other.

I can’t even put into words what this game will be because I can see the teams going back and forth the entire way. They’ll each lean on their playmakers – I think Josh Allen is going to lean on Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis a lot.

He got into trouble last week when he threw to John Brown and Cole Beasley – two receivers who came in midway through the year.

I’m just over here drooling at what this game is going to be. Whichever defence makes a big play at the right time, will win the game.

Prediction: Bengals Win, 34-28

Dallas Cowboys (5) at San Francisco 49ers (2)

The Cowboys will be Brock Purdy’s toughest test yet, by far. The 49ers sent the Cowboys packing last year inside Jerry World, but I don’t know how much last year’s game will contribute to this one.

Will it give the Cowboys extra motivation? I feel like they’d have enough motivation, but if last year’s loss is something they’ve wanted to avenge and this is their chance…well then maybe they do come out with more intensity and focus.

The 49ers will go into this game with 8 days of rest, while the Cowboys will have had 6 days of rest. I’ll defer to professional athletes for what that means. However, from my perspective, it seems unfair for obvious reasons.

The Cowboys made a statement against the Buccaneers and if they defeat the 49ers, it’ll be an even bigger one.

Could you imagine an all-NFC East conference championship game next week? Unbelievable. For many years, it was the little division that couldn’t. And now, here they are on our television sets in the playoffs.

Just like the Bengals-Bills game, I really have no clue how this game is going to go.

Prediction: Cowboys Win, 27-21

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