Wild Card weekend was just that: Wild. After a close first half, the San Francisco 49ers took over and sent the Seattle Seahawks home, outscoring Seattle 25 to 6 in the second half. Then on Saturday night we saw the Jacksonville Jaguars go down 27-0 after four interceptions were thrown by Trevor Lawrence in the first half. But the Jaguars would come back in the second half and kick the game winning field goal as time expired to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30.
To start off Sundays' slate of games, we saw the Buffalo Bills outlast the Miami Dolphins thanks to some poor clock management and timeout usage in the second half by Miami's offense. Then the New York Giants provided our first upset, beating the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 with the biggest storyline from that game was Kirk Cousins' decision to pass the ball short of the sticks on the game-deciding fourth down play. But Sunday's trend of poor play calling, and clock management did not end there as the Baltimore Ravens decided to waste a lot of time in the final minute despite having all three timeouts. The Ravens would eventually rely on a final play Hail Mary that would fall just short, giving the Cincinnati Bengals the 24-17 win. And to cap things off, the Dallas Cowboys took advantage of a very stagnant offense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and despite four missed extra points, advanced to the Divisional Round with a 31-14 win.
So now we have our four divisional games to see who will be committing in the conference championships. All four divisional winners still remain in the AFC. While in the NFC, three of the four remaining teams reside in the NFC East. The oldest quarterback, Dak Prescott, is 29, and youth at the QB1 position is starting to shift the NFL landscape. But with that all being said, we have four games this weekend and here they are ranked, from worst-to-best in terms of entertainment value.
4. No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)
- How to Watch: NBC
- Date/Time: Jan 21, 4:30 p.m. (EST)
- Betting: KC -8.5, O/U: 53
The Jacksonville Jaguars got out to a slow start last weekend but will have to avoid that slow start as they take on one of the best offenses in the NFL in the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs. Is there enough magic left from Duval? Or will the Chiefs handle business and advance to the AFC title game?
Final Score: Kansas City 38, Jacksonville 24.
3. No. 6 New York Giants (9-7-1) at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
- How to Watch: FOX
- Date/Time: Jan 21, 8:15 p.m. (EST)
- Betting: PHI -7.5, O/U: 8
The New York Giants were picked by many to upset the Vikings as there is a new identity for this team led by Brian Daboll. But the Philadelphia Eagles have had a week to get healthy and are ready to show why they were the best team in the NFC all season long. Will the Eagles back up their talk as the one seed? Or are the Giants destined to be the underdog that just finds ways to win?
Final Score: Philadelphia 34, New York 27.
2. No. 5 Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
- How to Watch: FOX
- Date/Time: Jan 22, 6:30 p.m. (EST)
- Betting: SF -4, O/U: 46.5
The Dallas Cowboys are not playing an offense and defense that is significantly better than what they just played in their Wild Card matchup against the Tampa Bay Bucs. But, the San Francisco 49ers are also playing a team who is a step above what they just played on both sides of the ball. Can Dak get the Cowboys to the NFC Championship? Or will the 49ers prove to be too much?
Final Score: San Francisco 36, Dallas 23.
1. No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (13-4) at No.2 Buffalo Bills (13-3)
- How to Watch: CBS
- Date/Time: Jan 22, 3:00 p.m. (EST)
- Betting: BUF -5, O/U: 48
In what could be one of the best playoff games all season, the Cincinnati Bengals look to continue their AFC title defense as they go on the road to take on the Buffalo Bills who are looking to get past last season's divisional round exit. Can the Bills take care of the ball and advance? Or will Burrow and the Bengals get to their second straight AFC Championship game?
Final Score: Buffalo 38, Cincinnati 37.