Playoff Predictions: Divisional Round 2018

Well, better late than never I suppose. Check out my predictions for the Divisional Round below! One of these 8 remaining teams will get to taste championship glory this season. Which teams will perform in the clutch? Which teams will come away with the big upsets?

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

Saturday, 4:35 PM ET (Current Line, Falcons -3.0)

The Philadelphia Eagles were great this year. Unfortunately, it only took one injury for everything to fall apart. This team is simply not the same without Wentz. The defense is still good, but the offense is horrendously worse with Foles under center. The Eagles can no longer move the ball down the field with any consistency. This bodes well for the Falcons, whose defense just shut down the best offense in the league, holding the Rams to a mere 13 points last weekend. If Ryan can find even a sliver of his MVP form from last season, Atlanta will be a tough team to beat.

Prediction: The Falcon defense is relentless against the badly overmatched Eagle offense. Philadelphia fails to score in the first half, as the Falcons head into the break with a 13-0 lead. The second half is more of the same. In total, Foles throws two interceptions and loses two fumbles. The Falcons win easily, 23-7.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) @ New England Patriots (13-3)

Saturday, 8:15 PM ET (Current Line, Patriots -13.5)

Well, I guess anything can happen in a football game… but c’mon. We all know this game is going to be a blowout. The Titans are horrible. The fact that they won a playoff game is shocking. So, considering the fact that the Patriots generally don’t just roll over and lose like the Chiefs do, I assume that the Titans are not going to have much luck at Gillette Stadium this weekend. If you’re a desperate Titans fan looking for hope, you can always point to the fact that New England has the league’s 30th ranked pass defense. So maybe Mariota will have some success throwing the ball. But still, the Titan defense is going to have to slow down Brady at least a little bit if they hope to even stay in this game.

Prediction: The Titans score on their opening possession to take the early lead. However, the Patriots immediately respond with 21 unanswered points. At halftime, the Patriots lead 24-10. New England extends their lead in the second half, as Brady throws for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Patriots win, 38-17

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, 1:05 PM ET (Current Line, Steelers -7.0)

In a rematch of Week 5, the Jaguars and Steelers will once again square off at Heinz Field. During their regular season encounter, Roethlisberger threw 5 picks, 2 of which were returned for touchdowns, and Fournette ran for 181 yards and two scores in a 30-9 blowout. Still, the Steelers are the heavy favorites, which makes sense after seeing how badly the Jaguars performed against the Bills last week. The most enjoyable part of this game should be the battle between Ramsey and Brown. However, Brown may not be 100% for this contest, as his calf is still bothering him. While I don’t expect Roethlisberger and the offense to perform as poorly as they did in Week 5, I do expect them to have some trouble against this great Jacksonville defense.

Prediction: The game starts out tentatively, as both teams are afraid to make any mistakes. Neither team scores in the first quarter. The deadlock is broken when Bell scores on a 21-yard run. The game remains close, as the Jaguar defense does just enough to stay in the game. Down by 4 with 2 minutes to play. Bortles brilliantly leads the Jaguars down the field, until Dede Westbrook fumbles the ball away on the Pittsburgh 22 yard line. Steelers hold on for the win, 17-13.

New Orleans Saints (11-5) @ Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, 4:40 PM ET (Current Line, Vikings -5.0)

I expect the last game of the weekend to be the best game. The Vikings have played incredibly well this season, as they are sporting the league’s top defense. On offense, Keenum has been doing just enough to win games for the Vikings, and McKinnon and Murray have developed into a great “thunder and lightning” tandem in the backfield. Their first playoff game will be a huge test, as arguably the hottest team in football is coming to U.S. Bank Stadium, looking for a playoff road win. Brees looked phenomenal against the Panthers last weekend, but the Vikings are a much superior foe. New Orleans has all the right weapons, but Minnesota knows how to shut down any offense. In their Week 1 matchup, the Vikings held the Saints to 58 yards on the ground. If Minnesota is able to have the same success against the run this weekend, they are going to be tough to beat.

Prediction: Both defenses step up in this one, as the game ends up being a tight from beginning to end. At halftime, the game is tied at 10. The second half sees more of the same, as neither team is able to extend their lead beyond one score. With the game tied late in the fourth quarter, Keenum leads Minnesota down the field. With 3 seconds left in the game, Forbath is set up for a 36 yard game-winning field goal. He misses. Minnesota gets the ball first to start overtime, and they score on their very first play, a 75 yard pass to Diggs. Vikings win, 26-20 in overtime.

Sorry for all the spoilers! Hopefully you can still find some enjoyment in this weekend’s games anyways. Remember, it is about the journey, not the destination (though the journey is a little more boring when you know exactly where you are going to end up).