Welcome to the Elite 8 or the Divisional Round of the playoffs. If you picked against me last week during the Wild Card, you had an amazing weekend. My record was 1-3, which dropped my overall record to 84-47. The winning percentage dipped from 65.5 to 64.1%. The only win was the Houston Texans beating the Buffalo Bills in an overtime thriller. The other three games saw the road team come away victorious. The Tennessee Titans went to New England and beat the Patriots on an amazing performance by Derrick Henry. In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings went to New Orleans and upset the Saints in OT. In the nightcap, Seattle went to Philadelphia and beat the Eagles 17-9 again. In the AFC, Tennessee will travel to Baltimore to battle the top seed Ravens. In the other game, Houston travels to Kansas City to meet the Chiefs.
With their win over New Orleans, Minnesota travels to the Bay to battle the San Francisco 49ers. In the other game, Seattle travels to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers. Who will play each other in the conference championship games next weekend?
We kick things off with the Minnesota Vikings visiting San Francisco to battle the 49ers. Kirk Cousins finally got the monkey off his back with the win over the Saints. Minnesota has the kind of team that could make a Super Bowl run. On offense, they can run the ball, plus Kirk Cousins got a pair of WRs and TE to get the ball to. On defense, they have the personnel to go head-to-head with anyone in the league. With the win in New Orleans, they should feel confident on the road against San Francisco. San Francisco has the defense that could counter everything Minnesota will throw at them. The 49ers defensive line is the best in the league and they’re getting Dee Ford back also. Greg Kittle should have a huge game as the 49ers will eventually walk away with the win against Minnesota.
San Francisco Win 30-20
Just like the NFC, we have the top seed battling the #6 seed. The Tennessee Titans travel to Baltimore to battle the Ravens. The Titans went to New England last week and upset the defending champions. Tennessee did it with a great running game and their stout defense. If Tennessee is going to upset Baltimore, they need to execute the same game plan. Tennessee will have a tough time trying to contain a QB like Lamar Jackson. Can the Titans pull off another upset? Baltimore has been the hottest team in the league the last 3 to 4 months. The Ravens have the best running offense in the league, but the health of Mark Ingram will be in question.
The Ravens defense is just as tough as the Titans and they will need to slow down Derrick Henry. Can the Ravens get by the pesky Titans and host the AFC title game next week? If Tennessee were to win it wouldn’t shock me, but I’m going with Baltimore to edge the Titans.
Baltimore Win 26-21
We have the Houston Texans traveling to Kansas City to battle the Chiefs. The Texans survived a tough Bills team to advance to the Divisional Round. Houston actually beat Kansas City on the road earlier in the season. If Houston is going to advance to the AFC title game, they need to protect Deshaun Watson more. The Bills defense pressured Watson all game and they sacked him seven times. The Texans defense will have to deal with a mobile and more accurate passer in Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City earned the first round bye after the Patriots lost to the Dolphins in the final game. The Chiefs should be healthy for this matchup. The addition of Terrell Suggs could be huge for the Chiefs in the playoffs. Suggs will add another pass rusher to try and frustrate Watson all game.
The Chiefs offense could be in line to expose the Texans secondary. If Watt can be effective, this could turn into a defensive battle. In the end, the Chiefs will avenge their loss from earlier in the season and advance to the AFC title game.
Kansas City Win 31-21
The final game of the weekend will see the Seattle Seahawks travel to Green Bay to face the Packers. The Seahawks went to Philly last weekend and beat the Eagles 17-9 for the second time this season. The Seahawks are one of the best road teams in the NFL. Throughout the years, it seemed like it doesn’t matter the condition either. Seattle will head to the cold weather of Green Bay. The Seahawks are hoping for a repeat performance like the one they had against the Eagles. Carson Wentz went down with a head injury and Aaron Rodgers is one of the best to do it. Can Clowney and those guys up front pressure Rodgers? Green Bay was quietly one of the better teams in the league this season.
In the past, we all could credit Aaron Rodgers, but not this season. Green Bay relied on their running game, especially Aaron Jones and the defense. This will be a close and whoever has the ball last will win. I’m rolling with Green Bay to win on a game winning field goal to advance to the NFC title game.
Green Bay Win 24-23
AFC Championship Game
Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs
NFC Championship Game
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
What do you think about my 2020 Divisional Round prediction? Who do you have winning the 2020 Divisional Round games? Who do you want to win the 2020 Divisional Round games? Leave some feedback below about anything related to the 2020 Divisional Round games or anything NFL related.
