The first round of the playoffs is officially in the books. If we had the guts to pick the Packers over the Cowboys, our NFL picks and predictions would have been in really good shape and might not be changing much for this week. But recency bias is real, and there are definitely some things making us sway in a different direction after predicting the entire playoffs last week.
Where are we going with this week's playoff matchups? We have some familiar faces facing off against each other, of course, so why don't we start there? Let's take a look at all of the Divisional Round games and make our playoff predictions for every remaining game after that, all the way through the Super Bowl.
(3) Kansas City Chiefs @ (2) Buffalo Bills
Sunday, January 21, 6:30 PM ET
All of the NFL world has to be cringing at the thought that a game being played in other-worldly temperatures would be the "spark" the Kansas City Chiefs needed to get back on track.
And the standard for the Chiefs is truly that high at this point, absolutely. Kansas City has not been great this year offensively. They lost six games in the regular season, and won a number of other close games where they didn't exactly play well. Certainly not always offensively.
Now the entire NFL world is wondering who is going to be the team to take Kansas City out of the mix, because surely it has to be someone else besides Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and now Taylor Swift...right?
The good news for the Chiefs? They get to head from the frozen tundra that is Kansas City and head up to Buffalo where it's...Obviously just as bad.
The early line here has the Bills as three-point favorites, but I think they're going to stamp their trip to the AFC Championship with some authority. Even against a really good KC defense.
Prediction: Bills win 34-28
(4) Houston Texans @ (1) Baltimore Ravens
Saturday, January 20, 4:30 PM ET
How impressive have CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans been this season? I was on the fence about that game against the Cleveland Browns, but the Texans won so decisively that they've given us all something to think about as they go on the road for the Divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens.
Even without one of his top targets, rookie Tank Dell, CJ Stroud was spreading the ball around the field and absolutely dealing.
In this matchup, however, it's going to be up to the Texans to continue forcing turnovers, continue causing havoc in the backfield, and making plays on the back end. They can't leave this one up to CJ Stroud because that's way too much pressure to put on a rookie.
The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the NFL's best-run operations all season, and it looks like they're potentially going to be getting star tight end Mark Andrews back for the Divisional Round. With so many weapons and players who have been in these big spots before, how can you pick against the Ravens?
They are favored by 8.5 points in this one and you can't help but feel like that's on the low end. This is the team with the biggest point differential of any in the NFL, capable of dominating both offensively and defensively.
Prediction: Ravens win 37-27
(7) Green Bay Packers @ (1) San Francisco 49ers
Saturday, January 20, 8:00 PM ET
The Green Bay Packers were so impressive in the first round of the NFL playoffs that I think they're going to be a popular pick in round two, but we need to pump the brakes for just a moment and remember how good the 49ers have been this season.
If they hadn't benched everyone in the final week of the season, the 49ers might have finished with the best point differential in the league. This team is obviously one of the most well-oiled machines with superstars and depth offensively and defensively. They present a completely different task than the Dallas Cowboys because of the fact that they have so many go-to weapons on offense, including league MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey.
The 49ers make it so hard to key in on any one player offensively that there's really only one way to get past them -- you've got to make Brock Purdy have a bad game. They are so overwhelmingly good, in fact, that the opening betting line for this game is a whopping 9.5 points.
Wait...what?
How is it possible that the Packers could go from beating the Dallas Cowboys by a million to losing to the 49ers by 10?
The Packers have been fortunate so far in the postseason. Unlike teams getting games rescheduled or having to play in -30 degree weather, the Packers played indoors at Dallas and will now travel to Santa Clara to take on the 49ers. Removal of the elements plays into Green Bay's favor tremendously and I think they can actually make some noise in this game against the 49ers.
But ultimately, just like last week against Dallas, I don't have the faith in Green Bay to put my money where my mouth is.
Prediction: 49ers win 34-27
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ (3) Detroit Lions
Sunday, January 21, 3:00 PM ET
The Detroit Lions just played one of the more incredible playoff games you'll witness. It was the first time the Lions have won a playoff game since 1992, and it came against a franchise legend at the quarterback position.
Although Matthew Stafford played incredible football in his years with the Detroit Lions, he wanted out of town in 2021 and the Lions granted his request. How painful was it for Detroit fans to watch Stafford go and win a Super Bowl in his first year with the Rams? Bad enough that they booed a beloved player in his return to Detroit.
But this Lions team is as-advertised. They are tough. They are nearly impossible to defend offensively. They've got so much going for them and I don't think anything (or anyone) is really going to stand in their way as they reach the NFC Championship in front of their home crowd.
But as soon as you say that, you see the way the Bucs just played against the Eagles. As down bad as the Eagles were this season, you can't help but be impressed by the way Tampa Bay's defense has played and if that Bucs offense can limit mistakes...
The Lions might be on upset alert, but I think they come away with another close win.
Prediction: Lions win 24-22
(2) Buffalo Bills @ (1) Baltimore Ravens -- AFC Championship Game
This is primed to be a showdown for the ages.
The Baltimore Ravens have been bordering on unbeatable this season, and they're supposed to be getting Mark Andrews back for their playoff run. Lamar Jackson has played like an MVP this season. The Ravens' defense is playing lights out.
But there's something about this Buffalo Bills team that has me Bill-ieving...
Alright lay off me.
The Bills just feel like a team that's going to keep their streak going, especially if they beat Kansas City. Josh Allen has been playing like a man possessed lately, and I just can't shake the idea that Buffalo -- who has forced a ton of turnovers this season -- is going to run the table in the playoffs.
I think they've got what it takes to do the near-impossible: Go into Baltimore and get a tough road win. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, James Cook, hopefully a healthy Gabe Davis...This Bills team has what it takes, and they're on an unreal heater right now.
Prediction: Bills win 27-24
(3) Detroit Lions @ (1) San Francisco 49ers -- NFC Championship Game
The Detroit Lions against the San Francisco 49ers has the makings of a truly classic matchup.
The 49ers have one of the best offensive minds in modern NFL history in Kyle Shanahan calling the shots, and when Shanahan has a completely healthy complement of playmakers offensively, that team is nearly impossible to beat.
The Lions have Dan Campbell leading the charge but Ben Johnson in charge of the offense, and one of the best offensive lines in the game. Heck, the Lions might have the best offensive line in the league, and I'm not sure it would be worth your time to try to debate that.
Against the Los Angeles Rams, we saw some ridiculous offensive efficiency from the Lions thanks to their offensive line's ability to completely control the game on that side, but we also saw the Lions struggled mightily defensively against the Rams.
They tightened up in the red zone, but that's not going to be good enough against the 49ers. I was completely on board the Detroit Lions train a week ago, but seeing them struggle so badly against the Rams' offense makes me wonder what could happen against a team like San Francisco.
I'm coming off of the Lions in this particular matchup...for now.
Prediction: 49ers win 41-33
(2) Buffalo Bills vs. (1) San Francisco 49ers -- Super Bowl LVIII
This would be such a fun Super Bowl matchup, and obviously, it would give us an opportunity to see some demons exorcised.
For the Buffalo Bills organization and their fan base, a trip to the Super Bowl without a win would be par for the course. But this is a different-feeling Bills team than in years past. For fans of the Buffalo Bills born within the last 30 years, it's really been a different kind of pain. Buffalo played second, third, or fourth-fiddle behind the Patriots for most of the last 25 years. Younger fans don't know the pain of losing four straight Super Bowls.
Imagine how difficult it is to get to the Super Bowl in the NFL. Now imagine not winning a single one of four straight trips.
The Bills have demons to exorcise, indeed.
The same could be said of Kyle Shanahan, whose teams have seemingly always been good enough to get to this point, but not quite good enough to get the job done. Multiple 49ers teams have been to the NFC Championship and the 2019-20 squad could have beaten Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs...but they didn't.
How about Kyle Shanahan's Falcons team that was up 28-3 on the Patriots? We all know how that turned out.
The only hardware Shanahan has right now is an Assistant Coach of the Year award. He is one of the best coaches in the game and adding a Super Bowl to his resume would be legacy-altering.
But I think the Bills and Josh Allen are the ones who make history in this one, removing themselves from the list of teams currently without a Super Bowl win.
Prediction: Bills win 38-34