NFL Divisional Round Predictions Thread (2022 Playoffs)

Next up is the Divisional Round, /r/NFL! The picks get a lot tougher from here on out, as all the teams definitely proved they should be here by either being the #1 seed or by working their way through the Wild Card weekend, which I went 4-2. This will definitely be a an interesting weekend, with very good games that are really tough to predict. But let's do our best anyways! We may see an upset or two by the end of it all. Here we go!

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Saturday, January 22nd

Matchup	Time/Network	Winner	Comments
Bengals @ Titans	4:30p ET on CBS	Bengals	Confidence: medium. I'm pretty much sticking with Burrow to the end. To many, this could be the upset of the week if they pull off a win in Tennessee. The Tians will want to exercise a power running game, which they hope will have Henry back. They also have a very good run D with good TE coverage. Look for the very reliable Burrow/Chase connections to combat this, targeting the Titans' weak secondary. If the Bengals' defense can prevent big chunk run plays, they can pull off a road win.
49ers @ Packers	8:15p ET on FOX	Packers	Confidence: high. The Niners are definitely the underdog of this year's playoffs. An OT INT decided if they would be in and they took full advantage of that gift last week by embarrassing Dallas. This week will have them going to Lambeau, where it's projected to be a high of 13°. Jimmy G is still powering through his hand injury, which will be amplified by the cold weather. Especially since he's never thrown a professional pass in a game below 40°, fun fact. The Packers are the only team this year that went undefeated at home, and they'll keep that record going this week.

Sunday, January 23rd

Matchup	Time/Network	Winner	Comments
Rams @ Buccaneers	3:00p ET on NBC	Buccaneers	Confidence: low. Surprisingly, this is one of the matchup this weekend that's the more difficult to pick for me. While Tampa Bay is still struggling through injuries to impact players, they still have a healthy Brady who can makes plays out of nothing if he needs to. On the flip side, you have L.A. who absolutely dominated Arizona, but also flopped against San Fran the week before. That inconsistency is what is making me lean more towards Tampa winning this thing at home, despite all their injuries.
Bills @ Chiefs	6:30p ET on CBS	Chiefs	Confidence: very low. I have no idea who's going to win this one. Both teams had to adjust midseason and their offenses had to work on more effective rushing attacks, letting them open up the passing game later on with more targets and less pressure on the QBs. The Bills have had the better defense all year, but the Chiefs have clutch experience with the advantage of homefield. This feels like it will come down to which QB will get the ball on the final possession. It's a little easier to bet on Mahomes here since he's been in that situation more often.

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Those are my predictions, let's hear yours. Keep it civil and fun. Best of luck!

Playoff bracket based off current predictions.