NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
After 18 weeks of non-stop, hard-hitting, action-packed football in the AFC, the field has been trimmed to seven teams. These seven teams battled tooth and nail to fight for a postseason berth, and now will battle it out to see which team will represent the AFC in Super Bowl LX on February 8 in Santa Clara, CA.
1st Round Bye: Denver Broncos
Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars
We have a matchup that could be the best on the AFC side of the playoffs: the Buffalo Bills vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the 3rd time these two teams have met in the postseason. And Jacksonville has won both previous matchups. The Jacksonville Jaguars, under 1st-year head coach Liam Coen, went from 4-13 to AFC South champions in one year. This is Jacksonville’s most wins in a season since 1999, when they went 14-2. Coming into the playoffs, the Jaguars have won 8 straight games, and Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off his best year with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Buffalo Bills saw their AFC East dominance come to an end by settling for a wild-card berth. They’re led by reigning MVP Josh Allen and the league’s leading rusher, James Cook. This will be Josh Allen’s toughest playoff run in his career, and he has to start on the road. The key matchup in this game will be the Jacksonville Run defense vs James Cook. Jacksonville has the best run defense in the league, allowing only 86 yards per game. And, if Jacksonville can hold James Cook, then the Bills will need to rely on Josh Allen to win this game. This game will be a shootout, and the team that can throw the ball without making any turnovers will win this game. In the end, Trevor Lawrence will make the plays late in the 4th quarter over Josh Allen to get the win.
Prediction: Bills 28, Jaguars 38
Los Angeles Chargers vs New England Patriots
The Los Angeles Chargers have to travel from the West Coast all the way to the Northeast to take on the New England Patriots. This matchup will be the 4th time that the Chargers and Patriots play each other in the postseason. And, the Patriots have won all three matchups. Justin Herbert will be looking for his 1st playoff win in his 3rd time in the postseason, while Drake Maye will make his postseason debut. Both of these teams are Top 10 defenses, which has the potential to be a low-scoring postseason football game. The key matchup that people will need to watch will be the Patriots’ passing attack vs the Chargers’ Secondary. Drake Maye will need to avoid throwing interceptions against a secondary that is 3rd in the league in interceptions with 19. For the Chargers, Justin Herbert will need to exercise his postseason demons. Hebert’s postseason career in games has only 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions; the Chargers will need to have a solid game from Justin Hebert to win this game. Both defenses are excellent, and who comes away with more turnovers and big plays of defense will win this game. And Drake Maye, in his 1st playoff gam, will outduel Justin Herbert and get his 1st playoff win.
Prediction: Chargers 17, Patriots 24
Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers
CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans travel to the Steel City to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. This will be the 1st ever meeting in the postseason between the Steelers and the Texans, but this is not the 1st time that the Steelers have played a Houston team in the Playoffs. Pittsburgh and Houston actually met in 2 consecutive AFC championship games in the late 70s and the Steelers won both of them. The Houston Texans have the #1-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed per game, allowing only 277 yards per game. A defense that can punish their opponents, and with them going up, against an offense that is near the bottom in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers will need a vintage performance from Arron Rodgers to win this game, but going up against a DeMeco Ryans defense will be no easy task. An old saying goes, “defense wins championships,” and that phrase is also true in many forms, most importantly in football. And, why the Texans will physical their way into the divisional round.
Prediction: Texans 24, Steelers 14
