After last weekend in the wild-card round, the playoff field has been narrowed down to eight. The eight best teams in the entire NFL have earned their way to the divisional round of the Playoffs. It’s the best of the best in these games. These games will determine which 4 teams will move one step closer to the Super Bowl. While the other 4 will see their Super Bowl aspirations come up short in their quest. This is the NFL’s divisional round, or the Elite 8.

Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos:

The Buffalo Bills last Sunday went down south and upset the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24. Josh Allen and company were down late, but Allen and crew were able to match down the field and score with over a minute to go, and the defense got an interception and secured a win. Their prize for winning is a trip to Denver and the #1 seed Denver Broncos, along with a well-rested physical defense. The Broncos will provide a tough matchup for Josh Allen and the Buffalo offensive line. Denver led the league with 68 sacks on the season, as well as top 10 in both pass and run defense. The Bills are coming into this game banged up. Wide Receivers, Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers, are both out with torn ACLs, and that could hurt the Bills in this game. And the Bills might need a heavy dosage from James Cook to win this game. This game will be an excellent football matchup, and the key difference will be the Denver pass rush and getting to Josh Allen.

Prediction: Bills 17, Broncos 27

San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks

Both Seattle and San Francisco have split the season series, with both teams winning in the other’s stadium. And, those games have set up the rubber match between these 2 heated rivals. The San Francisco 49ers, coming in, knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, by the score 23-19. Christian McCaffrey had himself a big day receiving by catching two touchdowns from two different players, Quarterback Brock Purdy, and Wide Receiver Jauan Jennings. But the offense did take a hit, as they lost Star tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles, which will be a big loss for the 49ers’ offense. The Seattle Seahawks have been preparing for 2 weeks to see who their opponent would be, and it’s their arch-rivals. Seattle, coming into this game with a 14-3 record and #1 seed in the NFC, is looking to start its path towards a 2nd Super Bowl title. QB Sam Darnold came up on the injury report this week with an oblique injury, but he said he will be ready to go on Saturday night. When these 2 teams meet its always going to be a war. And with Seattle being fully rested and healthy, compared to the 49ers being banged up, that will make the difference on Saturday night. 

Prediction: 49ers 24 Seahawks 34

Houston Texans vs New England Patriots

The Houston Texans vs the New England Patriots could be the game where we see irresistible force meets immovable object. A matchup features the #3-ranked offense vs the #1-ranked defense. The Houston Texans are coming a impressive win last Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6. Houston’s defense only allowed 175 yards against the Pittsburgh offense. The defense also scored two touchdowns on the night by a fumble return and the other by a pick-six that sealed the win for them. On the other side, the New England Patriots put on a defensive clinic against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots’ D held the Chargers to only a field goal. Both CJ Stroud and Drake Maye are looking to advance to their 1st AFC Championship appearance in their career. And the quarterback who plays smarter will win this game. There a old saying in sports, “Defense Wins Championships.” And, after seeing Monday night. The Houston Texans will make Drake Maye’s life on Sunday a living hell, and that will be what helps the Texans reach their 1st AFC championship game in franchise history. 

Prediction: Houston 31, New England 17  

Los Angeles Rams vs Chicago Bears 

One thing for sure is that both teams will deal with the weather on Sunday night will be the weather, as both teams will have to handle very cold temperatures, and potential wind chill factor being negative throughout the game. The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a thrilling last-minute win against the Carolina Panthers. Matthew Stafford had another big playoff game by going 24 completions on 42 attempts and 304 yards passing with 3 touchdowns. Wide Receivers, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, both had a good day catching the ball. The Chicago Bears were down 21-3 at halftime against the Green Bay Packers. But the cardiac Bears, with a never-say-die attitude, came back to stun the Packers 31-27. Caleb Williams had an up-and-down night, throwing for 361 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. This Sunday’s game will not only be freezing, but the wind will make it even colder. The wind will be blowing from the west at 20-30 mph, which could see gustier winds up to 40 mph, and that will make it difficult for both Matthew Stafford and Caleb Williams to throw the football. The running game will most likely have the workload on Sunday if the wind hampers both quarterbacks in trying to throw the football. The cold weather will make it difficult for the Rams to handle, in particular, throwing, while the Bears have that home-field advantage at Soldier Field, which will make all the difference in Chicago reaching the NFC championship.

Prediction: Rams 18 Bears 34