NFL
By Monte Perez
Saturday, January 22nd, 2022, Divisional Playoffs
Bengals at the Titans: 4:30 PM on CBS TV.
The last time the Bengals won a playoff game was Jan. 6, 1991. The first text message sent happened on Dec. 3, 1992. With the Bengals defeating the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, 26-19, Cincy fans all over the country could finally text their friends… “We won a playoff game.”
Cincinnati has surprised the NFL all season long. Joe Burrow is an MVP candidate. He completed 70% of his passes, threw for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Ja’Marr Chase will win rookie of the years. The former LSU WR had 81 catches, 1,445 yards, and 13 touchdowns on the year. Joe Mixon has been one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL. He rushed for over 1200 yards and caught 42 balls out of the backfield.
The Bengals defensive strength is stopping the run. They finished 5th in the NFL allowing 102.5 rushing yards per contest. They will need that against the Tennessee Titans.
Who had the Titans being the No.1 seed in the AFC without their star running back Derek Henry?
Henry played in 8 games this season and is expected to make his return on Saturday. The Titans are not a one-man team. In Henry’s absence Ryan Tannehill, AJ Brown, Julio Jones, and running back D’onta Foreman all stepped up their games.
The Titans defense has let up a ton of passing yards. They are ranked 25th in passing defense, so that could bode well for the Bengals offense. Mike Vrabel’s unit has been bending but not breaking all season long….They are only giving up 20.8 points per game.
Prediction:
Too much experience, on the Tennessee sidelines. Look for the Bengals to come out strong but the Titans will wear them down in the 2nd half with their running attack.
Titans win… 30-23
49ers at Packers: 8:15 PM on Fox TV.
The 49ers have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They have won 5 out of 6 games and defeated the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, 23-17. Deebo Samuel is one of the best players, not just wide receiver, in the NFL. He averages 6.2 yards per carry as a running back and had over 1,405 yards as a receiver. George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings make this team one of the deepest WR units in the NFL. San Francisco’s offensive line wears teams down and Kyle Shanahan goes with the hot hand and running back position. Defensively, this team is led by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Bosa had 15.5 sacks and Warner had 137 combined tackles. The 49ers can control a game and physically manhandle their opponents on both sides of the ball.
Matt LaFluer has won 13 games for 3 seasons in a row. The Packers are the No.1 seed in the NFC because they have been the most consistent team in the NFL from start to finish.
Aaron Rodgers should win the NFL’s MVP Award. Despite a ton of injuries, the Packers offense has played well all season long. Rogers completed 68% of his passes, had 40 total touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. Devante Adams could be the MVP for Green Bay. He had 123 catches for over 1,500 yards. The No.2 WR, Allen Lazard had 40 catches. AJ Dillion and Aaron Jones combined for 1,602 rushing yards and caught 86 balls out of the backfield.
The Packer defense got a lot of criticism during the year but, they have been solid. They are ranked…
- 11th in yardage, giving up 345.6 per game.
- 10th in passing yards, giving up 219 per game
- 13th in points, giving up 21.8 points per game.
- Despite their injuries, they had 39 sacks on the year.
Prediction:
The 49ers want to dominate the time of possession and keep Aaron Rodgers on the sideline. They should have some success with their running game and Deebo Samuel could have a big game. This is not the Packers team that got bullied two years ago in the NFL Championship game by SF. LaFluer has made this team more physical on offense and defense. They will need that on Saturday. Packers dominate the 4th quarter and win this game.
Packers 33…49ers 25
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