BY TRISTAN SASSE
From an 18-point comeback in Kansas City to a defensive battle in Jacksonville, Wild Card Weekend proved to be an exciting one. Many teams still remain with newcomers on the big stage, but the objective stays the same. With the Divisional Round this weekend, it is only a matter of time before most of these franchises will fall short of their goal.
Below, you’ll find the Divisional Round matchups.
No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 6 Atlanta Falcons – Saturday, January 13, at 3:35 PM on NBC
What to watch for: During the Wild Card Round, Atlanta’s defense held the NFL leading scoring Los Angeles Rams to 13 points. Next Saturday, the Falcons will once again face a high-scoring offense. The Eagles finished the regular season third in scoring, despite combining for 19 points in the final two weeks. Meanwhile, Philadelphia still averaged nearly 27 points per game in the two contests backup quarterback Nick Foles started in, after MVP candidate Carson Wentz went down with a season-ending ACL tear. In the Eagles’ three losses this season, they’ve averaged only 10 ppg.
Bottom Line: Philadelphia is tough to beat at home and finished 7-1 at Lincoln Financial Field this season. Additionally, Atlanta didn’t stop the Rams’ offense in the Wild Card Round, but they did force two turnovers and had three sacks. To have a chance this weekend, their defense will need to make plays yet again. The Falcons are capable of keeping offenses in check. Atlanta gave up the eighth fewest points in the league during the regular season and their defense will need to step up for the second straight week.
Prediction: Falcons 24 Eagles 21
No. 1 New England Patriots vs. No. 5 Tennessee Titans – Saturday, January 13, at 7:15 PM on CBS
What to watch for: The Titans are lucky to be in the Divisional Round, after an absolute collapse by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half during the Wild Card Round. Tennessee ran wild for over 200 yards but had two turnovers in their comeback win over the Chiefs. Against the Patriots, the Titans will need to rely on their running game again. New England and Kansas City both finished in the bottom half of the league in run defense. On the other hand, offensively, the Patriots had the second most passing yards this season. Tennessee ranked 25th overall this season in passing defense, giving up nearly 240 yards per game.
Bottom Line: The Titans have trouble taking care of the ball, and they also have problems creating turnovers. Marcus Mariota threw the third most interceptions (15) in the league during the regular season and Tennessee had the worst turnover differential (-4) out of any playoff team. Tom Brady could give them fits all night on Saturday. If the Titans don’t take care of the ball, this game will get out of hand in a hurry.
Prediction: Patriots 31 Titans 17
No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars – Sunday, January 14, at 12:05 PM on CBS
What to watch for: At times, Jacksonville looked scared in their 10-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles ran for more yards (88) than he threw for (87). Also, Jacksonville relied heavily on their defense to survive against the Bills. The Jaguars forced two turnovers and only gave up 263 yards, but they only finished with 230 yards of their own. Additionally, Jacksonville beat the Steelers 30-9 earlier this season. Ben Roethlisberger threw 55 passes and had five interceptions on that day. Le’Veon Bell also had under 50 rushing yards in that game, while the Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette ran for 181 yards. With that being said, since the start of 2008, Jacksonville has played three postseason games, while Pittsburgh has played in 14. Experience will make a major difference in this game.
Bottom Line: Pittsburgh has improved majorly since their loss to the Jaguars. The Steelers have gone 10-1 since that game, with their only loss coming against New England. Yes, Pittsburgh finished 13-3, but they only played five games against playoff teams this season. The Steelers went 2-3 in those games and 11-0 against non-playoff teams. Although Pittsburgh had a weak schedule, they have far more playoff experience than Jacksonville. The Steelers will also rely more on their running game this time around.
Prediction: Steelers 28 Jaguars 20
No. 2 Minnesota Vikings vs. No. 4 New Orleans Saints – Sunday, January 14, at 3:40 PM on FOX
What to watch for: New Orleans defeated the Carolina Panthers for the third time this season to advance to this matchup. Although the Saints went 3-0 against the Panthers this season, they combined to go 2-4 in the rest of their games against playoff teams, including a 29-19 loss at Minnesota in week one. Also for New Orleans, in the Wild Card Round, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram combined for 45 rushing yards on 19 attempts. The Saints also have the worst road record out of any NFC playoff team (4-4). Additionally, the Vikings went 7-1 at home this season and have only lost once overall since week five. Defense wins championships and Minnesota gave up an average of less than 16 ppg this season. Both of these teams will be seeking their first conference championship game since 2009 when they went head-to-head.
Bottom Line: The Saints averaged the fourth most point per game this season, but the Vikings gave up the fewest. New Orleans is far improved from the beginning of the season and this should be a much closer matchup. If the Panthers were able to stop the Saints’ dual-threat backfield, Minnesota should also be able to.
Prediction: Vikings 27 Saints 24
Verdict
The NFC is far more evenly matched this year than the AFC. New England and Pittsburgh continue to dominate the AFC, while the NFC is a toss-up on who will survive and advance this weekend. Neither of the top seeds in the AFC needs to play their best game to come away with victories. Meanwhile, any mistake made in the NFC contests could prove to be detrimental to any Super Bowl run.