2022-2023 Divisional Round Picks Recap
2022 All Picks Recap
Wildcard Round – 4/6 correct
Divisional Round – 2/4 correct
Pro Football Top 2 Games to Watch
NFC Championship Game: San Francisco vs. Philadelphia
Afternoon kickoff (3:00 PM EDT) from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 1/29/23. 49ers advanced to this matchup with a 19-12 win over Dallas in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. Are currently on an impressive twelve game winning streak. Eagles beat the New York Giants (38-7) in the NFC Divisional Round, to advance to the franchise’s eighth NFC Championship Game. These teams did not play each other during the 2022 NFL regular season. San Francisco leads the historical series 19-14-1.
San Francisco Analysis
49ers haven’t lost a game since Week 7 against Kansas City (44-23). Arguably have six quality wins during their twelve game winning streak (Los Angeles Chargers, Miami, Tampa Bay, twice against Seattle, Dallas). Rookie QB Brock Purdy continues to thrive in an offense that has kept blitzing pressure to a minimum and moves the pocket creating clear throwing lanes. Purdy is simply taking what each defense is giving him and making big time accurate throws.
RB Christian McCaffrey should be 100% healthy at kickoff and ready to go. If he’s dinged up or not full speed for any reason, San Francisco will unleash WR Deebo Samuel as a hybrid TB/TE/WR. Samuel was almost unstoppable during the 2021 NFC playoffs run, and he’ll leave everything he’s got out on the football field. TE George Kittle’s top notch blocking will be highlighted by the national tv announcers, but he’ll need to make several big catches to move the chains on situational plays.
Philadelphia Analysis
Philadelphia barely broke a sweat in eliminating the Giants in the NFC Divisional Round. QB Jalen Hurts was efficient during that victory (154 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 34 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD). Hurts appears to be 100% healthy and ready to face the stingy 49ers defense. After RB Miles Sanders carried the running load for the 2022 regular season, it was a big surprise to see RB Kenneth Gainwell erupt against the Giants (112 rushing yards, 1 TD). Not quite a thunder and lightning duo, but Sanders and Gainwell could be used in tandem to slow down the ball hawking San Francisco defense. Eagles have the best WR/TE corps (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert) of the remaining teams in the NFL playoffs. Hurts will stretch the field with deep passes when the 49ers bring the blitz. Great matchup on paper between two solid squads.
Prediction: Philadelphia is a steady 2.5 point home favorite and this game will come down to the final possession. Eagles win by 3 points in walk-off fashion.
AFC Championship Game: Cincinnati vs. Kansas City
Cincinnati Analysis
Cincinnati is peaking at the correct time, after dominating Buffalo in all phases of the game during the Divisional Round. Not to mention it was a road game played in snowy weather conditions. Bengals haven’t lost a game since Week 8 against Cleveland (32-13). Seven quality wins over Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, twice over Baltimore, and Buffalo clearly show that QB Joe Burrow and his buddies relish the big stage.
Offensive linemen Alex Cappa and Jonah Williams have been ruled out with injuries. TE Hayden Hurst (414 receiving yards, 2 TDs) will play despite an injured calf. Multiple plays will utilize three WR sets, with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd using an air traffic controller to spread the field with routes. Bengals defense is kryptonite against QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. That was proven during the 2021 AFC Championship Game. Can that effort and result be duplicated?
Kansas City Analysis
Kansas City rallied from a seven point halftime deficit to beat Jacksonville 27-20 in the AFC Divisional Round. QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain in the first half, before returning early in the second half to spark the comeback. Betting line has fluctuated a ton this week due to that injury. Chiefs will need to be fundamentally sound in all three phases of the game to keep pace with Cincinnati. RB Isiah Pacheco, TE Travis Kelce and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster will have to carry the offensive load if Mahomes isn’t 100% healthy. Due to how evenly matched these teams are on paper, have a feeling that RB Jerick McKinnon could be a sleeper performer when the Chiefs need him the most. Must watch tv for all football fans and this game could easily go to overtime.
Prediction: Kansas City is a current 1.5 point home favorite that will fluctuate until kickoff. If Mahomes is 100% healthy, this will be an epic game. If he’s not 100%, Burrow will have a field day on the road yet again. Cincinnati wins by four points in a back and forth game.
Storylines Heading into Super Bowl 57
- Which coaches are on the hot seat after the Conference Championships round of the playoffs?
- Crank up the hype machine for Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, Arizona
Same bat time, same bat channel in two weeks. I’ll review the results of Pro Football Conference Championships Round and try again in Super Bowl 57 of the NFL playoffs.
Never walk away from the table when you’re on a heater in Vegas!
Want to find this beer near you? Check out this article that tells you how to locate great beer near you.
Going out on a limb, hoping that Joe Burrow is the winning QB of the Super Bowl . The house creation is better than reading the sports sections of our local newspapers. After the Super Bowl, it’s hockey time. Go Avs!
Thanks for the positive feedback. I’ll post an analysis of Super Bowl 57 after the conference championship games are in the books. Enjoy the matchups on 1/29/23.