2022-2023 Wildcard Round Picks Recap
2022 All Picks Recap
Wildcard Round – 4/6 correct
Pro Football Top 4 Games to Watch
AFC Divisional Game #1 Jacksonville vs. Kansas City
Late afternoon kickoff (4:30 PM EDT) from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on 1/21/23. Jaguars orchestrated the third largest come from behind victory in the AFC Wildcard Game against the Los Angeles Chargers (31-30), to advance to this game. Chiefs had a bye week due to being the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs bracket, with a 14-3 record and won the AFC West Division title. Rematch of the Week 10 game won by Kansas City (27-17).
Jacksonville showed intestinal fortitude in the AFC Wildcard Game, due to rallying from a 27-0 deficit, to win 31-30 with a walk off 36 yard FG. First year head coach Doug Pederson schooled second year Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, with smart play calling and clock management during the entire second half. More importantly, QB Trevor Lawrence shook off four INTs in the first half and ended up passing for 288 yards and 4 TDs. Jacksonville continued to push offensive tempo during their memorable comeback, and are poised to move up a tier in the AFC pecking order. Do they have any gas left in the tank to hang with the high flying Chiefs for sixty minutes?
Kansas City earned the #1 AFC playoff seed due to a current five game winning streak, and have won ten out of their last eleven games. Offensive unit is clicking at 413.6 yards and scoring 29.2 points per game. Defense has improved throughout the season and is only allowing 328.2 yards and 21.7 points per game. QB Patrick Mahomes (5250 passing yards, 41 passing TDs, 358 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs) is the leading candidate for the 2022 NFL MVP award. Rookie RB Isiah Pacheco (830 rushing yards, 5 TDs) and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (933 receiving yards, 3 TDs), have improved the roster since WR Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami. Can the Chiefs host their fifth straight AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium? All signs currently point to yes.
Prediction: Kansas City is a solid 9.0 point home favorite and their playoff experience shows in a 7+ point victory
NFC Divisional Game #2 New York Giants vs. Philadelphia
New York Giants 2022 season can be divided into three chapters. First chapter (Week 1-Week 8), was entertaining due to being 6-2 and firmly in the NFC East Division race. Second chapter (Week 9-Week 18), was bumpy and choppy due to going 3-5-1. Philadelphia and Dallas finished ahead of the Giants in the NFC East Division standings, but the third chapter (playoffs) is still being written. During an impressive road win at Minnesota, showed how effective QB Daniel Jones can be as a duel threat signal caller. RB Saquon Barkley is playing with a chip on his shoulder (1312 rushing yards, 10 TDs). Most dangerous opponent during the postseason is one playing without fear and no expectations. That’s the current storyline of the G-Men.
Philadelphia was the best team in the NFC from Week 1 to Week 18. Opened the season with an eight game winning streak. Had a five game winning streak during the second half of the season. Skidded during the tail end of the season losing two out of their last three games. Main culprit was due to starting QB Jalen Hurts getting injured. When the offensive unit is clicking (389.1 yards and scoring 28.1 points per game), they are almost unstoppable. Hurts should be 100% healthy going into this matchup and the Eagles home game fan base will definitely be heard. Good old fashioned NFC East division showdown with big stakes.
AFC Divisional Game #3 Cincinnati vs. Buffalo
Cincinnati is currently riding an eight game winning streak and brimming with confidence. QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase will play a ton of pitch and catch during this matchup. Need to find a consistent running game with Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, trying to rekindle their college playing days at Oklahoma. Defensive unit is better than advertised due to only allowing 364.0 yards and a stingy 17.0 points per game. Head coach Zac Taylor continues to guide this squad towards peaking on the biggest stage.
NFC Divisional Game #4 Dallas vs. San Francisco
Dallas has been the ultimate risk vs. reward team this season. Went 6-2 during the first half of the season and 6-3 during the stretch run. Shouldn’t have lost OT games at Green Bay in Week 10 and at Jacksonville in Week 15. Defense is fast and intimidating. Offensive unit can almost be unstoppable when RB Tony Pollard starts catching passes out of the backfield and WR CeeDee Lamb concentrates for sixty minutes. Only fly in the ointment is when QB Dak Prescott starts throwing too many interceptions. Or is it when PK Brett Maher misses four extra points badly in the NFC Wildcard Game? Welcome to the on field drama of the Dallas Cowboys.
San Francisco looked unstoppable against the Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard Game. RB Christian McCaffrey (119 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 17 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD) is ready to show off his speed and cutback ability. WR Deebo Samuel is 100% healthy and WR Brandon Aiyuk catches everything thrown to him and moves the chains. Defensive unit is gelling at the right time due to only allowing 332.0 yards and 23.0 yards per game. How will rookie QB Brock Purdy go through his progressions when LB Micah Parsons and his buddies bring the heat? That will determine the winning team in this game.
Storylines Heading into Conference Championship Round of the NFL Playoffs
- Which coaches are on the hot seat after the Divisional Round of the playoffs?
- Crank up the hype machine for the Conference Championship round games of the 2023 NFL playoffs
Same bat time, same bat channel next week. I’ll review the results of Pro Football Divisional Round and try again in the Conference Championship Round of the NFL playoffs.
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