This article covers predicted Pro Football top 6 playoff games to watch. Wildcard round of the NFL playoffs is right around the corner on 1/14/23 and that means pro football is starting. Time to get into a weekly cadence of highlighting the best games to watch. Also determining the potential upsets lurking below the radar. Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl 55 at their home field (Raymond James Stadium) to close out the 2020 NFL season. Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl 56 at their home field (SoFi Stadium) to close out the 2021 NFL season. Since trends usually happen in threes, will the Arizona Cardinals win Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona? Time will tell after eighteen weeks of the regular season.
2022 Week 18 Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 5/5 correct thanks to Cincinnati, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Jacksonville
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 2/5 correct thanks to Carolina and Detroit
Overall picks – 7/10 correct which is one standard deviation above the mean
2022 All Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 69/89 correct
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 41/90 correct
Overall picks – 110/179 correct which is one standard deviation above the mean
Pro Football Top 6 Games to Watch
NFC Wildcard Game #1 Seattle vs. San Francisco
Late afternoon kickoff (4:30 PM EDT) from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on 1/14/23. Seahawks finished a surprising 9-8 on the season and are the #7 seed in the NFC playoffs bracket. 49ers won the NFC West Division title, finished 13-4 on the season and are the #2 seed in the NFC. San Francisco swept both regular season games over Seattle in Week 2 (27-7) and Week 15 (21-13).
Seattle has definitely moved on from QB Russell Wilson in 2022 and are primed to rebuild their roster depth via the 2023 NFL Draft. QB Geno Smith had a breakout season (4282 passing yards, 30 passing TDs), and was named to the Pro Bowl. Rookie RB Kenneth Walker III ran for 1050 yards and 10 TDs. WRs DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett both eclipsed 1000+ receiving yards for the season and combined for 15 TDs. Will the young and untested defense suddenly learn how to get off the field on key third down stops and avoid bad penalties?
San Francisco has been snake bit by severe injuries to their QB corps. The future of the franchise, Trey Lance, broke his ankle in Week 2 and was out for the rest of the season. Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in Week 13, and it’ll take a miracle for him to return during this postseason. Rookie QB Brock Purdy has been more than serviceable during the last five games (11 TDs, 2 INTs), to keep this train moving forward. Expect a ton of touches for RB Christian McCaffrey, some situational plays for WR Deebo Samuel and a fierce 49ers defense.
Prediction: San Francisco is a big 9.0 point home favorite and they show off the #1 ranked defensive unit to win by 7+ points
AFC Wildcard Game #2 Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville
Primetime evening kickoff (8:15 PM EDT) from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida on 1/14/23. Chargers finished the season at 10-7 and are the #5 seed in the AFC playoffs bracket. Jaguars won the AFC South Division title at 9-8 and are the #4 AFC seed. Both teams did not play each other during the 2022 regular season, but the Chargers lead the all-time series 9-4.
Los Angeles Chargers won five out of their last seven games to move up the AFC playoffs standings. Have a solid 5-4 road record, so they will be confident playing on the east coast. Justin Herbert is now on the cusp of the elite QBs, due to his statistics (4739 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, 147 rushing yards). RB Austin Ekeler will continue to be a one man show (915 rushing yards, 13 TDs). WR/TE corps will have to take up the slack with WR Mike Williams being out for at least two weeks. Will the defensive unit put pressure on the Jacksonville OL and create turnovers?
Jacksonville has completed a 180 degree turn from the 2021 regular season and is a team on the rise. First year head coach Doug Pederson, has pushed all the right buttons with QB Trevor Lawrence (4113 passing yards, 25 TDs), and an underrated WR/TE corps (232.9 passing yards per game). Defense is young but they are playing fearless right now due to a five game winning streak. Can this trending squad give the home crowd a reason for hope?
Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers are a steady 1.5 road favorite and they win the most exciting game this weekend by 4 points
AFC Wildcard Game #3 Miami vs. Buffalo
Afternoon kickoff (1:00 PM EST) from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on 1/15/23. Dolphins finished the regular season at 9-8 and are the #7 seed in the AFC playoffs bracket. Bills won the AFC East Division title at 13-3 and are the #2 AFC seed. Both teams played entertaining games in Week 3 (Miami won 21-19) and Week 15 (Buffalo won 32-29). Miami leads this historical series 62-55-1, but Buffalo leads in the postseason 3-1.
Miami will roll out rookie QB Skylar Thompson, due to starting QB Tua Tagovailoa still being in concussion protocol. RB Jeff Wilson Jr. will try to fill in for injured Raheem Mostert. Expect to see WR Tyreek Hill (1710 receiving yards, 7 TDs) all over the field and lining up as a flex tailback. Defense has been leaking oil due to allowing 337.8 yards and 23.5 points per game. Time for uber cool head coach Mike McDaniel to show off his analytical skills and hang with Buffalo for sixty minutes.
Buffalo is on a seven game winning streak and playing their best football heading into the postseason. QB Josh Allen (4283 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 762 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs) is neck and neck with Patrick Mahomes for the NFL MVP award. Running game is clicking, passing game is getting the entire WR/TE corps involved, and the special teams unit is chipping in. Defense is only allowing 319.1 yards and 17.9 points per game. Buffalo’s squad has no weaknesses right now, and they are riding a wave a emotions in front of their home fan base (the Bills Mafia). Enjoy this high level of football as long as it lasts.
Prediction: Buffalo is a big 13.5 point home favorite and they win by 10+ points
NFC Wildcard Game #4 New York Giants vs. Minnesota
Late afternoon kickoff (4:30 PM EST) from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 1/15/23. Giants were one of the feel good stories of the 2022 regular season, finishing at 9-7-1 and are the #6 seed in the NFC playoffs bracket. Vikings were steady winning close games and finishing at 13-4, which translates to the #3 NFC seed. Both teams played an entertaining game in Week 16, with Minnesota winning 27-24 on a walk off 61 yard FG.
New York Giants gelled quickly under first year head coach Brian Daboll. QB Daniel Jones (3205 passing yards, 15 passing TDs, 708 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs), finally played like a dual threat QB. RB Saquon Barkley had a bounce back season rushing for 1312 yards and 10 TDs. WR Darius Slayton (724 receiving yards, 2 TDs) leads a five player deep WR/TE corps that can stretch the field. Will the Giants defense continue to bend but not break and improve on allowing 21.8 points per game?
First year head coach Kevin O’Connell, caused Minnesota to become comfortable trailing late in games. In 2021 the Vikings lost those games, but in 2022 they won those games. Season was highlighted by a seven game winning streak. Went 5-3 during the second half of the season, but physical teams (Dallas, Detroit, Green Bay) pushed the Vikings around. Also exposed how porous the defensive unit is, at allowing 388.7 yards and 25.1 points per game. QB Kirk Cousins and WR Justin Jefferson will put on a fireworks show, but defensive stops and turnovers will dictate how far the Vikings advance in the playoffs.
Prediction: Tough game to pick with Minnesota being a steady 3.0 home favorite. Giants lead the historical playoff series 2-1, but the Vikings win a close game by 3 points.
AFC Wildcard Game #5 Baltimore vs. Cincinnati
Primetime evening kickoff (8:15 PM EDT) from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on 1/15/23. Ravens finished the regular season at 10-7 and the #6 seed in the AFC playoffs bracket. Bengals won the AFC North Division title at 12-4 and are the #3 AFC seed. Baltimore won a close game in Week 5 (21-19) and Cincinnati won a methodical game in Week 18 (27-16). Time for an interdivision rematch.
Baltimore somehow managed to get ten victories, despite starting QB Lamar Jackson being out since Week 13 due to an injured knee. Jackson won’t play this week backup and QB Tyler Huntley is also dinged up, so the starting spot will be a game time decision. RB J.K Dobbins workload will continue to ramp up. If Dobbins has a productive game, fantasy football stud TE Mark Andrews (847 receiving yards, 5 TDs) will find some open holes in the Bengals zone defense. Baltimore is a huge underdog in this game, but head coach John Harbaugh has performed well in previous postseasons when the chips were down.
Cincinnati is riding an eight game winning streak into the playoffs and have won ten of their last eleven games. This blogger commented several times during the first month of the 2022 regular season, that the Bengals seemed to want to flip a switch on or off, during each week to see if they would play hard. That mentality happens when a squad has made a run to Super Bowl 56. I’m now convinced that Cincinnati can hang with Kansas City and Buffalo in the AFC playoffs bracket. Need to win the turnover battle, lead time of possession and keep the correct players on the field in crunch time. Baby steps lead to much bigger steps as this postseason unfolds.
Prediction: Cincinnati is a valid 8.5 point home favorite and they grind out a 10+ point win
NFC Wildcard Game #6 Dallas vs. Tampa Bay
Primetime evening kickoff (8:15 PM EDT) from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on 1/16/23. The oh-crap matchup of the Wildcard round. Cowboys went 12-5 this season and are the #5 seed in the NFC playoffs bracket. Buccaneers won the weak NFC South Division title, with a losing record of 8-9 and are the #4 NFC seed. This is rematch of the Week 1 game that Tampa Bay dominated, winning 19-3.
Dallas rebounded from that bad showing in Week 1, to sit at 7-3 after thumping Minnesota (40-3) on the road in Week 11. Sputtered a little bit down the stretch run going 5-2, but QB Dak Prescott now has Phillip Rivers’ disease. Prescott has thrown 11 INTs in the last seven games and that trend can kill a promising season in the playoffs. Need the dynamic running duo of RBs Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott to take care of the football, move the chains and chew up the clock. WR CeeDee Lamb will get come chances to shine on deep patterns. Defensive unit needs to buckle down and improve on allowing 330.2 yards and 20.1 points per game. That unit can dominate a game if they just play sound football.
Tampa Bay had a weird season to say the least. QB Tom Brady came out of retirement, head coach Bruce Arians moved upstairs and Gronk finally retired permanently. That contributed to a 4-5 start, which was chaotic and bumpy. Finished the season on a 4-4 run, that had glimpses of an efficient offense, but also a worn down defense. Due to the Week 1 matchup that Tampa Bay dominated, most talking heads are predicting that the QB GOAT (Brady) will lead this team to another surprising Super Bowl run and trophy. Got a news flash for those talking heads, this will be Brady’s last NFL game and it’ll be ugly on the scoreboard.
Prediction: Dallas is a nervous 2.5 point road favorite, but they’ll make a statement by winning this game by 10+ points
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Crank up the hype machine for the divisional round games of the 2023 NFL playoffs
Same bat time, same bat channel next week. I’ll review the results of Pro Football Wildcard Round and try again in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
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