By Travers Cummings
Broncos over Bills (Saturday afternoon): Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL, period. As good as he’s been, I don’t know how many people actually picked them to beat the Jags last week. Jacksonville had all the momentum heading into the game, but with his back against the wall, Josh Allen and the Bills found a way to get it done. Now they’ll head to the divisional round against the number-one-seeded Denver Broncos, who will be well rested since they earned a first-round bye. Even though Buffalo beat the Jags, there were some casualties along the way. Wide receivers Tyrell Shavers and Gabe Davis both tore their ACLs, which is a big blow considering the Bills didn’t have the most talented group of pass catchers to begin with. Going against the Broncos’ defense, you can’t be shorthanded on the offensive side of the ball, and as much of a one-man show as Josh Allen can be, this task might be too much, even for him.
49ers over Seahawks (Saturday evening): Well, who would have thought… I certainly didn’t believe San Fran had the personnel or the manpower to handle the Eagles last week, but I will GLADLY accept being wrong in this case. Despite throwing two interceptions, Brock Purdy did what he usually does after adversity—shrug it off and keep on throwing. Leading a perfectly executed, game-winning drive to take a four-point lead, he once again silenced any doubters who STILL question if he’s one of the top QBs in the league. Of course, the most talked-about play will be the double-reverse trick pass that Coach Kyle Shanahan pulled out of his bag. Now, a date with a familiar foe is on the horizon, as Seattle will look to secure the rubber-match meeting between these two teams. They played three weeks ago, and the Seahawks pretty much dominated them the entire time. BUT! If it wasn’t for a dropped pass by Christian McCaffrey near the end zone that would have led to a touchdown, it could have been a completely different game. I might be going out on a limb picking SF here, but maybe despite all the injuries (they lost George Kittle to a torn Achilles last week), San Fran is just a team of destiny.
Rams over Bears (Sunday night): Ugh… these stupid Chicago Bears. I believe there’s a reason and an explanation for everything that exists, but for the life of me, I cannot understand how the Bears manage to come back and win these games all the time. They didn’t play well for three and a half quarters against the Packers; they looked awful—bad turnovers, fumbles, nothing was going their way. Then all of a sudden, a switch flipped, and Caleb Williams turned into Joe Montana. At some point, this streak of good fortune has to end, right? Or maybe not. The Rams don’t want to be the latest victims of this Bears magic, so they have to come out and score quickly. More so, they can’t have their “middle of the game stalls,” where they tend to have multiple drives in a row that end in three-and-outs. Matt Stafford injured his finger last week against the Panthers after he smacked it on a helmet on a throw; the coach says he will be good to go, though. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams should have decent games, seeing as the Bears’ pass defense isn’t that great.
Last week: 1–2