Julian Spivey: You know the divisional round game between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills was mostly a great game - but the ending left a sour taste in my mouth for a couple of reasons 1) it felt like the officials involved themselves too much with pass interference calls and 2) it feels like a hollow win for the Broncos because even though they’re going to the AFC Championship game, they lose their QB Bo Nix to a broken bone in his ankle and it feels like their Super Bowl hopes go out the window. How did you come away feeling about that game?

Eric Fulton: You hate to see a really good game, especially in the playoffs, when it is decided by the officials, and for the Buffalo Bills and their fans, they have seen way too much heartbreak in the postseason, and now you can add today's game to that list. On the Denver side, you have to feel awful for Bo Nix. What looked like a harmless play probably cost them a trip to the Super Bowl, depending on who their opponent in the AFC Championship will be, but you also feel heartbroken for Nix.

JS: So, the second divisional game on Saturday between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers was so unwatchable that I gave up on it before the first quarter was over. The Seahawks trounced San Francisco 41-6. Was San Fran just too injured to compete, or was Seattle just this good either way?

EF: I could say that both of these things are true. The 49ers had a great season despite all the injuries. But I feel right now, as we get closer to the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks are the best team remaining in these playoffs.

JS: The New England Patriots are heading to the AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos after defeating the Houston Texans 28-16 in an ugly, turnover-filled game. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud threw four interceptions and was sacked three times. Have you ever seen a worse playoff performance?

EF: CJ Stroud's performance was not great at all. I thought he would develop into a great quarterback when he was drafted first overall. But the one thing I keep thinking about is when you look at the development at a place like Ohio State, they have had great players come through that program. However, they have never developed a great quarterback. Most of them have been busts. I am not saying Stroud will finish his career as a bust, but he knows, and we all know he has to be much better than that performance against the Patriots.

JS: The divisional round began with an OT thriller with the Broncos defeating the Bills and ended with an OT thriller with the Los Angeles Rams defeating the Chicago Bears, after Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made a miraculous play to get the Bears to OT. Did Rams/Bears wind up being the game of the weekend?

EF: To me, this was the best game of the weekend because these two teams are very good. It lived up to expectations. The Bears are for real and should be able to get better under Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. The Rams are scary good, and they will give Seattle everything they can handle next week.

JS: At least we should have one good championship game with the inner-division rivals Seahawks and Rams, because with Bo Nix's injury, the AFC title game feels like it could be a cake walk for the Patriots.

EF: I would not say it will be a cake walk for the Patriots against the Broncos. Drake Maye has to play much better than he did against the Texans. I know he was not the worst quarterback the whole weekend. But going to Denver and that tough environment will not be easy for Maye.

JS: Which player was your MVP for the Divisional Round?

EF: MVP for the Divisional round for me is Kenneth Walker III. He had 22 touches for 145 total yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't used much during the regular season, but he was huge in the Seahawks' blowout win.

JS: The AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 25, has the New England Patriots traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos. That game will air on CBS and Paramount+ at 2 p.m. (CST). How do you see this one playing out, Eric?

EF: I don't know if we have seen a possible disappointment matchup in a conference title game than this one. The only reason I would say that is that Bo Nix will not be available to play this game. This should be a low-scoring game for sure, as both defenses are very good. If the Broncos can pull off this win with a backup quarterback who really hasn't had a major moment, it would be one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. But I am taking the Patriots to win and go to the Super Bowl.

JS: Yeah, this could've been a really fun matchup if it hadn't been for the ankle injury to Nix. As it is, it's a game I don't have much interest in. I think it's just too much to ask of Jarrett Stidham to come in and send the team to the Super Bowl. Pats for the win.

The NFC Championship game will feature the Los Angeles Rams traveling to Seattle to face the Seahawks. That game will be on Fox at 5:30 p.m. (CST. These teams played each other twice this season as NFC West rivals, and they split the series 1-1 in two games that were about as close as games can be. The Rams won 21-19 in mid-November, and the Seahawks won in overtime 38-37 in mid-December. How do you see the third matchup playing out?

EF: I believe that this game will probably be better than the Super Bowl, as these two teams are very good. I like both teams, but there is something about Seattle that plays really well, especially at home. This is the hardest game of all of the playoff matchups to pick. I am going with the home team and the home field advantage they have in Seattle.

JS: This is such a hard game for me to predict because of how even the two games between these teams were during the season. Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay have been here before, though, whereas Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald have not. That might mean something. I'll take the Rams to make things interesting.

Tonight, the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes will battle it out to see who will become the National Champion of the 2025 college football season. Both programs are very different when it comes to college football power. Miami was once the king of college football in the 1980s and early ‘90s. They had one of the best college football teams of all time in 2001. But in the past 20-plus years, Miami has not been anywhere close to becoming the championship contender it once was. Now, the Hurricanes have the opportunity to return to the top of the college football world. 
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On the other side, Indiana is looking to finish perhaps the greatest season in the history of college football. The Hoosiers are looking to finish a perfect 16-0. The last time any football team finished 16-0 was Yale in 1894.  Historically, Indiana has not been a good college football program. In fact, for many years in the ‘90s and 2000s, they were among the worst programs in the country. Now with NIL (Name, Image and Likeness), Indiana is proving that any team can win a national championship. 

Both teams will be led by veteran college quarterbacks. For Miami, Carson Beck has played on the National Championship stage before. Prior to his arrival in Miami, he was a part of two national championship teams with the Georgia Bulldogs. With his big-game experience, Beck will help his teammates play well. Indiana counters with the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza began his college career at the University of California, Berkeley. Unlike Beck, Mendoza did not play for championships at Cal, but he did have the opportunity to be part of a winning program at Indiana. If the Hoosiers win this game, Mendoza will complete the greatest season by a quarterback in college football history, and he would do it at an unlikely place, Indiana. 

In my opinion, the biggest key to the game will be defense. Miami played great defense in the first two playoff rounds, but against Ole Miss, it had opportunities to ice the game early and did not capitalize. Ole Miss came back and nearly won the game until Beck’s game-winning touchdown in the final seconds put the Hurricanes on top for good. Meanwhile, Indiana has been dominating in their two playoff games. Neither of the Hoosiers' games was really close, but this could be a low-scoring affair for both teams. This should be exciting as both defenses have the potential to make big plays. 

Another key is who can coach a better game. For Mario Cristobal, he won national championships as a player at Miami and now as a coach would be the ultimate dream for him. Curt Cignetti, on the other hand, is looking at history. The fast meteoric rise of Cignetti has been outstanding. He won many games at James Madison University in Virginia. Now, he has quickly become one of college football’s most fascinating and winning head coaches. Both of these coaches will be aggressive and will like to help their teams make big plays. The key is who will have a better game plan and who will make a difference. To me, this coaching matchup is going to be amazing. 

I think Indiana will win this game because of the better quarterback and better defense. But I think with the national championship game being in Miami’s home stadium, that will give the Hurricanes a shot at playing well in front of their crowd. It should be an exciting game to end a wonderful college football season. 

Julian Spivey: It was a wild NFL Wild Card weekend, at least for the first four games. Which game do you think was the best?

Eric Fulton: The first four games, you could make a case for all of them, but I will go with the Bears beating the Packers in that 4th quarter comeback. It was just epic by Chicago. The Packers did nothing in the second half, and it ultimately led to their elimination.

JS: Rams/Panthers was certainly the most surprising game of the weekend for me, as I thought the Rams would blow the Panthers out of the water, and it ended up going down to the wire. But I have to agree that the Packers/Bears game was the most exciting of the weekend, with the Bears staging an epic comeback led by quarterback Caleb Williams in his first playoff game, scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter to do it. But one thing I'm still pondering is whether that really was an epic comeback or more so a Packers choke, or can both things be true?

EF: I would say both can be true. We know Micah Parsons did not play for Green Bay, but I thought the Packer defense could make plays in the second half against a quarterback making his first playoff start. But give the Bears credit for holding on and coming back in the second half.

JS: Which player do you think was the M.V.P. of the Wild Card round?

EF: Josh Allen. The way he led his team to victory. He was injured a couple of times, but it is no wonder he is so valuable to the Buffalo Bills team.

JS: Josh Allen is certainly the reason the Bills won the game, and it was a tough-as-nails performance for him. I'm going to go with Caleb Williams leading the Bears back in the second half, mostly the fourth quarter, after the team did nothing in the first half. Williams ended up with a weekend high 361 passing yards in his playoff debut with two touchdown passes. He did throw two interceptions, though, which he'll need to cut down on next weekend.

The last thing I really want to talk about from the Wild Card week is something we briefly brought up in our preview before the weekend. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Can we officially stop with the "elite QB" stuff when it comes to that guy?

EF: He still has some work to do in order to become elite. What didn't help him was not having a healthy offensive line for much of the season. Also, I feel as though he needs more receivers and a good running game. He has the coach in Jim Harbaugh, but now Herbert has to improve his game.

JS: Alright, that leads us to the second round of the NFL Playoffs, the Divisional Round. The first game will be on Saturday, January 17 at 3:30 p.m. (CST) on CBS, featuring the Buffalo Bills, hot off their exciting upset of the Jacksonville Jaguars, heading to Mile High Stadium to take on the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos. Does the Broncos' storybook season end here?

EF: This is a tough game for Denver. Yes, they are at home, but they have lost playoff games as the number one seed. The Bills beat them last year in the Wild Card Round. Has Denver learned a lot from the game a year ago? We shall see. I will say the Broncos will win, but I will not be surprised if the Bills do.

JS: I haven't had the luxury of seeing the Broncos play much this season, so even though they're the number one seed, I don't know a whole lot about the team. I also know the playoffs this season feel wide open, like any team remaining has a real shot at the Super Bowl. I might be placing too much on the back of Josh Allen here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict the Bills will upset the Broncos.

What would it take for that to happen?

EF: Josh Allen needs to continue to play well, but it would be nice to see James Cook have a really nice game.

JS: The Bills have relied on the run game for their success this season. The Broncos, however, have had one of the best run defenses all season, allowing around 91 rushing yards per game.

The second playoff game on Saturday is an intra-division rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the NFC No. 1 seed, the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers knocked off the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles, despite more devastating injuries. They have now lost their great tight end George Kittle to a torn ACL. The two teams split the season matchup. Are all these injuries for San Fran finally going to catch up with them against Seattle?

EF: I was extremely impressed with San Francisco on Sunday. To go to Philadelphia, set the tone early, and then come back to win it without a few key players is outstanding. Plus, what's good for the 49ers is that they just faced the Seahawks two weeks ago. So, they will tweak some things. I think the game will be closer than the week 18 matchup. But I am going with the Seahawks to win this one.

JS: The sad thing is, this season feels like it's going to end for the 49ers with the team and definitely the fan base saying, "What if we were healthy?"

EF: If they were a completely healthy team, they would be the team to beat in the NFC, in my opinion. But the fact that they are in the second round of the playoffs is remarkable.

JS: I'm still scratching my head at what happened with Sam Darnold to turn him around from a draft bust with the New York Jets and then the Carolina Panthers to a guy who has thrown for more than 4,000 yards each of the past two seasons.

EF: Getting out of the New York Jets organization was the best thing to happen to Sam Darnold. For him, he needed to go to a great organization and thrive, and Seattle is a great place to do that.

JS: I'm going to take the Seahawks here, too. I feel like the 49ers' injuries have to catch up to them at some point. I like the connection between Darnold and his receivers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, and I just mostly don't see both No. 1 seeds going down together on Saturday, and I've already predicted against one of them.

The first Sunday game has the Houston Texans going to the northeast to play the New England Patriots. That game will be on ESPN/ABC at 2 p.m. (CST). How do you see this one playing out?

EF: This will be a defensive game. Both teams have excellent defenses. It is ironic that these two teams won the non-competitive games of Wild Card weekend. I think it will come down to who plays better at quarterback. Drake Maye is playing the position better than C.J. Stroud. The divisional round is the kryptonite of the Texans. I am going with New England to win this game.

JS: This is the divisional round game I find myself the least interested in. Not really wanting a stellar defensive game at this point in the season, but maybe that's just me. I think the Pats holding the Chargers offense down is slightly more impressive than the Texans dominating the Steelers offense led by cantankerous father time Aaron Rodgers, so I'll agree with your Patriots selection for this week.

The final game of the divisional round sees the Los Angeles Rams, who were a bit lucky to escape the losing-record Carolina Panthers last weekend, traveling to Chicago to face the Bears. It's one of those things where maybe the Rams have shaken off all the dust from almost being embarrassed and will take control, or do you think Caleb Williams' heroic performances in the second half of the Bears/Packers game was all he needed to get rolling?

This game will be on NBC & Peacock on Sunday, January 18 @ 5:30 p.m. (CST).

EF: This game is hard to pick because I really like both teams, and I do believe the winner of this game could win the Super Bowl if everything goes well. Of course, the winner will also have to play a great opponent in the NFC championship game. The weather will play a role as it will be cold. Man, I do like the Rams as a team, but I feel like the Bears are playing like a team of destiny. So, I will go with the home team, but I don't feel confident in the pick only because the Rams are good.

JS: It’s the game I’m most looking forward to watching this weekend for sure. It is hard to pick. Both teams look bad at times in the Wild Card round and also seemed to be able to score at will at times. One of my biggest concerns will always be a young QB in their first postseason, as the Bears have with Caleb Williams. On the other sideline, the Rams have the most veteran QB in the postseason and a Super Bowl winner in Matthew Stafford. I think the veteran presence at QB is leaning me toward predicting a W for L.A.

Julian Spivey: The NFL Playoffs kick off this weekend with the Wild Card round. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks get the week off as the number-one seeds in their respective conferences.

The first game of Wild Card weekend sees the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) travel across the country to play the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers (8-9), which won the division despite a losing record. This game will be on Saturday, January 10, at 3:30 pm (CST) on Fox. Despite being the home team, do the Panthers have any chance at all?

Eric Fulton: It’s good to see new teams like the Panthers make the playoffs. Quarterback Bryce Young will make his playoff debut, and I am interested to see what he will do. But he will have to beat a Rams team that believed they should have been the one seed. I just think Los Angeles is the better team in this matchup with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Will receiver Davante Adams return from his injury? That will be the biggest story leading up to this game. I think Carolina will keep it close for a bit, but the Rams will pull away late.

JS: I’m still flabbergasted at how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to blow a 6-2 start to the season. The Rams should take this one rather easily, I would think. The Panthers should not be a playoff team.
The second game on Saturday sees one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL - if not the greatest - with the Green Bay Packers (9-7) heading south to take on the NFC North champion Chicago Bears (11-6). This has game-of-the-week potential. It airs on Amazon Prime Video, which I know is unfortunate for some of my older relatives who are Bears fans, at 7 p.m. (CST). How do you see it playing out?

EF: It’s always exciting when two rivals meet, especially in the playoffs when both teams' seasons are on the line. The Packers and Bears split the two games, with each team winning at home. The last time they met, Chicago came back from a 16-point deficit to win in overtime. Bears coach Ben Johnson is one of the top candidates for NFL Coach of the Year, and I am intrigued by what he has in store for the Packer defense. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is playing his first playoff game. Will he lead the Bears to their first playoff win since 2011? Green Bay does like being the underdog. They were the seven-seed two years ago. They blew out the Dallas Cowboys. And almost beat the San Francisco 49ers to make the NFC championship game. Not having the injured Micah Parsons on defense for the Packers is huge, but I do expect Green Bay to play hard in this emotional rivalry game. Just based on experience, I am taking the Packers to win.

JS: I have a bad feeling about this one for the Bears. I caught the end of that comeback win against the Packers and felt like it took both Packers quarterback Jordan Love being concussed and a miracle onside kick to win it. I also worry about Williams’ first playoff game. I’m going to agree with you on the Packers winning this game.

The first Sunday game sees the Buffalo Bills (12-5) heading down south to Jacksonville to take on the AFC South champion Jaguars (13-4). This game will air on CBS at Noon (CST).  Does this feel like the Bills' last chance of this current team to do something in the postseason?

EF: Yes, it does. If the Bills do not win this game on Sunday, I would fully expect major changes to happen within the organization. Buffalo does not have a wide receiver you can trust, and their defense has not been great all year. Jacksonville is clearly the better team, and I believe they will win this game.

JS: I didn’t see the Jags' 13-4 season coming. Honestly, I didn’t see a Jags game all season. That may play a big role in why I think the Bills are going to pull this game out. I can’t say it’s more than just a hunch. But quarterback Josh Allen must show up big in this game for Buffalo. He has to show the skill that has him as the reigning MVP.

The second Sunday game sees the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) traveling across the country to take on the NFC East Champion and reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (11-6). This game will be on Fox at 3:30 pm (CST). This is the game of the Wild Card weekend to me … and I kinda hate it. I think both teams are good enough to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and one of them will be eliminated immediately. Which team will that be, Eric?

EF: This is the hardest game out of all of them to pick because both teams are capable of making a run toward the Super Bowl. The 49ers are dealing with a ton of injuries in key positions. No Fred Warner or Nick Bosa on defense. Receiver Ricky Pearsall is a game-time decision. And some of their biggest stars who’ll probably play aren’t completely healthy, like offensive tackle Trent Williams, who they missed dearly in week 18, and tight end George Kittle missed the Chicago game in Week 17. But the issue with the Eagles all season has been their inconsistent offensive play. Plus, it was a surprise move for their starters not to play in Week 18 because had they won with the Bears' loss, they would have had the two seed in the NFC. This will be a low-scoring defensive game. I am going with the Eagles because they have a slightly healthier team on both sides of the ball. But if Philly loses this game, Nick Sirianni is in big trouble.

JS: It's wild to think Sirianni could be in danger of losing his job less than a year after a dominant Super Bowl victory. I'm leaning toward Philly in this matchup, too, probably mostly because of running back Saquon Barkley and the 49ers being without key defenders in Bosa and Warner.

The third and final Sunday game sees the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) go across the country to face the AFC East champion New England Patriots (14-3), one of the season's pleasant surprises. This game is on NBC and Peacock at 7 p.m. (CST). Chargers QB Justin Herbert has a bad track record when it comes to the postseason, plus a warm-weather team going to play in a colder climate often doesn't turn out well. Is this one going to be easy for the Pats?

EF: No, I don't think it will be easy for the Patriots. You do have quarterback Drake Maye making his first playoff start. I think the Chargers are pretty good at playing the underdog role. One flaw L.A. has is that they are banged up on the offensive line, with their two stars, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, unavailable. Does Herbert need a playoff win at some point to solidify himself as one of the top QBs in the NFL? Yes, but I believe in the Patriots and what they are doing in the post-Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era. I am going with New England to win.

JS: This may be the moment Herbert steps up and leads the Chargers to a playoff win, but I've got to roll with the team that has been better all season, and that's the Patriots. Maye may end up having first-playoff-game jitters that hurt the Pats, but I'm still taking them.

There is a Monday Night Football game in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, and in my opinion, that's the least interesting game of the week. It sees the Houston Texans (12-5) travel to Pittsburgh to take on the NFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7). This game will air on ESPN and ABC at 7:15 p.m. Am I wrong in viewing this as the worst game of the Wild Card round?

EF: I don't think it will be the worst wild-card game. If you like high-scoring football, this game won't be it, but I think it will be a good game. The game features two pretty good defenses, though Houston's defense has been among the top all season. They are going to pressure Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers all night long, and I will say the Texans will win the game late based on their great defense.

JS: Pittsburgh will get its offensive weapon back in receiver DK Metcalf, who was suspended for the final two games of the regular season for an in-game altercation with a fan, but Pittsburgh just doesn't seem like a postseason team to me. They took advantage of a weak division and backed their way in. I don't really have faith that Houston will go far in the playoffs, but I'll give them this win.

EF: Houston does have a defense to get to a Super Bowl, but their offense is still a huge question mark.

Indiana. Oregon. Ole Miss. Miami. These are the final four teams left in the 2025 College Football Playoff. One of these programs will win a game-changing national championship. Only one team (Indiana) won its conference championship game (Big Ten), but even though the other three teams did not win their conference championships, they are all capable of winning the national championship. We have two exciting semifinal games coming up, but let’s quickly recap the quarterfinals.
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In the quarterfinal round, I was 2-2. I did not pick Ole Miss or Miami to win. But both the Hurricanes and Rebels really showed everyone how good they can be. I do wish that the college football playoff could be reseeded after every round. Because it will be heartbreaking to see one of these teams, either Miami or Ole Miss fall one game short of the national title game. I think both earned major credit for reaching this point in the season, but it will be a major heartbreak for one of them by the end of Thursday night. 
 
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) – No. 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (Thursday, January 8th at 6:30 (CST) on ESPN)
 
Both Miami and Ole Miss have looked the most impressive of the teams that have played two games. Also, both teams have done things differently. For the Hurricanes, it has been the defense that has carried them to victories over Texas A&M and Ohio State, two teams with really good offenses. Miami is led defensively by Reuben Bane, Jr., who is expected to be drafted in the first round in April’s NFL Draft. For Ole Miss, they had a historic comeback in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, Jr. continues to be the story on offense for the Rebels as they look to continue to fire on all cylinders offensively. For Ole Miss to win this game, they will need to have long drives to keep Miami’s defense on the field. Miami quarterback Carson Beck has some familiarity with the Rebels, having faced them as Georgia’s starting quarterback back in 2024. Ole Miss won the game, but Beck played well. I think Miami has the better defense. If Ole Miss gets to 30 points, they will win, but I don’t think it will happen. I have Miami going to the national championship game.
 
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta) – No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1. Indiana (Friday, January 9th at 6:30 (CST) on ESPN)

The Ducks and Hoosiers looked very good in their quarterfinal games last week. Indiana dominated a good Alabama team in the Rose Bowl, while Oregon shut out Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. Indiana defeated Oregon in Eugene 30-20 in their last matchup on October 11th. That was the Ducks' only loss of the season up to this point. I am sure the Ducks and Duck fans have been chomping at the bit for this one. Both Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore are likely going to be the first two quarterbacks drafted in April’s NFL Draft. This will be an opportunity for both to impress NFL teams with their play. (Currently, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets hold the first two picks in this year’s draft, and both teams really need a quarterback.) This will be a hard-nosed, Big Ten fight. By the way, the winner will guarantee that the Big Ten will be represented in the national championship game for the third year in a row. This game could be the best of all the games during the CFB Playoff, including the upcoming national championship game. I feel whoever wins this game should be the favorite to win it all. It is a tough choice, but I am going with Indiana. But I will not be surprised if Oregon wins this game.