NFL Playoffs Conversation: Divisional Round

​by Eric Fulton & Julian Spivey
*This conversation has been edited for grammar and clarity.

 
JS: Alright Eric, that’s a wrap on the Wild Card weekend of the NFL Playoffs. What did you think was the best of the six games played?

EF: Four of the games were close. Three were really good. I have to say Miami-Buffalo was the best. The Dolphins played well, despite being a third string quarterback. They did not give up after trailing early and really played Buffalo tough three times this year. I feel as though with Mike McDaniel in charge, they are one quarterback away from being really good.

JS: That Buffalo/Miami game was shocking to me. I thought the Bills would blow them out. I also thought the Bengals wouldn’t have much trouble with the Ravens. Maybe those two teams aren’t as good as we thought they were?

EF: Injuries and sloppy play have caught up to both teams and now they will meet since the Damar Hamlin situation went down. Thankfully, he is out of the hospital and back in Buffalo after a scary injury. I will also mention the Jaguars comeback over the Chargers. From down 27 and basically was dominated in the first half to a very shocking comeback that is the stuff of legends.

JS: Let me tell you what I was doing during that Jaguars comeback - one of the biggest and greatest in NFL Playoff history... I was watching "The Banshees of Inisherin," a critically acclaimed movie I've wanted to see for a while because I thought that game was DONE. The Chargers were up by, I believe, more than three touchdowns late in the first half and I'd see all I needed to see with Trevor Lawrence throwing picks every time he possessed the ball. I guess that's my bad. Don't ever give up they say. At least the movie was good.

JS: Who do you think had the most impressive weekend as far as player performance goes?

EF: I have to say Dak Prescott. Prior to the game against Tampa Bay, he had at least one interception for seven weeks in a row. He had a bad thumb injury that sidelined him for a few weeks. I did not think he would outperform Tom Brady and I also did not expect it to be super close. Prescott was brilliant against the Bucs. His best game of his NFL career. He was spectacular.

JS: Yes, I’ll agree with Prescott. I’ve seen his play in the last few games of the season and it wasn’t good. He was a pick machine and honestly I expected that to be the case in the playoffs. I predicted the Cowboys would lose to Tampa Bay. He comes out with five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and over 300 passing yards with no interceptions. It may have been a career night for him on a big stage.

JS: Alright let’s get to the Divisional Round matchups. The first game of the weekend will be the Jacksonville Jaguars coming off of that epic comeback win against the L.A. Chargers traveling to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, who had a first round bye as the No. 1 seed. How do you see this one playing out?

EF: The Jaguars magical season comes to an end in Kansas City. I know they met a few weeks ago with the Chiefs winning in a close game. Kansas City will win by double digits, but Jacksonville will be a force in the AFC for years to come.

JS: The game you referenced was Week 10 in mid-November. Kansas City beat Jacksonville 27-17. Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 with four TD passes and a pick. Trevor Lawrence had 259 yards with two TD passes. I’ve thought the Chiefs have been the best the league has had for about four or five years now, but that doesn’t always mean Super Bowl run. With the way the Jags came back last weekend nothing will shock me, but I’m predicting Chiefs. Not sure if it’ll be the double digit win you’re predicting but as long as K.C. is in the playoffs I don’t think I can pick against them.

EF: I will say it be a 10 point decision just like earlier.

JS: That game will be at 3:30 CT on NBC - the final NBC broadcast of the year - by the way.

JS: The second game on Saturday will be the New York Giants, fresh off their win against the Minnesota Vikings, traveling to Philadelphia to take on the No. 1 NFC seeded Eagles. This is, of course, a NFC East rival. The Giants have failed to beat the Eagles twice this year, losing 48-22 in week 14 and 22-16 in week 18. So, this will be the second straight game against the Giants for Philly. This game will be at 7:15 CT on Fox. Do the Giants finally beat the Eagles, or will it be three strikes and they’re out?

EF: This will be interesting. Eagles is coming off a bye, but they have had to deal with injuries. Jalen Hurts dealt with a right shoulder injury and Lane Johnson with ribs (both will play). But with extra rest, that should help them both. This is one of the better rivalries in the NFL. Very emotional and intense. I was wrong with the Giants/Vikings prediction. Brian Daboll is the Coach of the Year. But the Eagles will win this game in a really close game. A field goal in the last seconds will win it for Philadelphia.

JS: I think it’ll be a close matchup too simply because of the familiarity between the two. Philly beat the Giants by a combined 32 points this season (most of that coming in the first matchup). I’m going to pick the Eagles to win their third game against New York this season, but this may be me hoping more for the Eagles to win than predicting it simply because I’d hate to see such a dominant team in the NFC during the season go one and done in the postseason.

JS: The first game on Sunday is a rematch of a game that unfortunately didn’t get far a few weeks ago on Monday Night Football when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after a hit in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It could be an emotional game for both of these teams but it’s also what I think should be the best game of the Divisional Round. It’ll start at 2 p.m. on CBS. How do you see this game playing out?

EF: I agree with you on Bengals-Bills on being a very emotional game for both teams given what happened the last time the two teams met. For Cincinnati, the offensive line is down three starters. Two of the three won't play for sure. That is a major disadvantage going against a tough Buffalo defense. On the other hand, Josh Allen has been mistake prone lately, but he has still made big plays to help his team. This is very much an either way game. Whoever has the football last, will win this game. I have liked the Bengals these past couple of seasons, but if this game was in Cincinnati, I would pick them. I am picking Buffalo to win this one, but it will be a very close game.

JS: I could definitely see this game going either way and agree it should be close. I, too, am predicting the Bills - which if both our predictions are right - would lead to an AFC Championship game in the neutral city of Atlanta - which kind of sucks.

JS: The final Divisional Round playoff game on Sunday sees the Dallas Cowboys travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. That game can be seen on Fox at 5:30 p.m. How do you think it’ll play out?

EF: This should be a great game! It's the ninth all time playoff meeting between Dallas and San Francisco. Always a heated battle when these two teams meet in the playoffs. I was impressed with Dallas' performance minus the kicking game. Offense and defense were great against Tampa Bay. Now the Cowboys have a bigger challenge in a 49er team that beat them last year in the playoffs. Brock Purdy has been great for them. I think it will come down to two things: which quarterback will make fewer mistakes and which running game will be the strongest? To me, I believe this will be a four quarter game. Even though the 49ers had a couple of days more rest, I think Dallas will play well on a short week. Plus, it will be a field goal game. I am going with the 49ers in a close, tight game 30-27.

​JS: If it's a field goal game the Cowboys are likely in trouble because it definitely feels like Brett Maher has the yips. I don't think he can be trusted at all right now. I too was very impressed with Cowboys offense against Tampa Bay, in particular Dak Prescott who had been struggling mightily. But the 49ers are a much better team than the Buccaneers were this season. San Fran is also incredibly hot right now riding the longest active winning streak in the league. It may be a close game. I hope it is. But I'm riding with the 49ers here.