NFL Playoffs Conversation: Divisional Round

by Eric Fulton & Julian Spivey

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.