With the Wild Card round officially done last weekend, I went a perfect 6/6 on my Wild Card Round predictions. I am hoping to ride my momentum of predicting all the playoff games this Divisional Round. I was on point on some games (49ers vs. Seahawks, Jaguars vs. Chargers, Giants vs. Vikings) while somewhat off on other games (Bills vs. Dolphins, Bengals vs. Ravens, Buccaneers vs. Cowboys). Bills vs. Dolphins went way closer than anticipated with Skylar Thompson starting at QB for the Dolphins. The game was going the way I expected it to be in the first two quarters, but Miami made a comeback by getting some key defensive plays. Those turnovers by the Bills in the second half nearly cost them the game, and they must immediately eliminate turning the ball over if they want to make a run for the Super Bowl. If the Buffalo Bills want to bring home the franchise’s first Super Bowl, they must eliminate the turnovers that nearly cost the team vs. the Dolphins. Also, Mike McDaniel’s horrendous clock management, leading to the Delay-of-Game penalty against the Dolphins, cost them the game. The Dolphins took so long to huddle that they barely had time to snap the ball before the play. With all that out of the way, here are my predictions for this weekend’s games.

Game 1: Jacksonville Jaguars (4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1): Following their bye, Patrick Mahomes, the potential MVP winner this season due to this level of play, and the Kansas City Chiefs begin another playoff run, hoping to get their 2nd Super Bowl ring in the Mahomes Era. The Jaguars have shown that they’re not a team you can take lightly. The Jaguars pulled off an improbable 27-point comeback in their Wild Card game against the Chargers, even though Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions. The Chargers chargered and fired their OC, Joe Lombardi, after the game. As of right now, Brandon Staley will remain the Head Coach of the Chargers. Their defense has stepped up in the last few weeks of the season and was a significant factor on why they were able to make a comeback against the Chargers in their Wild Card Matchup. These two teams matched up in Week 10, where the Chiefs beat the Jaguars by 10, in which the Jaguars’ turnovers cost them the game.

The Chiefs are grateful that they don’t have to face their divisional opponent Chargers, even though the Jacksonville Jaguars won’t go down without a fight. The X-Factor for the last couple of weeks for the Jaguars has been their defense, and they need to rely on that if they want a chance. If the Jaguars run the ball efficiently with Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence doesn’t throw four interceptions, they might have a chance, a close game at least. Even though the Jaguars will put up a fight, the Chiefs will be too much for them to handle, and on top of that, the Chiefs are not the Chargers.

Overall, the AFC Championship has always been the worst-case scenario for the Mahomes and the Chiefs, and he’s also at home in front of the ruckus crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. That’s the ultimate reason I have the Chiefs advancing to their 5th straight AFC Championship game. (Chiefs win by 10).

Game 2: New York Giants (6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1):

The Eagles will have to rely on their run game as a key reason for an Eagles victory against the Giants in Week 15 was due to Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders running for 221 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. However, the Giants limited Viking RB Dalvin Cook to only 60 yards in 15 attempts. The Eagles must avoid falling into that trap if they want to move on. The Giants must rely on converting crucial third downs against the lethal Eagles’ defense. Saquon Barkley will have to be huge here when it comes down to these crucial third downs.

The Eagles barely lost to a rested Giants team, which also had three main defensive starters sit out due to injury, during week 18. Although the Eagles are one of the most talented teams in the League, injuries have completely derailed their season. The Eagles had a bye week to keep their players healthy, but I believe they will come out shaky since they had their momentum cut off earlier in the season. The game will come down to whether or not the Eagles can establish their run game. With the Giants having all the momentum, Brian Daboll will get one step closer to bringing the Giants back to the Superbowl. It will be a close game in a tight NFC East Battle. For a fact, the last time the Giants won their opening-round playoff game, they won the Super Bowl. Interesting! (Giants win by 7)

Game 3: Cincinatti Bengals (3) @ Buffalo Bills (2): This is the rematch everyone has been waiting for after the game between these two got cancelled after Bills Safety Damarr Hamlin suffered an cardiac arrest on the flied and had to be rushed to the hospital. Surprisingly in the Wild Card Rounds, both the Bengals and Bills barely escaped the play of Backup QBs Tyler Huntley and Skyler Thompson. The Bengals made a few mistakes, and their defense played a pivotal role in their Wild Card win against the Ravens. The ultimate factor deciding that game was Sam Hubbard’s fumble recovery from the Bengals’ goal line, which led to a 99-yard TD. Overall, that game was close due to the tight defense that the Ravens played. On the other hand, the Bills got out to an early lead, and crucial turnovers led to Miami points.

One key factor that will determine who wins this game will be the defense. The Bills’ defense has been mostly good but, at times, was suspicious. This was obvious in their Wild Card game against the Dolphins, where they gave up many points to Skylar Thompson and the Dolphins’ offense. They have to make Joe Burrow uncomfortable by sacking him multiple times. However, Burrow will be able to make some plays with his legs, hence escaping the defensive blitz, and he also has an option of giving a short pass to RB Joe Mixon. The Bengals have a solid defense, but they sometimes let people take advantage of them in the run game. This might lead to Cook and Singletary getting decent gains against the Bengals’ defense.

The critical factor for the Bills will be how Josh Allen plays and whether or not he limits the mistakes he does time to time. However, I believe that down the stretch, Allen will make crucial mistakes that cost the Bills the game, For, in fact, the Bills barely beat a banged-up Dolphins team. If they narrowly escaped the Dolphins, the Bills have no chance against the Bengals. Burrow has shown that he is clutch and will have a connection with J’aMarr Chase late in the game, leading to a Bengals victory. The Bengals will also make key red zone stops alonsgside Joe Burrow not making any cricual mistakes. The Cincinnati Bengals will be heading to their 2nd straight AFC Championship Game. (Bengals by 7)

Game 4: Dallas Cowboys (5) @ San Francisco 49ers (2): The last game of Divisional Round is an iconic 90s rivalry and an rematch from their thrilling Wild Card matchup last year. The Cowboys Defense led by Micah Parsons took absolute control of the game last week and they didn’t allow Brady and the Bucanneeers to do anything. Dak Prescott was also solid and effective, leading the Cowboys offense alongside Dalton Schultz and Ceedee Lamb having good games. If the Cowboys played the way they played against Tampa Bay last week, they have an chance to make an deep playoff push this year. After an slow start to the game, the 49ers absolutely steamrolled the Seahawks in their Wild Card matchup

This could be an competitive game. If the Cowboys limit their mistakes and limit their pass rush against the 49ers Offense, they could have an upperhand in this game. If the Cowboys Offense shows up as well, things may not look so good for the 49ers. One thing that the Cowboys might struggle with is Elliot rushing against the dominant 49ers defense. For the 49ers, Brock Purdy is playing pretty well and they have lots of offensive weapons alongside an dominant defense as well. However for “Mr. Irrelevant”, Purdy, this will be his first biggest test in the Cowboys defense even thought he has performed well the past couple of weeks. An key factor for the 49ers is Purdy not turning the ball over against the pass rush of the Cowboys, which strikes dangers against the 49ers.

At the end, I have the 49ers getting the dub in an classic matchup and the home crowd in Santa Clara is an huge reason why. Another reason why is that the Cowboys had less rest and less time to prepare for this week’s matchup as the 49ers played on a Saturday while the Cowboys played on Monday Night. The 49ers run the ball a lot and this will tire out the already exhausted Cowboys defense. Look for Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey to have huge games. The 49ers prevail and move on to the NFC Championship for the third time in the past four years. (49ers by 7)