NFL Divisional Playoffs Part 1
Game 1: Bengals at Titans
Kickoff: 4:30pm ET, 1:30pm PT, 9:30pm GMT
One of these two teams will be in the AFC title game, and it’s a very big deal for both. The Bengals won their first playoff game last week, their first in 31 years. The Titans are the number 1 seed in the AFC and are looking for their 2nd trip to the AFC title game in 3 years.
The Bengals are on the crest of a wave right now, their offence has been on fire for about 5 weeks running and provided that they keep throwing the ball to Ja’Marr Chase, they’ll continue to score points. He’s quickly becoming one of the best players at his position in his rookie season. While they’ve gotten better in the passing game, they’re taking great comfort in the success of their running game to keep teams honest. If the Titans fall into a two deep shell (limiting deep passes) the Bengals can rely on Mixon running effectively.
The Titans have to be confident after the week off. They now have all 22 starters healthy for the first time this season. However, the main player returning from injury is Derrick Henry, one of the best runners in the league over the last 5 seasons. He’s returning for his first game in months, but he’s returning with a metal plate in his foot. How effective he’s going to be is the main question. He could be good, but only in bursts. They still have effective running backs, but not with the same quality as Henry. If he’s not able to run effectively, they’ll have to revert to their backups.
The for main parts of these teams make this interesting. The ranking is obvious:
Bengals offence
Titans offence
Titans defence
Bengals defence
The Bengals could win this game if they can force the Titans into mistakes and long drives. If that happens, they know they have the offence to score 28 points minimum. If they can slow down the Titans enough, they could be looking at a comfortable win, or they could be looking at a game where they just need to limit the damage that the Titans can inflict.
The Titans are very well test though. They have one of the best coaches in the league and have experience in this situation, the Bengals do not. Lacking experience didn’t hamper the Bengals last week, this is a bigger test against a bigger foe. Last week the Bengals went into their shell a little when they got the lead, they can’t do that with the Titans, if they are in a position with the lead, they have to put the foot on the neck of the Titans and finish them off.
Final Score: Bengals 28 - 24 Titans
Game 2: 49ers at Packers
Kickoff: 8:15pm ET, 5:15pm PT, 1:15am GMT (Sunday)
The Packers haven’t beaten the 49ers in the playoffs for 19 years. However, this is the first time they’ve played a playoff game in Wisconsin for 19 years, the last post-season game between these two in cold weather was a 25-15 win for the Packers.
The weather can sometimes be an overplayed aspect of these games, but mid January in Wisconsin averages about -12C and 10F when the game kicks off, that is cold regardless of how you feel you can cope with different climates. The 49ers have a great offence that’s cooked some good defences this season, however, the Packers have been able to control good defences with some of their best defenders on the bench. They have those players back today, and these additions have been slowly nursed back into activity. Unlike some players, when they come back from injury they are thrown into the deep end, the Packers have had the chance to play some injured players during a meaningless game in Detroit, but going into practice for two weeks is also helping them back into the team.
The two head coaches are very much rivals too. While they have spent time working together, egos are hard to hide in the NFL, and bragging rights are on the line. Both spent time in Atlanta as positional coaches and coordinators, and LeFluer worked under Shanahan in San Fransisco too. The first time these two met each other in the playoffs, the 49ers destroyed the Packers in a very humiliating way, while the Packers have had wins over the 49ers in the regular season, it doesn’t take away the embarrassment of the game.
The 49ers main hope to win this game is to run on the Packers, the Packers have a history of failed rushing defences when the lights are bright, and while this defence is better than the defence that was humbled in 2020, the Packers have given up over 100 yards rushing in 4 of the last 5 games.
The Packers will hope to get into their stride early, scoring early will give the hope that they can put the 49ers into their passing offence where they are weakest. If the Packers can get a 10 point lead at any stage, you can look for them to test the passing game where the Packers are strong.
Final Score: 49ers 20 - 31 Packers