NFL Divisional Round Picks

Los Angeles Rams/Green Bay Packers: Green Bay had another great season abounding with preponderant resilience, only really slipping up once, to a team they may face again next weekend. They scored at least 30 points 12 times, that's 12, times, and scored at least 40, 4 times. They led the league in scoring with 509 total hard-fought points (Buffalo had 501), and are playing at home in mid January, that's a huge crazy freakin' advantage. They let in the 7th fewest number of points in the NFC as well, that's some solid equanimous dialectic convergent balance. They've played the Rams twice in the playoffs, and one scenario may be appealing to Packers fans, that being their win versus the Rams in 1967, which eventually led to a Super Bowl win. The Rams were victorious in 2001 (then playing in St. Louis) and went on to lose the Super Bowl that year to New England, it was New England's first Super Bowl victory, so long ago I was cheering them on. Green Bay's traditional playoff success could be a strange inexplicable hindrance, since L.A did take out Seattle, who has also seen success in recent Januaries.  The key to beating the Pack seems to be to score early and often. Sometimes teams are so used to playing with the lead, they have trouble engineering the come back. I doubt that will happen myself but I underestimated the Rams last Saturday. Picking the Pack, go Packers! Hoping it's a tight game.

Baltimore Ravens/Buffalo Bills: both of these teams were evenly matched last weekend and both of them picked up the win, Baltimore stifling Tennessee's running game, the Bills fortunate the Colts kind of blew it (kick that field goal). They've never met in the postseason and didn't play during 2020, Buffalo a bit more sure and steady, Baltimore having to come from behind. The Bills have won 7 in a row, the Ravens 6, the Bills played tougher teams throughout that stretch, the Ravens looked impressive versus Tennessee last weekend. I think the Bills know they got away with one last Saturday and will be all the more formidable this weekend, their defence revved up to take on Lamar Jackson, who'll be looking for at least another 136. From my oddball analysis of the game, and I'm light years away from sure and steady NFL commentary, the Titans relied on their running game far too heavily throughout the despondent afternoon. If they had established an effective passing attack it would have confused the Ravens much more, but they kept running it again and again, for short yardage, it was like Baltimore never had to struggle to come up with a play. If Buffalo can pass the ball effectively it'll put the Ravens on edge and open up lanes for their stalwart running. After taking a quick look at some of the numbers Buffalo put up this year, there's no doubt in my mind they can make that happen. Who's going to win this game?, I have no idea, both of these teams have a lot to prove, and are determined to prove it. But I'll pick the Bills at home in January. And emphatically exclaim, Buffalo, good on ya!

Cleveland Browns/Kansas City Chiefs: the Chiefs were the team that (almost) always won this year, picking up eight wins in 9 games decided by 8 points or less. Thus, they can be beat, since they don't win by much when faced with stiff opposition, although in order to beat them, you have to play your A++ game. Cleveland played their A++ game last Sunday versus the Steelers and impressively won on the road, scoring 48 points no less, but still allowing Pittsburgh to generate 37. You watch a lot of football and come up with a lot of parallels but Patrick Mahomes is something else, I've never seen a quarterback come up with so many unexpected passes, the only professional athlete I'm reminded of is Derek Jeter. Nevertheless, I think the Browns can take him, but they'll have to score steadfast and often, Kansas City's good but not unstoppable, and Mahomes may suffer from the Rodgers/Brees/Favre/Wilson curse. That is, isn't it strange that those four quarterbacks, overflowing with mind-boggling exception, have each only won the Super Bowl once, emerging victorious back in the day (Favre is retired of course), but never repeating, even though it seemed likely (it's still likely). Will Mahomes suffer the Rodgers/Brees/Favre/Wilson curse and never win the Super Bowl again, or will he find a way to overcome it, and emerge like Elway, Manning, or Brady? I think he probably will but I've thought Brees would win again for the past forever. If Mahomes wins again I hope it's not this year. For I'm picking the resurgent independent Cleveland Browns. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers/New Orleans Saints: it sounds odd to say that things don't look good for 6 time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, so perhaps they don't, but New Orleans didn't have much trouble defeating the Bucs twice this season, although it will be a divisional game on Sunday (and Cleveland emerged victorious last Sunday in Pittsburgh). The Saints have won 15 of their last 20 though, including 5 straight impressive wins, but Brady is a competitor like none other, and somehow even won more Super Bowls than Montana or Bradshaw. Nevertheless, back in the day, another Super Bowl approaching, the Broncos once again picked as underdogs, my nerves were indeed on edge. I sincerely believed they would win and was used to never finding support, but still found it annoying when disbelievers chirp chirped, and disseminated lively criticisms. But as I shovelled snow in downtown Montréal in the wee hours of a frigid morning, a humble Bucs fan expressed support for Denver, and had several positive things to say. That week I also kept noticing orange and blue wherever I looked and saw a fascinating horse mural while walking down Boulevard Monk (I usually don't walk down Monk in Winter). I saw so many signs the Broncos would win, my co-worker's commentary was the pièce-de-résistance.  Thus, I'll pick Tampa again although I'm worried that by picking them New Orleans might win, because they usually lose the second time I pick them, so if I want them to lose it makes more sense to pick them. But when I reach this point in superstitious pick craziness, I tell myself, let it go, there's nothing you can do.  So I'll pick Tampa, criticisms be damned! Nice to see Brady playing Brees in the playoffs. Another interesting fact of note: the Bucs have played the Rams twice in the NFC Conference Finals (1979 and 1999), losing both games. Green Bay's never played the Saints in the playoffs.