NFL: Down to Just Eight Teams

The Wild Card Round saw a trio of close games, and one double-digit victory. The Tennessee Titans kept their season alive, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs after trailing 21-3 at halftime. The Atlanta Falcons pulled off the upset on the road, as well, taking down the young Los Angeles Rams, 26-13, highlighted by a touchdown from WR Julio Jones to finish a chance at a comeback. The Jacksonville Jaguars earned their first postseason victory since 2007, halting the Buffalo Bills to the tune of a 10-3 score. Lastly, the New Orleans Saints slipped by the Carolina Panthers, 31-26, to advance further. Our NFL Staff is here to preview the Divisional Round.

READ: Wild Card Predictions.

1. Charles Post (3-1)

T-2. Caleb Henderson (2-2)

T-2. Max Heningburg (2-2)

T-4. Blake Stoll (1-3)

T-4. Tyler Taylor (1-3)

No. 6 Atlanta Falcons (10-6, 1-0) vs. No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, 0-0): These two teams are headed in very different directions at this time, but it should make for one of the better games of the weekend. The Philadelphia Eagles are the top seed in the NFC, and deservedly so, but without QB Carson Wentz, they just aren't the same team. That was obvious in the final game of the season, losing 6-0 against the Dallas Cowboys. Atlanta, on the other hand, is starting to play the best football of their year. QB Matt Ryan has 4,095 passing yards and 20 touchdowns on the season. He is going to need to have a good game in order for the Falcons to advance to the NFC title game, as they did last season. As for the Eagles, QB Nick Foles is only starting his fourth game this year, so expect them to be safe in the first half, barring a large deficit. They're still trying to get him acclimated to this team, and they won't threaten downfield unless need be. But if the Falcons get off to a good start, which I fully expect them to, the Eagles might have to break away from their game plan and take some shots into the secondary, especially if Atlanta decides to load the box in anticipation of runs. Both defenses are pretty good, so it shouldn't be too high scoring. I expect this game to be played in the twenties and thirties. It's just difficult for me to trust Philadelphia without Wentz, especially since RB Jay Ajayi has been struggling over the last month. Give me the Falcons, 28-21, winning a second consecutive road game.

Blake Stoll: Eagles (24-17)

Caleb Henderson: Falcons (31-21)

Charles Post: Falcons (24-20)

Max Heningburg: Falcons (30-13)

Tyler Taylor: Falcons (31-13)

No. 5 Tennessee Titans (9-7, 1-0) vs. No. 1 New England Patriots (13-3, 0-0): After having their backs against the wall, down 21-3 to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tennessee Titans went onto score 19 unanswered points to stun Kansas City in Arrowhead, 22-21. Now the Titans have to prepare for their toughest test of the season: the 13-3 New England Patriots. The Titans cannot afford to show up to Foxboro midway through the 3rd quarter like they did against the Chiefs. If they do, it’ll end well for the Patriots, but not for Tennessee. The Patriots have the advantage at the QB position with the greatest of all-time in Tom Brady, but despite his regular season numbers, Marcus Mariota is no slouch either, as shown by the miraculous comeback he engineered last week in his first career playoff start. The Titans have the advantage raw talent wise at HB with Derrick Henry, but the Patriots will find ways to use Dion Lewis and James White effectively, so that’s a wash. New England does have an advantage at receiver with Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski, but Tennessee does have at least Delanie Walker available for Mariota. The Titans have the advantage with the offensive line, but the defense goes to the Patriots. Now, one x-factor for this game could be the rumored strained relationship between Brady, Bill Belichick, and Robert Kraft. However even with this, I still think the Patriots handle the Titans easily, 34-17. My player of the game is QB Tom Brady as he adds yet another playoff win to his already pristine legacy.

Blake Stoll: Patriots (34-10)

Caleb Henderson: Patriots (34-17)

Charles Post: Patriots (28-20)

Max Heningburg: Patriots (24-10)

Tyler Taylor: Patriots (34-20)

No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6, 1-0) vs. No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3, 0-0): The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday in an AFC Divisional Round showdown. Last time these two teams played, the conversation surrounded around QB Ben Roethlisberger’s horrid performance in which he admitted “Maybe I don’t have it anymore.” Coming off a mediocre playoff win, the Jaguars look to have another big day against the Steelers and keep their season alive. In order for the Steelers to advance to the next round, they cannot have a repeat performance of their Week 5 debacle against the Jaguars. It all starts with their leader, Roethlisberger. Since his game against Jacksonville, Roethlisberger has thrown for 2,982 yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Coming in with the third best total offense in the NFL, they also come in with the fifth best total defense in the league. Watch out for the defense led by Cameron Heyward and his 12 sacks to have a big impact on QB Blake Bortles and the Jaguars' offense. Jacksonville got their first home playoff win since 1999 last Sunday. Even though they achieved the win, the offense was at its worst against the Buffalo Bills. If they are going to win this game, they cannot simply rely on their defense to hold Pittsburgh. Bortles is going to have to turn around his game after an 87-yard passing game, and continue to be effective as a scrambler. The defense led by their lockdown corners, Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, are going to have to have another stellar performance against Roethlisberger in order to stay in the game and have a chance to win. The matchup that fans around the world are anticipating is arguably the best corner in the NFL, Ramsey taking on the league’s leading WR Antonio Brown. Last time these two matched up, Brown had recorded 10 receptions for 157 yards, but most of the catches were in zone coverage, and Ramsey played physical and tough one-on-one defense against Brown. Both of these players are a big part of their team, and their success or failure can determine the outcome for their teams.With the Steelers experience in the playoffs on both ends of the ball, look for Mike Tomlin to play very methodical against Doug Marrone and the young Jaguars team. RB Le’Veon Bell will be a big part of the offense Sunday, as well, hoping to establish a running game and an extra receiver out of the backfield. The Jaguars look to advance to their first conference championship game since 1999, and they will need to have huge performances on both sides of the ball to fulfill that achievement yet again. I'm taking the Steelers, 27-6, to advance to the AFC title game.

Blake Stoll: Jaguars (17-13)

Caleb Henderson: Steelers (23-7)

Charles Post: Steelers (24-21)

Max Heningburg: Steelers (27-6)

Tyler Taylor: Steelers (27-13)

No. 4 New Orleans Saints (11-5, 1-0) vs. No. 2 Minnesota Vikings (13-3, 0-0): The New Orleans Saints will face the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the playoffs. This will be the second time these two teams matchup this season. The first game resulted in a 29-19 Week 1 win for Minnesota. Since, the Vikings have lost QB Sam Bradford to injury and have been starting Case Keenum. He has done surprisingly well considering that he lead the team to a first-round bye. Keenum threw for 3,547 yards and boasts a 12-3 record going into the game. Although Keenum has been fantastic for the Vikings, he is no match for Drew Brees who threw for 4,334 yards this season. Not only are the Saints dominant in the air, they also put on a show with their ground game. RB Mark Ingram rushed for a career-high 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns and rookie Alvin Kamara took 728 yards and eight touchdowns for himself. Minnesota is 13-3 and at home, but I don’t think their dominant defense will be able to handle the New Orleans offense this time around.

Blake Stoll: Saints (21-14)

Caleb Henderson: Vikings (17-14)

Charles Post: Saints (24-20)

Max Heningburg: Vikings (23-17)

Tyler Taylor: Vikings (21-17)

Photo Credit: ESPN.