NFL: Championship Round Predictions
No. 2 Los Angeles Rams (13-3, 1-0) @ No. 1 New Orleans Saints (13-3, 1-0): The Rams come into this game as the underdog for the first time this season, which goes to show just how good they've been. However, the Saints have been arguably better, and when the two teams met on November 4th, it was New Orleans who came out on top. QB Drew Brees (3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns) helped hand the Rams their first loss, 45-35, in that game and he'll be looking to do the same this upcoming weekend. RB Todd Gurley (1,251 yards, 17 touchdowns) only amassed 68 yards that game which was the Saints' goal, and New Orleans will attempt to do the same. The Rams' offense isn't nearly as good when Gurley struggles. In a game that could be high-scoring, the Rams average +1.4 more points than the Saints.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Rams.
Caleb Henderson: Rams.
Charles Post: Rams.
Chinedum Wejinya: Rams.
Greg Schwochow: Saints.
Max Heningburg: Rams.
Raven Martin: Rams.
Tyler Taylor: Saints.
Potential MVPs:
1. Drew Brees (QB)
2. Todd Gurley (RB)
3. Jared Goff (QB)
4. Alvin Kamara (RB)
5. Michael Thomas (WR)
No. 2 New England Patriots (11-5, 1-0) @ No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (12-4, 1-0): The Chiefs and Patriots also met in the regular season, making both conference championship games rematches. In the first meeting, Kansas City lost their first game of the year, 43-40, on the road. RB Sony Michel (931 yards, six touchdowns) was hugely impactful and now that he's healthy again, the Patriots will try to establish the run game early on. He ran for 106 yards on 24 carries against the Chiefs. Meanwhile, QB Patrick Mahomes (5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns), the presumed league MVP, was excellent in that outing, but did throw a pair of first half interceptions. He responded with four scores and tied the game 40-40 late, but if he can take care of the ball this time around, Kansas City should advance to the Super Bowl.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Patriots.
Caleb Henderson: Chiefs.
Charles Post: Patriots.
Chinedum Wejinya: Patriots.
Greg Schwochow: Patriots.
Max Heningburg: Chiefs.
Raven Martin: Chiefs.
Tyler Taylor: Chiefs.
Divisional Round Records:
1. Raven Martin (6-2)
T-2. Blake Stoll (5-3)
T-2. Caleb Henderson (5-3)
T-2. Charles Post (5-3)
T-2. Chinedum Wejinya (5-3)
T-2. Tyler Taylor (5-3)
T-7. Greg Schwochow (4-4)
T-7. Max Heningburg (4-4)
Photo Credit: Action Network.
