Well, it’s certainly going to be hard to top that divisional round. After one of the greatest weekends of football the world has ever seen, we are now looking forward to a couple of championship games that hopefully provide a fraction of the entertainment last week provided. With star quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, and… Jimmy Garoppolo taking the stage, these games are sure to be entertaining. With the Super Bowl just two weeks away, let’s get into some championship matchups.

Sunday 1/30

(4) Cincinnati Bengals @ (2) Kansas City Chiefs: 3:00 PM ET (CBS)

Expected Weather: 45℉, 3 mph wind, 0% precipitation 

Current Game Line: Chiefs -7

This year’s AFC Championship game is being played between the new kids on the block, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the established juggernaut, the Kansas City Chiefs. Both of these teams are coming off of exciting wins, although they won with fairly different playstyles. The Bengals defeated the top-seeded Titans behind a bend-don’t-break defense and a rookie kicker in Evan McPherson who nailed all four of his field-goal attempts. On the other hand, the Chiefs emerged victorious over the Bills in arguably the greatest playoff game in recent memory. If you need any hint on what occurred during this past game, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen combined for 246 passing yards and four touchdowns after the final two minutes of the 4th quarter. 

The Bengals and Chiefs had a recent matchup back in Week 17. The Bengals were in the midst of an offensive explosion from Joe Burrow and the rest of the Cincinnati offense while the Chiefs were returning to their expected offensive dominance by adjusting to new defensive strategies. The Bengals were the winners of that matchup in what was a 31-34 shootout where Joe Burrow passed for nearly 450 yards and Ja’Marr Chase broke numerous rookie receiving records on his way to 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns. This time around, the game should come down to what each team can do on the defensive side. 

Cincinnati will need to focus on a way to contain Patrick Mahomes’ scrambling ability as a large majority of the Chief’s yardage came as a result of the Bills being unable to bring down the superstar quarterback when they had a shot. Even with Ryan Tannehill trying to show fans otherwise, the Bengals have an incredibly suspect secondary. They will need all the help they can get from their defensive line who will need to put pressure on Patrick Mahomes to limit his time in the pocket.  

Kansas City is favored but they will need to have a defensive plan that is similar to what the Titans were able to accomplish last week. The Bengals are nearly unstoppable when Joe Burrow has a clean pocket which is illustrated by his 76.2% clean pocket completion percentage (1st in the NFL). Despite their loss, Tennessee was able to disrupt that clean pocket by overpowering the Bengals’ mediocre offensive line and sacking Joe Burrow nine times, tying a single-game playoff record. If the Chiefs are able to replicate a fraction of the pressure the Titans put on Joe Burrow, they will have an even better shot at advancing to the Super Bowl. 

The Pick: As much as the world wants to see the Bengals upset the Chiefs in this game, myself included, it’s just not going to happen. The Chiefs showed how unstoppable they can be on offense in their last matchup against the Bills and I just don’t see the Bengals being able to keep up. Cincinnati has struggled inside the red zone throughout these playoffs and they will need to be much more efficient than they have been when those opportunities arise. Even with their bright future, the Bengals have been given the monumental task of shutting down this Chiefs offense and that isn’t appearing to be a likely scenario. Much to the chagrin of most fans, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will most likely be appearing in their third straight Super Bowl on February 13th. 

(6) San Francisco 49ers @ (4) Los Angeles Rams: 6:30 PM ET (FOX)

Expected Weather: 72℉, 6 mph wind, 0% precipitation

Current Game Line: Rams -3.5

This coming Sunday, the 49ers will be facing off against the Rams for a third time this season in the NFC Championship. This game is being played in what is being recognized as the 49er’s home away from home, Sofi Stadium. The 49ers have taken advantage of this matchup for the past three years as they’ve won the last six matchups. Kyle Shanahan certainly seems to have Sean McVay’s number but this is the playoffs, anything can happen. 

These two teams are both coming off of walk-off field goal wins but they were quite different. San Francisco defeated the number one seed in the Packers due to a fantastic pass rush and the Green Bay special teams unit being downright terrible. The Rams sprinted out to an early lead against the Bucs but tried everything they could to blow it. What was originally a 27-3 lead quickly dissipated and turned into a 27-27 tie thanks to a couple of Cam Akers fumbles and a multitude of other reasons. However, thanks to the excellent connection of Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, the Rams were able to get the ball in a nice position for Matt Gay to end the game with a field goal. 

The key to this game is whether or not LT Trent Williams will be suiting up for the 49ers as he is listed as questionable for this game. Williams has not participated in practice yet this week due to what is reported as a high-ankle sprain. Trent Williams is arguably the most important piece of this offense due to his reputation of being the best run blocker in the league on a run-first offense. If he isn’t able to dress for the game, then the Rams might have a field day with their slew of talent on the defensive line. The 49ers were able to come away with a win the last time they were without Williams in Week 18 but it wasn’t easy as the game was won in overtime, 27-24. They’ve proven that they can beat the Rams without him but that doesn’t mean his absence won’t hurt tremendously. 

On the other side, the Rams are welcoming back the leader of their offensive line with LT Andrew Whitworth. Whitworth was certainly missed from last week’s game as the Bucs pass rush was able to break through more often as the game went on. FS Taylor Rapp is still listed as questionable due to his concussion that was suffered in Week 18 and WR Van Jefferson is also listed as questionable with a knee injury. If both miss the NFC Championship, it won’t be the end of the world as Eric Weddle was able to fill in nicely at free safety and the Rams have plenty of weapons that can take more of a workload without the presence of Van Jefferson. 

The Pick: This is a very difficult game to pick a winner in as one part of me is thinking that Kyle Shanahan will continue to have Sean McVay’s number while another part is thinking that the Rams will finally get it done against their NFC West rivals. I’m flipping a coin and picking the 49ers in this one, mostly because of the historical statistics behind going for a three-game sweep in a single season. Despite the Saints failing to capture the three-game sweep last season against the Buccaneers, out of the 22 times this instance has occurred, the team that is going for the sweep has won 64 percent of the time. Also, SoFi Stadium is likely to be taken over by the 49ers fanbase for the third time this year so the home field advantage is somewhat flipped for this game. Anything could happen in these championship games but I’m leaning toward a rematch of Super Bowl 54 between the Chiefs and 49ers.

After plenty of blowouts, confused referees, and horrendous play calls during Wild Card Weekend, the Divisional Round is upon us. Finally, fans are able to watch the cream of the crop duke it out as we inch closer and closer to the big game. This is one of the first years in recent memory where it feels like any one of these teams can win the Super Bowl. With the competition being so tight, let’s get into what should be a highly entertaining Divisional Round of football.

Saturday 1/22

(4) Cincinnati Bengals @ (1) Tennessee Titans: 4:30 PM ET (CBS)

Expected Weather: 34℉, 3 mph wind, 1% precipitation

Current Game Line: Titans -3.5

The recently victorious, Cincinnati Bengals, are taking on the AFC’s forgotten number 1 seed in the Tennessee Titans for the first matchup of the divisional round. Throughout the 2021 season, it felt like the Titans were losing players to injury almost every week. Major pieces like Julio Jones, A.J. Brown, Taylor Lewan, and Caleb Farley have all missed plenty of time at different points of the season. The most impactful of those injuries was the loss of their otherworldly running back, Derrick Henry, to a Jones fracture in Week 8. 

However, after not being on the field for the past 11 weeks, Henry is looking likely to return for the Titan’s most important game of the year. The Bengals were a top-five rush defense during 2021 but just allowed Raiders running back, Josh Jacobs, to average 6.4 yards per carry during the Wild Card round. Josh Jacobs is talented, but he’s no Derrick Henry, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against Cincinnati’s defense.

Coming off of their win against the Raiders, the Bengals are looking for an improved performance against the Titans. Cincinnati had plenty of opportunities to take a much larger lead throughout the game but continuously floundered in the red zone and had to settle for field goals. Against Tennessee, the Bengals will look to convert on more of those red zone opportunities as field goals can only do so much against a team as dangerous as the Titans. 

In 2021, both of these teams were pretty similar defensively as they each ranked in the bottom 10 for pass defense while also ranking in the top 5 for run defense. Offensively, they were complete opposites as Cincinnatti excelled in the passing game while Tennessee excelled in the run game. The keys to this matchup will be if Joe Burrow can extend his incredible hot streak and how effective this Titans offense can be with most of the previously injured players available. 

The Pick: As for my prediction on the winner, I’m rolling with the upset as I expect Cincinnati to take down the Titans in Nashville. The main reasoning for this result stems back to the Bengals being nearly unstoppable in the passing game with the combination of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd while the Titans struggle against the pass. Tennesse just seems too hobbled and while Derrick Henry could easily go off in his return, it will be hard to rely heavily on the run against a Bengal’s offense that can put up points in a hurry. 

(6) San Francisco 49ers @ (1) Green Bay Packers: 8:15 PM ET (FOX)

Expected Weather: 11℉, 9 mph wind, 5% precipitation

Current Game Line: Packers -5.5

In what has been rumored as the possible final season for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, the Packers will look to return to the NFC championship for the third year in a row. Before they can do that though, they’re going to have to get past a 49ers team that can be very dangerous when they’re rolling. These two teams faced off already way back in Week 3 when the 49ers made the classic blunder of leaving too much time on the clock for Aaron Rodgers to work with at the end of the game. That mistake led to the 49ers losing on a last-second field goal that pushed Green Bay to a 30-28 victory. 

This time around, the 49ers are a different team than what they were in Week 3. Their rushing attack is led by rookie sensation Elijah Mitchell rather than Trey Sermon, Brandon Aiyuk has escaped the dog house, and Deebo Samuel has emerged to become one of the greatest offensive weapons in football. Their defense is top-3 but they will need to be perfect to overcome the historically great ability that Aaron Rodgers possesses. 

Aaron Rodgers has been fantastic as he is likely to be the league MVP for the second straight year. He’s been incredibly efficient while leading the league in passer rating and throwing only four interceptions to his 37 touchdowns. Along with Rodgers is arguably the top wide receiver in the NFL, Davante Adams, and the talented two-headed backfield of A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones. The offense is also welcoming back most of their lineman with the return of David Bakhtiari, Josh Myers, and Billy Turner. 

On the defensive side, Green Bay ranked 9th in yards allowed per game despite being without Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith for most of the year. Those two are most likely returning to the lineup this weekend as well. With all of these returning players, the Packers are entering the divisional round as one of the healthier teams in football which makes them even more dangerous than before.  

The Pick: This weekend, I believe that the top-seeded Packers are going to come out of Green Bay with a win as they advance to their third straight NFC championship game. While the 49ers have shown their talent is immense, they seem to be prone to mistakes with Jimmy Garoppolo leading the team. This was seen with his late interception that brought the Cowboys back into their Wild Card game last week. Also, the Packers have home-field advantage, and there is no NFL team that means more to than the Green Bay Packers.

When at home, the Packers defense allows an average quarterback rating of 74.7 compared to their away rating of 99.1 while they’ve also allowed 16 fewer touchdowns at Lambeau Field. To put it simply, the Packers have a massive advantage when playing in the frozen tundra and I believe that will come into play when facing a quarterback who has been prone to errors this season.

Sunday 1/23

(4) Los Angeles Rams @ (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3:05 PM ET (NBC)

Expected Weather: 58℉, 10 mph wind, 0% precipitation

Current Game Line: Buccaneers -2.5

The Rams will be facing off against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Sunday. In the Wild Card round, both of these teams won in convincing fashion as the Rams flattened the Cardinals while the Bucs smacked around the 7th seeded Eagles. This game could be an interesting one as these teams faced off for a competitive matchup back in Week 3. The Rams ended up winning that game 34-24 despite Tom Brady passing for 432 yards. 

Each of these teams are fairly similar as they have top-5 passing offenses and lower-tier rushing offenses even with talented running backs. Defensively, they are both top-6 run defenses but bottom-12 passing defenses. They each offer similar offensive and defensive strengths which could bring heavy passing numbers into this matchup. While each team is fairly similar in its strategy, the availability of players on both sides is still a question mark. 

Sean McVay recently confirmed that LT Andrew Whitworth will miss Sunday’s game and FS Taylor Rapp will miss his second consecutive game. Those two are huge losses for the Rams as they need all the help they can get on the offensive line versus a feared Tampa defensive front and veteran, Eric Weddle, will likely be pushed into a starting role despite playing in his first NFL game in two years on Monday. 

On the Tampa side, their offensive line has taken some hits as well with RT Tristan Wirfs and C Ryan Jensen both having injured their ankles in the Bucs win against the Eagles. According to reports, Jensen seems to be progressing nicely while Wirfs made his first appearance at practice on Friday and has been participating in very light drills. Head coach, Bruce Arians, has said that the team won’t make the decision on both of these players possibly until 90 minutes before kickoff. Even if both decide to suit up, they definitely won’t be 100 percent. That certainly muddies the situation a bit since the Buccaneers will have a tough time running their offense with backup linemen against the Rams stacked defensive line. 

The Pick: With all of these injuries considered, I’m picking the Rams to advance to the NFC Championship. The Buccaneers are already depleted at wide receiver with Mike Evans being the only real weapon on the outside. He will likely be covered by All-Pro Jalen Ramsey for the entirety of the game so Tom Brady will have limited weapons when passing the ball. A lack of weapons is the last thing the Buccaneers need when facing this star-studded Rams defense. Also, considering the uncertainty surrounding Tampa’s offensive line, any of the Rams pass rushers could find a way to wreck this game. While the Rams are dealing with injuries of their own, I can see them taking down Tom Brady with a great pass rush, which has been a key factor to defeating Brady in the past. 

(3) Buffalo Bills @ (2) Kansas City Chiefs: 6:30 PM ET (CBS)

Expected Weather: 40℉, 5 mph wind, 1% precipitation

Current Game Line: Chiefs -2

In the most heavily anticipated game of the divisional round, the Bills and Chiefs will face off in Kansas City for a rematch of the 2020 AFC Championship game. In the Wild Card round, both of these teams won convincingly as the Bills crushed the Patriots 47-17, and the Chiefs ended Ben Roethlisberger’s career with a 42-21 route. As is with what feels like every playoff matchup so far, these two teams faced off already in the regular season. Back in Week 5, the Bills took down a struggling Chiefs team 38-20 behind four total touchdowns from Josh Allen. 

This time around, the game should be different. At that point in the season, the Chiefs were a shell of themselves as they were still attempting to adjust to defenses shutting down their deep pass-centric offense. Now, the Chiefs are a more careful team that is limiting the number of dumb mistakes that used to be more prevalent. Patrick Mahomes will still make the occasional cross-body throw that could easily be intercepted once in a while, but the offense looks much more controlled than it was earlier in the season. Their defense was ranked near the bottom of the league but they improved immensely down the stretch as they formed into a respectable unit. 

The Bills on the other hand went through a similar stretch as the Chiefs. Their defense was always top-notch with the number one overall unit in the league but the offense was missing those deep shots that carried them so often in 2020 as defenses adjusted to their play style. After a tough midseason stretch that saw the Bills lose to the Jaguars, Buffalo has gained back confidence due to a couple of factors. They’ve bought into running the ball more with Devin Singletary which has proven beneficial and they’ve incorporated different options like Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie.  

The Pick: These are two of the most electric teams in football and it will be a fun game for fans to watch. When picking the winner though, I have to go with the Bills. As a team, they are coming off of possibly the greatest playoff performance in recent memory and they’re clicking in every facet of their game. Kansas City is always dangerous but I don’t know if I’m completely buying into them. Against the Steelers, Mahomes was still running around and trying to make too much happen, similar to what occurred in last year’s Super Bowl. The Bills are also much more dangerous as a team than what the Steelers are so this matchup will give us the opportunity to see if the Chiefs are for real. Anything can happen in this heavyweight matchup but I expect Josh Allen and the Bills to take down their midwestern adversary.

In 2021, the Los Angeles Chargers had one of the more effective passing offenses in the NFL. In fact, they ranked third in the entire league with a per-game average of 282.4 passing yards. With Justin Herbert continuing to progress during his early NFL career, the Chargers should stay around the league’s top passing offenses for years to come. However, one interesting aspect about this offense for the 2022 season is the fact that a multitude of Charger’s receivers are set to be free agents during the offseason. 

The free agents coming out of Los Angeles include wide receivers Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton in addition to tight ends Jared Cook, Donald Parham, and Stephen Anderson. Mike Williams is obviously the major piece here as an unrestricted free agent coming off of a 1,146-yard season. As for his price, Williams is in line for a contract that should be north of $15 million per year based on recent deals to receivers of his caliber. The likelihood that the Chargers offer Williams a long-term contract is looking low as he’s had trouble staying healthy while being fairly inconsistent when available.

The rest of these players are more of a toss-up as their contracts won’t be nearly as hefty as Williams’. Jalen Guyton offers deep play upside and should be fairly affordable, Jared Cook is getting up there in age at nearly 35-years-old, Donald Parham is an exclusive rights free agent who could easily return, and Stephen Anderson only had a role due to games missed by Cook and Parham. The future of these players with the Chargers isn’t set in stone as there is still over a month until free agency begins on March 16th. 

Vacated targets are a hit-or-miss statistic to base predictions on, but if the Chargers were to allow all five players to walk, then there would be a considerable amount of targets opening up in their highly productive offense. The five players add up to 261 total targets on the season while Mike Williams was the most involved with 129. Barring any possible free-agent acquisitions or draft picks being used on wide receiver, Josh Palmer could be moving into a much more involved role in the receiving game.

Josh Palmer is a 23-year-old out of the University of Tennessee who is slightly above average size for an NFL receiver at 6’1’’, 210 lbs. In his rookie year, he managed to showcase his efficiency (115.4 QB rating when targeted), his reliability (54.5 percent of receptions for 1st downs), and his strong hands with a 100 percent contested catch rate (8 targets).  

On paper, he didn’t necessarily “wow” anyone as he finished with 33 receptions for 353 yards and four touchdowns. But, when given the opportunities, he was able to perform admirably. In the three games where Palmer played in at least 60 percent of snaps, he had an average of 7.3 targets, 4.6 receptions, and 51.3 receiving yards. He was also able to catch a touchdown in each of those three performances as well. Numbers like these show that Palmer can provide consistent production for fantasy managers while having the privilege of playing in an offense that excels at throwing the football.

However, with free agency and the draft looming, Palmer isn’t a lock to gain a larger role. Plenty of big-name receivers are set to hit the market and the Chargers own $58 million in cap room. Some attractive names include Davante Adams (GB), Allen Robinson (CHI), Odell Beckham Jr. (LAR), and Chris Godwin (TB). In addition to free agents, wide receivers like Michael Thomas (NO) and Calvin Ridley (ATL) are still under contracts but have expressed their desire for new teams.   

Plenty of obstacles are standing in Palmer’s way, but moving parts throughout the offseason provide hope for a heavy target share opening up in Los Angeles. The Chargers could easily save money on offense by sticking with what they have in Palmer while looking to improve elsewhere. Maybe they use their available cap to beef up their struggling run defense? Maybe they target a replacement for Chris Harris Jr. at cornerback? There are still a number of question marks surrounding this team and their offseason plans so shutting the door on Palmer might not be the correct move just yet. 

To gain a real idea of who Palmer can be as a receiver and as a fantasy asset, he needs more of an opportunity to show out in this impressive passing offense. Judging by the plethora of Charger’s receiving weapons set to hit free agency, he could easily gain that role in 2022. It’s very early, but if Josh Palmer is able to seize this role, he could be a massive value after round 10 of fantasy drafts, unless offseason buzz carries him higher up rankings.