Maybe the playoffs aren’t my thing?
But we don’t quit in this family, so let’s plan on going 4-0 in the Divisional Round to get back in the positive.
Let’s go!
Wild Card Round = 2-4
Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans (-3.5)
Last Matchup = Cincinnati won 31-20 at home in Week 7 of 2020 season
Despite being the latest evidence of the Curse of 370, Derrick Henry has come back from his foot injury and looks to be all systems go for this game.
The Titans should be healthier than they’ve been all season and head into this matchup with AJ Brown and Julio Jones looking to finally show how dynamic a duo they can be.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals took care of business at home vs. Oakland. Their performance didn’t really scream confidence for their ability to upset the AFC’s number one seed though.
I’d love this line more if it were only 3, but I’m still going with Tennessee because I don’t think this Bengals team is ready to take the next step yet.
The Pick = Tennessee
San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers (-5.5)
Last Matchup = Green Bay won 30-28 at San Francisco in Week 3
Kyle Shanahan is 1-3 against Green Bay as the head coach in San Francisco. Two of those games were decisive wins for each team, and the other two ended on Mason Crosby field goals. So, despite that record for Shanahan, these teams have been pretty closely matched since 2018.
I picked the Cowboys over the 49ers last week because I was worried about Jimmy Garoppolo’s thumb injury. I’m still worried, especially with the expected below-zero wind chills. But San Francisco won last week because they ran it 38 times vs. only asking Jimmy to throw it 25 times.
My main question is will the 49ers rushing attack be able to be successful enough to keep Rodgers from turning this game into a shootout? The Packers defense let up the third rushing yards per carry this season, so Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel should have plenty of opportunity.
I’m taking the points.
The Pick = San Francisco
Have a wonderful Saturday, and we’ll be back tomorrow!
