Super Wild Card Weekend lived up to the hype, as all of the matchups were spectacular! There were upsets (Giants over the Vikings), comebacks (Jaguars over the Chargers), blowouts (Cowboys over the Buccaneers), and a host of other close games throughout the entire weekend. These events have set up an epic divisional round for football fans worldwide to enjoy watching. The game on the slate that I’m most excited to watch is the one that football fans never got to enjoy due to Damar Hamlin’s medical scare, which is the contest between the Bills & Bengals. I’m also excited to see how Trevor Lawrence looks against the No. 1 seeded Chiefs on the road. Let’s focus in on what makes this divisional round weekend so special by previewing the games.
Jaguars (No. 4) at Chiefs (No. 1) on NBC (Saturday, 4:30 P.M. ET)
The Jaguars overcame a 27-0 first-half deficit last weekend to defeat the Chargers 31-30. They lost the turnover battle (5-0) & the time of possession struggle (32:39-27:21) but still won. Now the question becomes, was that win just the result of the Chargers doing what the Chargers always do or have the Jaguars finally arrived under HC Doug Peterson & QB Trevor Lawrence? We’ll find out shortly as they face off against the No. 1 seeded Chiefs coming off of a bye week. MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes vs. Trevor Lawrence will be an exciting QB matchup to watch.
Giants (No. 6) at Eagles (No. 1) on FOX (Saturday, 8:15 P.M. ET)
Three out of the four teams in the NFC East division have advanced to the Divisional Round, with two of those teams facing off in this contest in Philadelphia on a Saturday night. The Eagles are 2-0 in the head-to-head series, but it’s tough to beat the same team three times. Football fans will likely remember the most recent game between these two teams in Week 18, when the Giants almost pulled off the upset despite playing mostly backup players on the road. Head coach Brian Daboll has coached up his guys to play well beyond their talent level on paper. Meanwhile, the Eagles have looked like the best team in the league the whole year until recently. Will Jalen Hurts return to form & get the win for the Eagles, or will the Giants win on the road?
Bengals (No. 3) at Bills (No. 2) on CBS (Sunday, 3:00 P.M. ET)
Sunday marks the first time that Josh Allen & Joe Burrow will officially face off against each other due to their previous matchup being declared a “no contest” by the league’s officials. I’ve been dying to see a game featuring two of the AFC’s elite quarterbacks going head-to-head. Bengals DT Sam Hubbard made a truly miraculous play to win last week’s game vs. the Ravens. He recovered a fumble on the Bengals own 2-yard line & took it 98 yards back the other way for a scoop & score, go-ahead touchdown that swung the game’s momentum towards the Bengals. You can’t make this stuff up, and the announcer’s call of the entire incident was picture perfect. The Bills received an incredible defensive play of their own as CB Kaiir Elam preserved the win by breaking up a pass on 4th down & 6 in the team’s 34-31 victory over the Dolphins in Buffalo. I’m thinking this game will be a shootout, but maybe a defensive play determines this outcome.
Cowboys (No. 5) at 49ers (No. 2) on FOX (Sunday, 6:30 P.M. ET)
These two teams were winners of the only blowout games on Super Wild Card Weekend. The 49ers played a close first half against the Seahawks before scoring 25 straight points to win. Meanwhile, the Cowboys clamped down on Tom Brady in their 31-14 rout over the Buccaneers. Things weren’t all rainbows & sunshine for the Cowboys though, as kicker Brett Maher missed an NFL playoff record four (!) consecutive extra point attempts before finally hitting on one late. That’s certainly a concerning trend for them heading into a game that could be close throughout. This matchup is one with a lot of history behind it, as the all-time season series is tied at 17-17-1. Which of these teams will break the head-to-head tie & continue their run through the playoffs?
The Sports Beacon 