Conference Championship Predictions

Jan. 24th Conference Championship Predictions

#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers(11-5) vs. #1 Green Bay Packers(13-3)

Head to Head Comparisons:

Quarterback: Tom Brady(TB) vs. Aaron Rodgers(GB)

Advantage: Green Bay Packers

Rushing Attack: Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette(TB) vs. Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams(GB)

Advantage: Green Bay Packers

Aerial Attack: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, etc.(TB) vs. Davante Adams, Robert Tonyan, etc.(GB)

Advantage: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offensive Line: Tristan Wirfs, Ali Marpet, etc.(TB) vs. Corey Linsley, Elgton Jenkins, etc.(GB)

Advantage: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Defensive Line: Ndamukong Suh, William Gholston, etc.(TB) vs. Dean Lowry, Kenny Clark, etc.(GB)

Advantage: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Linebackers: Devin White, Jason Pierre-Paul, etc.(TB) vs. Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, etc.(GB)

Advantage: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Secondary: Carlton Davis, Antoine Winfield Jr., etc.(TB) vs. Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, etc.(GB)

Advantage: Green Bay Packers

X-Factors:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Leonard Fournette(Offense), Devin White(Defense)

Green Bay Packers: Robert Tonyan(Offense), Jaire Alexander(Defense)

Analysis: 

After knocking off Drew Brees in his likely final game, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers now get a chance to duel with Aaron Rodgers and the number one seeded Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Buccaneers enter this NFC Championship with the possibility of becoming the first team in the Super Bowl Era to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium, but this will be no easy task as they first have to find a way to control the abilities of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense like they did back in October when the Buccaneers beat the Packers 38-10. In the Buccaneers' last game, Tom Brady was surprisingly held to only 199 Passing yards, but they were able to advance thanks to Leonard Fournette totaling over 100 total yards and Ronald Jones II tacking on another 60 yards on the ground. But for the Buccaneers to have a shot in this tough road environment, the Bucs aerial attack must be able to reach the level it was at before their game against the Saints. Along with the Buccaneers run game, their defense was also able to shine in the Divisional Round by forcing 4 turnovers (3 interceptions) and completely shutting down Michael Thomas (0 Receptions). Their defense was led by their stud second-year Linebacker Devin White who totaled 10 tackles and one interception in his first career Playoff game, their Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting who had an interception that kickstarted the Buccaneers offense, and their rookie Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. who forced a crucial fumble that allowed the Buccaneers to tie the game at 20 and lead to 17 unanswered points for the Bucs. This defensive unit will have to step up again because now they are facing this year's MVP Aaron Rodgers who threw for almost 300 yards and had three total touchdowns (1 Rushing and 2 Passing) versus arguably one of the best defenses in the league last week in their first Playoff game against the Rams. The Packer aerial attack was highlighted by the trio of Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Robert Tonyan who, in total, accounted for 17 receptions, 222 receiving yards, and two touchdowns against a dominant Rams secondary. This week, the Packers will not only look to get this trio going again but they will also look to establish a solid running game that's led by Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams who were able to run free for most of their last game tallying over 150 yards rushing combined. On defense, the Packers will look to make Tom Brady feel uncomfortable by establishing a constant pass rush and will look to limit the big plays that the Buccaneers are capable of getting on almost any play. Overall, look for both future Hall of Fame Quarterbacks to come out slinging as they both try to get their offenses rolling in this Championship game. But the decision-maker in this game will be who has the strongest defense, and I think that the Buccaneers defense will be able to make more critical plays than the Packers defense. And in the end, the GOAT Tom Brady will be able to close this game out and put his team in the record books as they advance to the Super Bowl at home in Tampa Bay.

Score Prediction:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers-31

Green Bay Packers-27 

#2 Buffalo Bills(13-3) vs. #1 Kansas City Chiefs(14-2)

Head to Head Comparisons:

Quarterback: Josh Allen(Buf) vs. Patrick Mahomes(KC)

Advantage: Kansas City Chiefs

Rushing Attack: Devin Singletary(Buf) vs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Le'Veon Bell(KC)

Advantage: Kansas City Chiefs

Aerial Attack: Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, etc.(Buf) vs. Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, etc.(KC)

Advantage: Kansas City Chiefs

Offensive Line: Mitch Morse, Dion Dawkins, etc.(Buf) vs. Eric Fisher, Mike Remmers, etc.(KC)

Advantage: Buffalo Bills

Defensive Line: Ed Oliver, Jerry Hughes, etc. (Buf) vs. Chris Jones, Frank Clark, etc.(KC)

Advantage: Kansas City Chiefs

Linebackers: Tremaine Edmunds, A.J. Klein, etc.(Buf) vs. Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, etc.(KC)

Advantage: Buffalo Bills

Secondary: Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer, etc.(Buf) vs. Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorenson, etc.(KC)

Advantage: Buffalo Bills

X-Factors:

Buffalo Bills: Cole Beasley(Offense) vs. Tre'Davious White(Defense)

Kansas City Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire(Offense), Tyrann Mathieu(Defense)

Analysis:

Unlike the earlier game of the day, this is a matchup between two of the game's brightest young stars in Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. This AFC Championship game should be an entertaining high-level matchup as the Bills are entering this game on an eight-game win streak while the Chiefs have won eleven straight games with Mahomes under center. The Bills are coming off an impressive 17-3 win versus the Baltimore Ravens where the Bills defense was able to prevent Lamar Jackson from using his legs and break the game open on a 101 yard Pick Six by Taron Johnson in the third quarter. On offense, The Bills were not as explosive as they were throughout the year and in the Super Wild Card round but Josh Allen was still able to record over 200 passing yards and a passing touchdown while Stefon Diggs tallied 8 receptions, 106 yards, and the only offensive touchdown of the game. However, in this game, there will be no room for the Bills defense to stutter as they are going up the best quick-strike offense in the game that is led by the best trio in football: Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. Before Mahomes had to leave their last game with a concussion, the Chiefs offense was able to easily move up and down the field in the first half, and despite the injury, Mahomes still tallied 255 passing yards and two total touchdowns (1 Passing and 1 Rushing). Fortunately for Kansas City, Mahomes has been cleared and is all go for tomorrow's game where he will look to continue getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce who both had 100 yards against the Browns. Along with the Chiefs explosive pass game, the Chiefs will look to establish a complimentary run game starting with Clyde Edwards-Helaire who is expected to make his playoff debut this game. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs defense was able to hold off the Browns just enough to avoid a late comeback effort so that Chad Henne could make some big plays to close out the game to keep the Chiefs' repeat hopes alive. In this game, they will need their big-time playmakers on defense like Tyrann Mathieu and Chris Jones to stifle the Bills offense just enough so Mahomes can do what he does best in order for the Chiefs to beat the Bills in this game. Overall, this game has the potential to be an extremely high-scoring game where both quarterbacks are able to post eye-popping numbers in the box score. I believe that the Chiefs offense may get off to a slow start where the Bills jump to an early lead but it will not be enough as Mahomes leads his team to a second straight Super Bowl with a dominant second-half performance. 

Score Prediction:

Kansas City Chiefs-38

Buffalo Bills-27

Divisional Round Prediction Record: 3-1

Overall Playoff Predictions: 8-2