Road to the Super Bowl

 

January 14, 2022

It’s a football junkie’s paradise as the NFL playoffs start this weekend. There are two games on Saturday and three games on Sunday. There is even a Monday night game for bettors to recoup their weekend losses. It was hard to pick winners as there were major upsets every week. I will attempt to handicap the playoffs although I’m sure I will be completely off.

In the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals host the Las Vegas Raiders. The only thing they have in common is they both lost to the woeful Chicago Bears. The Raiders will not be able to keep up with the Bengals' high powered offense led by former Heisman Trophy quarterback Joe Burrow. 

The Buffalo Bills play host to the New England Patriots. The Bills are led by one the best dual threat quarterbacks, Josh Allen. The Patriots' Bill Belichick is the best coach in football. If the arctic cold affect’s Allen’s game the Patriots can pull the upset. I’ll go out on a limb and say this happens.

The Kansas City Chiefs struggled early but have been on a roll as of late. Pittsburgh quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger’s career ends on a sour note as the Chiefs should crush the Steelers. Whether the Chiefs play Buffalo or New England, they will advance to the AFC championship game.

The Tennessee Titans were the best team in the conference and they should easily defeat the Bengals to face the Chiefs for the championship. This should a great game. The Titans' Ryan Tannehill has developed into a really good QB. The Titans also have best running back in football, Derrick Henry, who is nursing an injury and may not be available. Though, the Titans went on a six game winning streak without Henry. Their second leading rusher, D’Onta Foreman, had three 100 yard games. The Chiefs possess one of the game’s elite quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has plenty of weapons, including Travis Kelsey, who is the best tight end I have ever seen. Kelsey can change the complexion of a game.

In the NFC, the picture is clearer. If I were a betting man, I’d place big money that the Green Bay Packers, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, will face Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is still a lot of football to be played. Who knows what can happen?

The L.A. Rams have a great defense and quarterback Matt Stafford is rejuvenated. They also have the top receiver, Cooper Kupp. The Philadelphia Eagles do not stand a chance. The Dallas Cowboys have a great offense led by quarterback Dak Prescott, who is having a great comeback year. And, they have star running back Ezekiel Elliott. The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of momentum. In week 18, trailing 17-0, they had a last minute scoring drive for a comeback victory. Dallas is a three point favorite so this can go either way.

As for who plays the Titans in the usual anti-climactic Super Bowl? Well, since it is very difficult to win consecutive Super Bowls and the Bucs are a little banged up, it will be the Packers. I wouldn’t mind being completely wrong if somehow the Packers lose in the first round.

I will reserve my pick on who wins the Super Bowl when the dust has settled. In the mean time let’s see how I did.