What a way to open the NFL playoffs last week. It was Super Wild Card Weekend and he was great with my choices. I went 4-0 with my best bets as part of the Pick Six Podcast, I went 4-2 with ATS picks in our CBS Sports expert picks and I was 6-0 straight.
They don’t call me the playoffs home for nothing.
So let’s get on with it and have another good week with the picks. I can already hear the dogs barking.
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (NBC). steam: FuboTV
Featured game | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Chiefs beat the Jaguars 27-17 in November, but this was a different team from Jacksonville and the game wasn’t really close to score. This Jacksonville team has been struggling with offense, while this team is not. The Chiefs would be a real problem for the Jacksonville defense, which struggled at times against the pass. Jags don’t rush passers that way, which is a huge advantage for Patrick Mahomes. Jacksonville did not have a sack in the first meeting. This is always a problem against Mahomes. I see the Jaguars scoring against a Chiefs defense that can be beaten because Trevor Lawrence plays so well. But I don’t see the Jaguars slowing down the Chiefs attack. Look for Mahomes to put up some big numbers, which the Jaguars won’t be able to match. The Chiefs will move on to the AFC title game.
pluck or pluck: Chiefs 34, Jaguars 28
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET (Fox). steam: FuboTV
Featured game | Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants
The Giants impressed by hitting the offense Vikings last week, but this challenge is much tougher for Daniel Jones and Co. The Eagles led the NFL in sacks and have five men with 10 or more. This is pressure. The Giants would occasionally drop on their streak, which should be a concern. But offensive coordinator Mike Kafka does a good job planning things for Jones. The Eagles didn’t look good on offense in the regular season finale against the Giants, who rested players that day. Jalen Hurts came back for that game after missing two, but it wasn’t great. The extra time will help in terms of his health. Look for the Eagles to attack in the air here, but the Giants come alive on the defensive front. Without Lynn Johnson, that could be a problem for the Eagles. However, look for Philadelphia to pull it off and advance to the NFC Championship Game.
pluck or pluck: Eagles 30, Giants 28
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (CBS). Stream: Paramount + (click here)
Featured game | Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals
This is the game for the weekend if you love quarterbacking. Joe Borough vs. Josh Allen. We thought we would see this match in week 17, but the match was canceled after Damar Hamlin suffered a heart attack. It was the right thing to do, but that’s also why this game is in Buffalo. If the Bengals had won that game, and had an early lead, this contest would have been in Cincinnati. Like in Buffalo. Neither team looked great last week against their reserve midfielders and both struggled to progress. I think both of them will play better here. The Bengals are having problems on the offensive line, with three players potentially out for starters, but the Bills didn’t rush the passer well last week against Miami and Boro gets the ball out quickly. This should be a penalty shootout with both midfielders having big days. In the end, I think it’s Allen and the Bills who will win the title going into the fourth quarter.
pluck or pluck: Bills 34, Bengals 30
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox). steam: FuboTV
Featured game | San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys
The 49ers beat the Cowboys for their spot in the playoffs last year, so this will be an opportunity for the Cowboys to make things happen. Dallas beat Tampa Bay on Monday night, so this is another road game in a short week, one that will challenge them. The 49ers will in fact get an extra day of rest since they played last Saturday. But the Cowboys seem to be finding their offense against the Bucs, especially Dak Prescott. The 49ers have a better defense than Tampa Bay, but the Dallas offense will be able to move the ball around. For the 49ers, he would go down to Brock Purdy against pressure from Dallas. Purdy has been a standout since taking over as the starter with five games remaining in the regular season. Play well to win Seahawks Last week, but this will be the best defense he has faced. The Dallas lane rush can be disabling, which I think is the case here. Prescott will get the best of the quarterbacks in this one as Dallas pulls off a meltdown.
pluck or pluck: Cowboys 27, 49ers 26
