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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-8) at Detroit Lions (13-5)
Detroit finally got the monkey off their backs, and won a playoff game. Now, the good thing is that they can focus on just winning this game. it should be a more normal task than trying to win their first postseason game in 32 years.
This time, they will be facing the Buccaneers. Like the Rams, they also won the Super Bowl not too long ago, although they feel like a far different team now, far more than the Rams do. Also, there is not as intriguing a story as the Stafford returning to Detroit, the city where he played the vast majority of his career, line going here.
Tampa Bay played well last weekend in blowing out the Eagles. However, Philly was self-destructive and well in the process of self-destructing. That likely will not be the case this weekend in Detroit. It seems doubtful that the Lions will accommodate the Bucs nearly as much as the Eagles did in assisting the Bucs last weekend.to defeat them.
The Lions have an explosive offense, and while the Bucs have a decent defense, it seems likely that they will not be able to keep the Lions from scoring a decent amount of points. Also, Tampa Bay should not have nearly as easy a time scoring points themselves, because they are not facing a team with such poor tackling as the Eagles showed last weekend. That felt like a travesty for a team that was as good as the Eagles appeared to be last season and through the first of this season, as well.
In short, the Bucs will have a more difficult time. That does not mean that they have no shot to win this. They have been playing very well. They were among the hottest teams in the league towards the end of the season, including last weekend's win. Still, I think that the Lions are the better team overall, and they should prove it once the dust settles after this game.
My pick: Detroit
Kansas City Chiefs (11-6) at Buffalo Bills (11-6)
So the Bills actually finally get to host a game against Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs. So far, these teams have met numerous times dating back to the 2020 season, after which they met in the AFC Championship. It has been a decent meeting. And while the Bills have not won a playoff meeting between these two teams during that time, they also never hosted a game against the Chiefs during that time.
This weekend, they get a chance to do both.
Buffalo has suffered heartbreaks against the Chiefs. The AFC title game loss following a very successful 2020 season. The "13 seconds" game loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round two years ago.
However, they also have enjoyed success against the Chiefs. In fact, the two teams are 3-3 in the six meetings since the 2020 season. That means that the Bills have actually enjoyed more success against KC during that span than almost any other team in the league.
Still, this is the Kansas City Chiefs. They have won three of the last four AFC titles. They won two of the three Super Bowls that they played in during the past four years. And despite having looked unusually pedestrian on offense this season, they still managed to win the AFC West, and knocked off the Miami Dolphins convincingly last weekend. Their defense stepped up in a big way to make up for the problems that were experienced on the offensive end. In short, they are yet a very good and dangerous team. I suspect that they will not go out easily.
Yet, the Bills should go into this game with a lot of confidence. They qualified for the playoffs, and indeed won the AFC East title and earned the number two seed in the AFC, by winning their final five regular season games. They have won six in a row now, after knocking off the Steelers last weekend. Most importantly, they have beaten the Chiefs several times, so they know that they can do it. Also, the revenge factor is on their side, having exited the playoffs twice before to the Chiefs in recent seasons.
This time, the Bills do it.
My pick: Buffalo
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