Rams at Packers:
The Rams were able to survive last week against the Seahawks with some quarterback issues, but the Packers are a very different team than the Seahawks. The Rams originally started their backup John Wolford, but he went out with a concussion and Jared Goff had to come in just a few weeks after his thumb surgery. He seemed ok last week, but playing in the freezing cold in Green Bay will affect his fingers much more. The Packers have won their last six games and have looked like a Super Bowl worthy team. Aaron Rodgers has thrown 48 touchdowns and only five interceptions, but will face pressure from Ram’s defensive tackle Aaron Darnold. Darnold went out with an injury in last week's game but is expected to play today. I think that the Rams strong defense will be able to limit the Packer’s offense, but not enough to beat them. The Rams offense really has not been able to do much, and there is no way they can keep up with the Packers.
Ravens at Bills:
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen both got their first playoff win last weekend and it’s looking like it’s going to be a snow game in Buffalo this weekend, which would be really fun. Lamar Jackson is from Florida and says he hopes it does not snow since he is not used to playing in the cold. The Ravens run game has been what has kept them winning, and the Bills were not able to stop the Colts run game last weekend. The Colts were averaging over 5 yards a carry. The key for the Bills will be limiting RB JK Dobbins and keeping Lamar Jackson in the pocket. They can not allow Jackson to have some of his big runs, like his 40 yard touchdown scramble last week against the Titans. Josh Allen’s passing game has gotten so much better this season, and the Bills will need to rely on his arm in this game. I think this game will be super close but the Bills will win at the end.
Browns at Chiefs:
The Browns pulled off the upset of the week last week against the Steelers even without head coach Kevin Stafansky and without practicing the week before. Now, the Browns will face the Chiefs, who have the best record in the league and are looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. One of the reasons the Browns were able to defeat Pittsburg was because they forced Big Ben to throw four interceptions. When playing Patrick Mahomes, that is not going to happen. The Browns are going to need to take advantage of every time they have the ball because there is no way to stop the Chiefs offense. The Chiefs have too many weapons, and if the Browns want to beat them, are going to have to get into a shootout. One way the Browns can help themselves is by running the ball a lot to kill the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Chiefs. The Browns running backs played pretty well last week, but will need a monster game to upset the Chiefs. I think the Browns will be able to keep this game much closer than the spread, but will come up just short of a win.
Bucs at Saints:
Two of the greatest quarterbacks in the league will be meeting again for the third time this season. The Saints won the first two meetings, but with Brady leading the Bucs, don’t expect them to lose three without a fight. The Saints finally had all their offensive weapons back last week, and the offense looked very smooth. Their defense continued to play well and is still one of the best in the leagues. The defense will need to get a lot of pressure on Brady because he has struggled this season when under pressure. The defense will also need to target one of Brady’s top receivers, Mike Evans. In their previous two meetings, the Saints were able to cover Evans so well that he barely had any receptions. If Brady can’t get the ball to him I expect him to throw to Antonio Brown more. I think that this will also be a close game, but the Saints will defeat the Bucs for the third time this season.
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