NFL Picks and Predictions Lions Vs. Buccaneers: Already Talking

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 14: C.J. Gardner-Johnson #2 of the Detroit Lions reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs at Ford Field on January 14, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo : Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

Into the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs we go.  After last week's upsets and blowouts, we are in store for another week of NFL playoff football.  Let's get right into our Picks and Predictions for this upcoming weekend's slate of NFL Divisional Playoff games.      

NFL Picks and Predictions Ravens Vs. Texans: Throwback to Week 1

Saturday 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Ravens 20 - Texans 28

Starting off the NFL Divisional Round we have a rematch from Week 1 this season.  The Baltimore Ravens invite C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans to their home stadium once again.  In their first match, the Ravens got the better of the Texans winning the game 25-9.  In this game, Houston's rookie quarterback has yet to breakout; but now Stroud, seemingly matured five years in one, looks like a fully developed star franchise quarterback.  

This game can surprisingly be looked at as an even match.  The Texans hold a formidable offense, as they picked apart the Cleveland Browns top ranked defense, and Houston has a young quick defense that may be able to contain Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson when needed.  But the Ravens defense, another top ranked defense, is no joke with its top tier linebacking core.

In this game we can see the Texans giving the Ravens a hard time.  It feels like the wide receivers of the Ravens might have trouble getting open against Houston's talented corners, and Jackson may have to do quite a bit extra to help keep the Texans defense honest.  Stroud on the other hand looks seemingly unstoppable and shakable, but the Ravens defense has and can still bottle up his playmaking abilities.  We're going with the Texans upsetting the Ravens because honestly, it would just continue the great storyline in Houston.   

Related Article: 49ers: 3 Problems San Francisco Might Face vs. Packers

NFL Picks and Predictions 49ers Vs. Packers: Green Bay Haunted By History

Saturday 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time

49ers 38 - Packers 21

As for great storylines, we unfortunately can't see the Green Bay Packers upsetting the San Francisco 49ers.  History has proven itself right once again for the Packers as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys at home as per usual; so following history, it states that the Niners have the best of the Packers.  

The 49ers team is just too complete from top to bottom.  The youthful Packers team plays with a great sense of "all or nothing" as they have already exceeded expectations.  But the "nothing to lose" mentality can backfire, and the Niners usually don't play with fire against "less talented" teams as the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles do. 

All is not bleak for Green Bay, as they have a great future ahead of them behind young quarterback Jordan Love.  The Packers hope for him to follow in the footsteps and beyond past Green Bay quarterbacks; Love just has to hope he doesn't have to play the 49ers too often in the playoffs. 

Read More: NBA Trade Rumors: Hawks Trae Young to Spurs

NFL Picks and Predictions Lions Vs. Buccaneers: Already Talking

Sunday 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Lions 42 - Buccaneers 45

Both these teams are already getting chippy with each other, trading shots in the media back and forth.  While the Detroit Lions for the first time in a while find themselves as the favorites to win, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are enjoying the underdog treatment given to them. 

We can see this game definitely turning into a shootout, with both teams being no strangers to high scoring games.  The Lions defense should be careful though, being that they did let quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams accumulate over 400 yards of total offense; while the Buccaneers defense held better ground against the Philadelphia Eagles during the Wild Card game. We like the Buccaneers to come out on top as we think their defense is a little more dependable, especially against the run, than the Lions.  

NFL Picks and Predictions Bills Vs. Chiefs: Welcome to the Pit

Sunday 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Bills 24 - Chiefs 10

Time to test the power of the All Mighty Pit.  Our final game of the NFL Divisional Round playoffs is one to behold, Buffalo Bills Vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.  The script writer worked hard to set up this matchup.  We don't think this game will match the explosiveness of their last playoff meeting, but will contain quite a bit of excitement.  

The Bills finally get a chance to beat up on the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo; and judging by last week's games, home field has proven to be a big advantage for most teams... just not the Cowboys.  The Bills offense looked every bit revitalized, while the Chiefs offense this year in general has been a bit underwhelming.  

Weather plays a huge factor in this game as we saw last week Kansas City played in the 4th coldest game ever recorded and Buffalo wasn't exactly warm last week by any means either.  If we look at how each team played in the cold, we could see that the Bills were a little more comfortable in that type of weather as their offense didn't seem to be too affected by it; while the Chiefs looked a little slower on offense, but ultimately were still able to get the job done.

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