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The three MVP finalists for the Associated Press 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player award, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes were announced on Wednesday, and three of them will be playing in the scheduled Conference Championship game this Sunday.
Two other MVP finalists, Josh Allen the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback and Justin Jefferson the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver took their exits from the postseason.
But, the three quarterbacks Mahomes (Chiefs), Burrow (Bengals), and Hurts (Eagles) will play this weekend to give their teams a spot in Super Bowl LVII.
The AFC Championship Game for Sunday evening featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals is also a faceoff between MVP finalists, Mahomes and Burrow.
Mahomes is in line to win his second MVP award, he was chosen for this title in the 2018 season. This season, Mahomes ended with 5,250 passing yards and 358 rushing yards, both career highs, led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns (41) and was the second position in quarterback rating (105.2).
Cincinnati Bengals had a rough start to the campaign, but are now in the AFC Championship Game, not losing a game since Halloween and with their best regular-season record with Burrow under center.
Joe finished the year as one of the top five in passing yards (4,475), touchdowns (35) and completion percentage (68.3), with the last two rankings second in the league.
When speaking on Burrow, the Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor said; ‘He’s deserving of anything that comes his way. He’s one of the greatest players in the league, and those are usually the type of guys that should be in that conversation,” Taylor said of his quarterback being nominated for the award. “I’ve said it a million times, we’re fortunate to have him.”
On the NFC side of the playoff bracket, Hurts when speaking on Wednesday following his nomination, said he was at a “loss for words” when he was mentioned as a finalist.
“It’s a cool honor,” he said.
This season, Hurts was 14-1 as the starter for the Eagles, and accumulated a career-high 3701 passing yards, 22 passing TDs and 13 rushing TDs, even after missing two games late in the season due to a sprained shoulder.
Nick Sirianni the Eagles’ head coach said on Wednesday “His body of work speaks for itself. He’s had a phenomenal year.”
For these three star players, the first other of business will be Championship Sunday, with an opportunity to appear in the Super Bowl on the line. After that, the NFL Honors ceremony holding on Feb.9, where one of the five finalists will take home a title considered one of the highest honours in Football.
Kansas City Chiefs Vs Cincinnati Bengals is a matchup between two of the NFL’s biggest teams facing off for the second season in a row. The Chiefs and Bengals will meet each other in the AFC Conference Finals this Sunday.
The Bengals ended the regular round as the AFC North’s champion and have already beaten the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, the Bills were defeated by a 27-10 score. Chiefs, on the other hand, secured first place in the AFC west and were already the best squad in the American Conference before trashing the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-27 in the Divisional Round.
Last year, Cincinnati won Kansas in this same stage, in a 27-24 overtime, will they repeat history this Sunday?
Ahead of the matchup that has most NFL fans at the edge of their seat, MatchPlug gives you the NFL Predictions for the Chiefs and Bengals’ Conference Championship match.
Season record: 15-3 (AFC West Champion – 1st seed AFC)
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline:1.85
1XBet Over/Under: Under 47.5
BetMGM Spread: -1
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.87
BetMGM Over/Under: Under 47.5
Kansas City Chiefs are going into Sunday’s game with a massive historic win against the strong Jacksonville Jaguars team, albeit after the scare that was Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury.
Mahomes the Chiefs’ quarterback, had to leave the game for some minutes, but even with his injury, he brought magic to the field, throwing 195 yards and two touchdown passes.
Although Patrick has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle, fans expect him to be on the frontlines this Sunday, playing a Bengals team that slowed him down on two different occasions.
Kansas City might have finished as the League’s best offense, but this is with credit to Mahomes’ efforts. Chiefs were first in points scored (496), the only team to pass 7,000 yards (7,032) and number one in average yards per play (6.4) too, air yards (5,062) and air TDs (41).
It is important that the Chiefs’ offense is charged. Defensively they are not one of the worst in the NFL, but they have quite the average performance, so the Bengals’ offense is expected to score some points as the Jaguars did to them during the Divisional Round.
Kansas is the team that forfeited the most TDS through the air in the league (33) is one statistic that puts a stain on Andy Reid’s squad’s record. This number doesn’t inspire confidence, particularly if they’re facing a team that has one of the NFL’s best aerial attacks, launched by Joe Burrow.
Season record: 14 -4 (AFC North Champion – 2nd AFC seed)
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.95
1XBet Over/Under: Over 47.5
BetMGM Spread: +1
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.95
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 47.5
The Cincinnati Bengals’ are one match away from becoming American Conference champions again and their recent results speak well for one of the best teams in the league.
Cincinnati had no problems evicting the Bills in the divisional round and won the past 3 meetings against the Chiefs, plus last season’s Conference Final and Week 13 regular round game of this season.
Joe Burrow the quarterback is the one calling the shots for the Bengals, Burrow hasn’t settled, not even the avalanche that fell on Sunday in Buffalo could slow him down. He beat the NFL’s best defenses and threw for 242 yards with two touchdown passes.
Thanks to the 27 points scored, Cincinnati reached 10 successive games with at least 20 points. Making evident the offensive strength of this squad that doesn’t just depend on Burrow’s aerial game, but on Joe Mixon’s ground game too, which recorded 105 yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals’ defensive side is hard to crack too. This team haven’t allowed above 18 points to their opponents in four games. And last Sunday they schooled Josh Allen in defense strategy by holding Allen and his men ransom to only 10 points. That performance is why Cincinnati is the fourth-lowest TD defense through the air this season, and why Mahomes should be worried.
MatchPlug Prediction
NFL Predictions this week place the Bengals as a slight betting favourite for Sunday’s matchup, due to their strong home performance against the Bills and Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury.
But, the Chiefs are 8-1 at home this season and when playing them, nothing should be left to chance, especially since the Bengals have had a hard time defeating them four games in a row. A low-scoring result shouldn’t be expected for any of these teams. The game will be tough but end with a few points.
Sunday’s game features the two best quarterbacks in the NFL presently and the results that caused 9 losses in the past 12 meetings between the two leaders will be put aside.
In this game, we will have the two best quarterbacks in the NFL today and the results that led to the loss in nine of the last 12 meetings between the two will be left behind.
The NFC Conference Final scheduled for this Sunday features the overall two best squads in the National Conference. Philadelphia Eagles VS San Francisco 49ers face-off is a highly anticipated game.
San Francisco became NFC West champions after winning over the Seattle Seahawks in the Wildcard competition, it also defeated Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round.
Philadelphia on its own part didn’t lead the NFC East, but it had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They secured their record during the first weekend of the playoffs before settling down to defeat the New York Giants 7-38.
MatchPlug brings you a preview of the major matchup between the Eagles and 49ers, including the best NFL Predictions Today for the game.
Regular Season Record: 14-3 (NFC East Champion – NFC 1st seed )
1XBet Spread: -2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.69
1XBet Over/Under: Under 46.5
BetMGM Spread: -2.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.67
BetMGM Over/Under: Under 46.5
The Philadelphia Eagles entered the match stronger than they’ve been, thanks to their bye week which they got by being the NFC’s best record and for ending their Divisional Round match with the New York Giants early on.
Philadelphia went into the break with a 0-28 lead, and the second half of the game, was merely to keep up appearances. The Eagles are recognised by many fans as one of the best teams in the regular round because its performance is consistent and each of its lines is impressive.
Nick Sirianni’s team gets its power from the offense, which is spearheaded by Jalen Hurts. His ball-throwing ability and great speed send fear into the hearts of opponents’ defenders.
It doesn’t come as a shock that the Eagles which are the best scoring team in the campaign recorded 268 rushing yards against the Giants and that they scored three out of five touchdowns using the same strategy. Can they pull off the same trick against the 49ers?
The answer to that question will define Sunday’s game. The Eagles’ defense is top 5 in the NFL. Although despite being above the League’s average, it has a weakness which is stopping the opponents’ rushing game. This Achilles heel for Philadelphia is exactly where the 49ers’ strengths lie.
To recap, Philadelphia places as one of the best defenses in the NFL, and they allowed the lowest total passing yards in the season, they also have more catches than other teams, registering 70.
Regular Season Record: 13-4 (NFC West Champion – 2nd NFC seed)
1XBet Spread: +2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.178
1XBet Over/Under: Over 46.5
BetMGM Spread: +2.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.25
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 46.5
The San Francisco 49ers made it through their Wild Card and Divisional Round Games last week, before playing their first major pre-Super Bowl challenge.
San Francisco entered the game a bit down in the betting, even if their performance in the conference put them above the Eagles for some weeks, although they had a lower record than their opponents.
Kyle Shanahan’s boys won the Dallas Cowboys at home, the Cowboys fought till the end, but cracked under the weight of the best defense in the league. Dallas could barely score 12 points and 282 total yards. Dak Prescott the quarterback was intercepted on a couple of occasions.
The 49ers’ record shouldn’t also come as a surprise, especially since they finished first in the NFL in fewest points allowed (277), fewest total yards allowed (5,110) and most interceptions (20).
San Francisco’s offensive line is where they have problems. While in 7 of their last 10 games, the 49ers scored over 30 points, Dallas’ good defense which is almost the same as the Eagles’, rushed Brock Purdy several times.
Purdy could only amount 214 yards in the game, and the 49ers barely registered a touchdown, facilitated by Christian McCaffrey’s run. San Francisco finished with a total of 312 total yards, and the prowess that fans expected from the offense for some reason didn’t make it to the fight against the Cowboys’ defense.
MatchPlug Prediction
The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers both have top defenses that can stop the two best offenses in the conference any time and in any matchup. With that in mind, the 49ers and Eagles also have the two best offenses in the NFL because of their dynamism in attack.
These two teams have top defenses, capable of stopping the best offenses in the circuit at any time and in any circumstance. That said, the 49ers and the Eagles also have in their possession two of the best offenses in the league, because of how dynamic they can be in attacking both rushing and passing.
The Dallas Cowboys controlled the San Francisco 49ers to an extent, but their rushing game can bruise Philadelphia’s defensive line. The 49ers experienced a QB of Hurt’s characteristics this campaign when they played the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in week 7 and forfeited 44 points. So, it remains to be seen what the Eagles can do.
In the last four games between these teams, the Under was met, but since it’s the Conference Final, it will look to be a thrilling game from beginning to end. Furthermore, the game will be shouldered by two quarterbacks whose names have been on the lips of fans because of their great qualities.
More NFL Predictions for this matchup can be found on 1XBet and BetMGM, alongside odds.
Kansas Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes came back to Saturday’s 27-20 Divisional Round win against the Jaguars despite sustaining an injury to his right ankle in the first quarter which made him miss out the majority of the second frame.
Mahomes played through the pain, returning to the field after halftime to end the match with 22 completions on 30 attempts for 195 yards and two TDs to secure his Chiefs the victory.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes
Head coach Andy Reid when speaking about Mahomes’ performance after the game said; “So, he wanted to be in there. He wanted to be competing. It’s a tribute to him and his competitiveness. However, you got to make sure he’s physically OK where he can protect himself. If he can’t then he can’t play, and we have to go to the next guy. But he’s a tough nut. I tell you, he’s competitive. He’s very, very competitive.”
Patrick’s X-rays came back negative, but Ian Rapoport an NFL Network Insider reported during halftime that his injury looked like a high ankle sprain.
The quarterback’s injury occurred when his ankle got caught and rolled up under Jaguars’ linebacker Arden Key at the tail end of a short, four-yard pass.
Mahomes stayed in the game for the remaining part of the drive, using the break between the first and second quarter to get his ankle wrapped, but went to the locker room for evaluation and did not come back for the Chiefs’ third drive.
“I did want to go and they kind of gave me the ultimatum of I wasn’t going back in unless I went it [to be looked at]”, Mahomes told Melissa Stark from NBC after the game. “They’re trying to take care of me, and we’ve got a lot of great people here. It will take a lot to keep me out of a football game.
”
He was 12-of-15 passing for 84 yards and a touchdown to tight end Travis Kelce at the time he left the field.
Kansas’ longtime backup Chad Henne took over for Mahomes for one drive that leaned on the run game and eventually went 98 yards for a score.
Mahomes managed to complete 10 of his 15 attempts when he returned in the second half for 111 yards and a leaping six-yard TD throw to Marquez Valdes-Scantling standing on his good foot. But he first operated a quick-pass offense and barely looked comfortable putting down his feet to throw or manage handoffs to running backs from under center.
Due to their quarterback’s injury, the Chiefs received big-time performances from several offensive playmakers and the defense as a whole. Kelce led Kansas City with 14 receptions for 98 yards and a TD catch from every quarterback, while Isiah Pachecho was far and away the team’s leader on the ground with 12 carries for 95 yards (7.
9 yards per carry).
Kansas City’s defense forced two crucial second-half turnovers to help hold leads, they never allowed the game to get knotted up even when the Jaguars made it a one-possession game twice in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs have reached their fifth straight AFC Championship Game with Mahomes as a starter after he powered through an injury for a 5-0 career record in the Divisional Round.
Patrick Mahomes now waits for a week of recovery to either face the Cincinnati Bengals or Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship, a match he is positive about taking the field for.
“X-rays were negative,” Mahomes said. “They haven’t diagnosed anything yet, but I’ll be good to go.
The NFL Postseason 2023 concludes its second weekend on Sunday with an NFC Divisional Round match between the San Francisco 49ers Vs Dallas Cowboys.
After winning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 31-14, the Cowboys secured a clean victory in the Wild Card round as the visiting team, while the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 23-41 at home.
Dallas earned a solid victory in the Wild Card round after beating the Buccaneers by a score of 31-14 as the visiting team, while San Francisco beat the Seattle Seahawks 23-41 at home.
Season record: 13-4 (NFC West Champion – 2nd seed NFC)
1XBet Spread: -3.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.51
1XBet Over/Under: Under 46.5
BetMGM Spread: -4
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.50
BetMGM Over/Under: Under 46.5
The San Francisco 49ers had an easy win over the Seattle Seahawks during the Wild Card round and are still the odds-on favourite in the National Conference to reach the Super Bowl.
In the regular round, the 49ers have 11 consecutive wins thanks to the outstanding solidity in all of its areas, despite the presence of the rookie Brock Purdy as starting quarterback.
Purdy who replaced the injured Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, has been a superlative performer and has the offense skills of a veteran player. Against the Seahawks, the acting Purdy who replaced the injured Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, has been a superlative performer and has the offense skills of a veteran player. Against the Seahawks, the acting quarterback threw 332 yards with three touching passes and handled a roster loaded with stellar weapons to perfection.
San Francisco’s runner Christian McCaffrey is one of the best in the circuit. They also have other fantastic options like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle. All of these names are what give Kyle Shanahan the most dynamic offense in the league.
Additionally, the 49ers during their 11-game winning streak, scored at least 30 points eight times. If the best defense in the league gets this type of support, they won’t be victorious in matches.
The 49ers have led almost every major defensive category in the NFL after finishing with the lowest points allowed (277), lowest total yards conceded (5,110), and the most interceptions gained (20). In addition, they were second in fumbles recovered (30), the lowest total yards on the ground (1,321), and average yards per carry (3.4).
Betting On The Dallas Cowboys
Season record: 12-5 (1st wild card – 4th NFC seed)
1XBet Spread: +3.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.605
1XBet Over/Under: Over 46.5
BetMGM Spread: +4
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.65
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 46.5
The Dallas Cowboys had a great start to the 2023 NFL postseason by clinching an eight-game winless streak on a road that dated back to the 1993 playoffs.
Dallas completely dominated the Buccaneers all through the game, thanks to Dak Prescott’s wonderful performance. The quarterback has silenced the naysayers concerning his insecurity problems in the postseason.
Prescott ended with 305 yards passing and four touchdowns numbers which won him his duel with Tom Brady, who finished the campaign leading Tampa Bay’s offense with a complex loss.
However, the quarterback wasn’t the offensive sensation for the Cowboys, Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott got the spotlight. The running back duo showed off their skills, bringing in more good news for Mike McCarthy who is gearing up to take on the league’s best defense.
Speaking of defense, Dallas is placed in the top five on the circuit along San Francisco. And, on Monday night they disgraced Brady and the Buccaneers, which wasn’t too hard because Bucs finished as the weakest offenses in the whole NFL.
The 49ers have more weapons in their arsenal, and it remains to be seen if the Cowboys can stop Brock Purdy.
Dallas has enough arguments, as the third unit with the most number of catches (54) and the ninth most efficient in the red zone by allowing only 52% effectiveness of touchdowns to their opponents.
MatchPlug Prediction
After their visit to Tampa Bay, the Cowboys have evoked a great feeling, but it should be noted that the Buccaneers were the only team in the postseason with a negative record and their offense was one of the worst ones in the NFL.
The 49ers are not the same as the Buccaneers and their only weakness, which hasn’t happened yet is an inexperienced Brock Purdy being in the middle of the offense.
One thing Dallas does well is applying pressure on the opposition’s quarterback, which is the same thing they did to Tom Brady on Monday and are hoping to recreate with San Francisco if they are to have a winning chance.
San Francisco’s offensive weapons are unlimited and the touchdowns shouldn’t take too long to come in. The question however is if Dak Prescott and crew can do some damage to a defense that has allowed lower than 20 points nine times in its last nine wins.
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will have their rematch two weeks after Bills’ Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest at their last game. However, this time they’ll be playing in the AFC Divisional Round games for the 2023 NFL playoffs.
Cincinnati pulled through a challenging game against the Raven last Sunday night, where they won 17-24. While Buffalo also went through a gruelling game at their home against the Miami Dolphins to win 31-34
This would be the second time these teams are meeting again after Hamlin’s collapse and there’s no doubt that fans are waiting to see how the game turns out, as the Bills and Bengals have unfinished business from their Week 17 regular season game.
Season record: 14-3 (AFC East Champion – 2nd seed AFC)
1XBet Spread: -5.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.41
1XBet Over/Under: Under 48.5
BetMGM Spread: -6
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.40
BetMGM Over/Under: Under 49
The Buffalo Bills had some challenges during their Wild Card game against the Miami Dolphins and now they’ll be facing the Bengals in a more challenging matchup.
Head coach, Sean McDermott should be worried that his team still can’t secure the ball, the Dolphins was the second team to score at least 300 points against the Bills this season.
In the regular season the Buffalo Bills were gone third-most turnover-prone offense with 27 turnovers, a trend the carried in their game with Miami, when they lost it three times to the Dolphins. They also recorded four fumbles.
Josh Allen was responsible for three losses, he threw two interception passes for the sixth time this season’s and lost another fumble. Buffalo are ranking 11th in that NFL with 24 fumbles recovered.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense started playing well since the second half of the regular season which could be another issue for the Bills to deal with on Sunday. If Allen and his group can’t hold on to the ball, Joe Burrow will lean heavily towards using it to destabilise them.
On the part of their defense, the Bills played well against Miami, even they didn’t do much about the Dolphins’ loose balls. They forfeited 231 total yards and intercepted Skylar Grey twice and on third down, they dropped the Dolphins to a 4-16 mark.
27 fumbles saved, fourth most in the League, Buffalo’s defense ended the season in the Top-10 for throws and top defense for categories for rushing. They also earned second place in the NFL for efficiency in the red zone by allowing TDs on only 45.9% of opponents trips.
Betting On The Cincinnati Bengals
Season record: 13-4 (AFC North Champion – 3rd seed AFC)
1XBet Spread: +5.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.975
1XBet Over/Under: Over 48.5
BetMGM Spread: +6
BetMGM Moneyline: 3.00
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 49
Cincinnati is one step closer to becoming American Conference Champions again, only this time they’ll find this game tougher than what they found the Wild Card round.
Thanks to St.Hubbard’s defense play, who returned a loose ball 98 yards to the end zone, saving the Bengals from loosing their playoff spot to the Baltimore Ravens who fought fiercely in Lamar Jackson’s absence.
Cincinnati only mustered 234 total yards against an ironclad Ravens defense, which raises some concern for their game against the Bills who have a great defense too.
Joe Burrow who was intercepted four times against the Ravens, will again have low protection due to injuries to key players on the Bengals offensive line. Burrow will need the Bengals ground defense to show up against the Bills.
Burrow has consistently proven himself a worthy quarterback by showing up in crucial moments, and during this campaign he led a team that closed the regular round with 8 successive victories.
The Bengals’ offense was one of the best ones in the league in terms of passes, and ranked fifth best in the red zone with 64.9% efficiency.
Their defense finished top 10 in the league, conceding 18 points or lower in four out of their last six games. On the ground they were the seventh team that conceded the fewest total yards and fourth team that allowed that lowest TDs.
MatchPlug Prediction
This matchup between the Bills and the Bengals are between two of Super Bowl favourites. Over the course of the season, both teams proved that they deserve a spot at the top of the NFL and they have a talented team that can win the league.
Unluckily for these two top teams, one of them has to lose the competition because they can’t keep up with the magnitude of attack this game needs.
Both defenses are among the best in the circuit, but they’ll each face Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, two players who are among the top five quarterbacks in the NFL, who threw 35 touchdowns each during the regular round.
With both teams being somewhat evenly matched, the team that has the lowest slip ups, will have an edge ahead in the game. Burrow will try to evade being caught, Allen will battle constant turnovers.
In this game, home field advantage won’t be much of a deciding factor, not minding the fact that Bills played for 7-1 at home. Cincinnati too performed exceptionally well at home with a 6-3 record. One important thing to note for this game is in the past 10 games these teams played, the Over had a 7-3 record.
The Philadelphia Eagles Vs New York Giants playing against each other in the NFC Divisional Round games will reopen a rivalry in the NFC East, as they battle for a spot in the NFL playoffs’ second round in 2023.
Last weekend, the New York Giants pulled off an upset in the Wild Card round after beating the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 on the road, while Philadelphia Eagles replenished themselves after ending the regular round with the best record in the NFC.
New York and Philadelphia met a few times during the regular round, with the Eagles winning both games.
Without wasting any more time, MatchPlug presents a preview and NFL Predictions for the Eagles VS Giants’ Divisional Round match.
Season record: 14-3 (NFC East Champion – 1st seed NFC)
1XBet Spread: -7.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.26
1XBet Over/Under: Under 47.5
BetMGM Spread: -7.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.26
BetMGM Over/Under: Under 48.5
During the last week of the NFL regular round, the Philadelphia Eagles marked one of their best seasons by winning the NFC East title and the title of the best team in the National Conference.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts returned to play for his team, after missing two games that the Eagles lost, and to revive Philadelphia’s offense.
Hurts who runs for 700 yards, scores 13 times, throws over 3,700 yards and 33 touchdowns, was certainly missed on the Eagles’ frontlines. The Giants will find him a problem, mainly because their ground defense is ridden with many issues.
The Eagles’ offense is feared because all their lines are balanced, which was what earned them second place with the second most points scored. In passes, their net yards gained per pass were the third-best average with 7.1. No team scored more times on the ground than them with 31, they registered 90 penalties and were fourth in efficiency inside the red zone with 67.
8%.
Furthermore, Philadelphia’s defense is as strong as its offense, and their opponents have gained over 350 total yards against them on only three occasions, and a single game of over 400. They were also the team that allowed the lowest total passing yards in the season and they had the most sacks with 70.
Philadelphia’s weak point however is that they finished a little above league average by stopping the ground attack, which is the Giants’ attacking weapon, that New York couldn’t capitalize on in the regular round.
After defeating the Minnesota Vikings in their first postseason game since the Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots, the New York Giants will find it difficult to start a winning streak when they play the Eagles.
They looked good in Minnesota, but today they’ll need to play better than they did last week if they want to win against the same opponents that dealt with them the two times they met this year.
New York could defeat the Vikings because of Daniel Jones’ impressive work. Under the guidance of head coach Brian Daboll, Jones is having the best campaign he has ever had in his career.
The quarterback threw for 301 yards, two touchdown passes, no interceptions, and 78 rushing yards, while Minnesota had one of the worst defenses in the season. Jones spearheaded the attack on the Vikings, for New York which only scored 30 points all year.
Complementing Jones’ offense was Saquon Barkley’s two touchdown runs and a defense that stopped one of the NFL’s best offense. The New York Giants will need to bring this energy or higher when they go toe-to-toe with Jalen Hurts and his Crew.
On the defense side, New York had one of the worst defenses in the NFL, in terms of stopping the ground game, and the Philadelphia Eagles know this weak spot. In the late two regular season games they played with the Giants, they gained 335 total yards, and seven touchdowns, five of which came on carries using this strategy.
New York’s defense is a secret the Eagles used throughout the season and if they do want to advance, even Jones and his offense can’t stop them if they don’t get their defense players in line.
MatchPlug Prediction
NFL Predictions this week say that the New York Giants are adept in postseason surprises and won six of their last seven away games in the playoffs for a good reason.
The thing now, however, is that New York couldn’t answer all the defeats they faced from the Eagles during the regular season round. The Giants were outmatched in every area, even in the Eagles’ weak areas, who came to the game rested for the week and with a 7-2 record.
After the prowess Daniel Jones showed against the Vikings, there is a chance that he’ll have another good game. But it remains to be seen if it’ll be enough to give the Giants’ defense a good advantage.
Everything comes down to Jalen Hurts who is the powerhouse of the Eagles.
If Hurts plays well in today’s game as he has been doing for most of the season, he could hurt the New York Giants’ defense.
There is a reason why Philadelphia scored fewer than 20 points only once under his watch.
The 2023 NFL Playoffs resume this weekend with the AFC Divisional Round and an intriguing match between the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars opens the tournament.
Jacksonville won its Wild Card clash over the LA Chargers, while Kansas scaled through after they were seeded first in the American Conference. It should be noted that these teams met in Week 10 of this season, with the Chiefs winning 17-27.
To keep the excitement going, MatchPlug brings you a preview of the Chiefs and Jaguars’ game and some of the best NFL Predictions Today surrounding this matchup.
Regular Season Record: 14-3 (AFC West Champion – AFC 1st seed )
1XBet Spread: -9.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.21
1XBet Over/Under: Under 52.5
BetMGM Spread: -9.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.20
BetMGM Over/Under: Under 53
The Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills game being postponed gave the Kansas City Chiefs the opening they needed to win and begin the NFL postseason 2023 campaign rested; playing in their home field.
By securing the top record in the American Conference, the Chiefs could watch the AFC Wild Card games from home, including the matchup featuring the Jaguars who are struggling.
This season, the Chiefs already won Jacksonville, thanks to Patrick Mahomes who recorded one out of his three games with 4 touchdown passes on the season and completed 74.29% of his passes, which is his third-best percentage of the year.
Given Mahomes’ performance, the quarterback will again be the centre of attention for the Chiefs, a squad with the best offense in the NFL, which would be facing a defense that struggled a lot in defending against the pass.
In addition to leading the NFL in points scored (496), Kansas City was also the only team that surpassed 7,000 total yards (7,032) and no offense had better figures than them in average yards per play (6.4), first downs gained (408), passing yards (5,062) and passing TDs (41).
When it came to halting the ground attack, Andy Reid’s team were impressive. But, they’d need to be at the top of their game when playing Trevor Lawrence who would come to play with the confidence he took to his outstanding second half against the Chargers.
Lawrence knows that the Chiefs were the team with the most conceded touchdown passes on the year (33).
Betting On The Jacksonville Jaguars
Regular Season Record: 10-8 (AFC South Champion – 4th AFC seed)
1XBet Spread: +9.5
1XBet Moneyline: 4.42
1XBet Over/Under: Over 52.5
BetMGM Spread: +9.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 4.75
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 53
Jacksonville Jaguars is still upholding their outstanding season, especially after defeating the Chargers 27-0, pulling off the third-largest comeback in postseason history.
The Jaguars overcame the four interceptions thrown by Trevor Lawrence in the first half of the game and today they’d be facing the Chiefs who are one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl and their biggest challenge of the year.
Doug Pederson’s leadership and skills showed in Jacksonville’s win, as he kept his men calm after five turnovers and led them as the first to win a postseason game with a -5 margin in turnovers.
After halftime, Lawrence and Jacksonville turned into something else, giving up only three points to the Chargers offense who had become distracted by mistakes the Jaguars made in the first half. While Lawrence gained 273 passing yards, Justin Herbert was intercepted three times and reached the end zone only once.
Trevor Lawrence was awakened after pulling off a strong defensive performance. He put down four touchdown passes and got an all-important two-point conversion to give the Jaguars the lead with a field goal as the game time expired.
For today’s game, the Jaguars are expected to be more ferocious towards the Chiefs than they were toward the Chargers. Kansas City might have the best offense in the league, but they’d test a Jaguars secondary that battled against Herbert and was the least efficient team in the NFL in defending the pass.
Note that the Jaguars’ quarterback threw for 331 yards, four touchdown passes, and one interception against Mahomes and the Chiefs this season.
MatchPlug Prediction
Anything can happen during the postseason and after what they did to the Chargers last weekend, Jacksonville Jaguars proved this point.
But it is also apparent that a team can’t make the same mistake twice, especially if they are playing against the Chiefs who had the best record in the conference and a 7-1 mark at home after losing to the Buffalo Bills.
Lawrence can throw off Kansas City’s secondary, but can he go head-to-head with Mahomes? Patrick Mahomes is said to be the best in the league and has already humiliated Jacksonville’s defense this year.
NFL Predictions say that there is no factor that indicates that today’s game will turn out differently, so the Jaguars must be proactive and score enough touchdowns to trouble Mahomes, who threw 12 interceptions despite being the lead as an MVP candidate.
The NFL Divisional Round is now on schedule and five of the six games on Super Wild Card Weekend are in the books.
This Saturday will feature the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles debut before the mega Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills rematch kicks off Sunday’s action ahead of an NFC showdown.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Sam Hubbard gave the longest fumble return in play-off history to hand the Bengals a 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens on wildcard weekend.
Hubbard ran 98 yards in the fourth quarter to send the last season’s Super Bowl runners-up into week two of this season’s NFL playoffs.
Last Sunday, the New York Giants for their own game, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-24.
While the Miami Dolphins scared the Buffalo Bills before the pre-season Super Bowl favourites won 34-31.
Cincinnati’s win brought a tense end to an intriguing day two of the wildcard weekend as all three games went down to the wire.
Bengals’ receiver Ja’Marr Chase scored an opening touchdown that was cancelled out by Baltimore’s JK Dobbins as the Ravens led 10-9 at half-time.
Joe Burrow Cincinnati’s quarterback got in from a yard to cap an 83-yard drive before Tyler Huntley, who was covering for the Ravens’ injured quarterback Lamar Jackson, hit Demarcus Robinson for a 41-yard touchdown.
That tied the score for both teams heading into the final quarter and as Huntley lunged for the end zone from a yard, the ball was knocked out of his hands.
It fell right into Hubbard’s waiting arms and he raced downfield for an unbelievably match-winning score.
New York Giants Secure Their First Play-off Win In 11 Years
New York Giants
The New York Giants took the lead for most of the match at Minnesota, the third seed in the NFC; fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones secured a road victory in his first playoff appearance.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley claimed a combination of 109 yards and two rushing touchdowns, the first from 28 yards, as New York gained a half-time lead of 17-14.
Minnesota and New York scored a touchdown in the third quarter before a Vikings field goal made it 24-24 early in the fourth.
Saquon then capped a 12-play drive with a two-yard score to restore New York’s lead and they held on for their first playoff victory since winning their fourth Super Bowl at the end of the 2011 season.
Daniel Jones also became the first quarterback in play-off history to throw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns while adding more than 70 rushing yards.
This weekend the Giants will visit their NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, who are the number one seed and had a bye to the divisional round.
Damar Hamlin Inspires Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins bounced back from a 17-0 deficit to briefly lead 24-20 against the Buffalo Bills who drew inspiration from a recovering Damar Hamlin for their NFL playoffs game.
Hamlin watched last Sunday’s game from his home where he is recuperating from the Cardiac arrest he suffered on the field on 2nd January.
On Saturday the Bills’ safety visited his team for the first time since the incident.
“There was a big line of guys ready to love up on him”, quarterback Josh Allen said. Allen had three touchdown passes and two interceptions. “It was a blessing come true to see him back in the facility.”
Buffalo Bills are the AFC’s number two seeds and looked on course for a blowout win after Dawson Knox and James Cook scored.
The Dolphins lost five of their last six games in the regular season and had to play Skylar Thompson their third-choice quarterback, but drew level when he found Mike Gesicki for a touchdown.
A field goal tipped the Bills into a 20-17 lead at the half, only for Zach Sieler to score a defensive touchdown for the Dolphins after Allen fumbled.
However, Buffalo quickly recovered and answered with two rapid touchdowns from Cole Beasley and Gabe Davis, and after getting back to within three during the final quarter, Miami could not get within scoring range on their final possession.
The Bills will now relive an emotional matchup against the Bengals, in a rematch of the cancelled regular season game when Hamlin had a cardiac arrest.
The first round of the NFL playoffs will conclude with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Dallas Cowboys at 01:15 GMT on Tuesday.
