Open thread: Which teams will win in the Divisional Round on Saturday?

Who ya got in today’s slate of Divisional Round games?

Okay, I have to admit it, even though last week’s Wild Card weekend was mostly a bunch of blowout victories for the team’s favored to win, it sure is nice to have a second weekend in a row of playoff football taking up the weekend airwaves. And what a weekend of games we have ahead of us, starting with Saturday’s slate of action.

This leads us to today’s Question of the Day…

Which teams will win in the Divisional Round on Saturday?

The Cincinnati Bengals, fresh off their first playoff win in 31 years, are the young, upstart team that far too many people are writing off as the group overperforming expectations because of their young roster—actually the fifth-youngest roster in the league by average age at the start of this season according to Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are the duo who fueled their AFC North title run, but it’s the depth the Bengals have that makes them a formidable opponent capable of going toe-to-toe with the No. 1 seed in the AFC: the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans finally get the heart and soul of their offense back in Derrick Henry, and even though much has been made about them being one of the weaker No. 1 seeds in recent memory, the Titans haven’t been at full strength all season long. With both offenses healthy and playing for their respective season, this matchup could truly be a game where the team that has the ball last wins. The over/under for this game is set hovering around 47.5 right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see this game pushing close to 60 points. In the end, I think the Titans pull off a win to send themselves to the AFC Championship for the second time in the past three seasons.

For the NFC matchup, it’s the Green Bay Packers hosting the San Francisco 49ers because the path to the Super Bowl goes through Lambeau… or does it???

No, it definitely does. The Packers are really good, Aaron Rodgers is playing like the undisputed MVP of the league even though he becomes a less and less likable person with every single interview he does. And speaking of getting healthy, Green Bay is getting themselves right just in time for this playoff push. The team could get back two All Pro talents on defense in Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith for their Divisional Round matchup with San Francisco—the rich get richer is the motto for both of the AFC and NFC top seeds this season.

It’s not that the San Francisco 49ers aren’t a good football team, because they are. Watching that game against the Dallas Cowboys last week was a reminder that this defense can make life hell for opposing quarterbacks, and when Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy, he can run this offense efficiently and effectively enough to give his team a shot to win. It also doesn’t hurt when you have a unicorn like Deebo Samuel on your team. Nevertheless, I’m taking the Packers to take care of business and extend the Last Dance of Rodgers for at least one more week.

Your turn.