NFL Divisional Round predictions

The Divisional Round is upon us and it is time to take a look at which teams are primed to move on to the Championship Round. After some surprising results on Wild Card Weekend, most notably the Titans' stunning comeback to upset the Chiefs, nobody appears to be safe in what could be one of the most exciting playoff pictures to date.

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#1 Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Falcons came to play in their impressive 26-13 road victory over a Rams team that was considered to be a dark horse on the road to the Super Bowl. While Julio Jones slowly started to hit his stride, gaining 94 yards on 9 receptions and a touchdown, it was the defence and special teams that came up huge for them.

The sixth seed took advantage of the Rams' special teams that inflicted damage on themselves by fluffing a punt recovery and fumbling during a kick-off return in the first half, plays that set up 10 of the Falcons' 13 first-half points. It was only in the second half that the offence started to show up, despite there being a lack of threat in the red zone (highlighted by Matt Bryant's nine(!) field goals in the last two games).

The Eagles, on the other hand, have been thrown a much-needed lifeline. Welcoming Atlanta to Lincoln Financial Field this Saturday seems to be a far more promising prospect than facing the Rams. Their defence will fancy their chances against a struggling offence that can't consistently come up with the necessary plays to move the sticks the way they did last year.

Of course, the Falcons' defence had a strong showing last weekend and will provide a tough task for Doug Peterson's team to overcome, but their pass rush is not as ferocious as that of the eliminated third seed. This will allow Nick Foles more time to make the right decisions in what could turn out to be a nail-biter.

Prediction: Falcons win 24-21

#2 Tennessee Titans @ New England Patriots

Well, before Wild Card Weekend, I wasn't expecting to be involving the Titans in this article. But at halftime with the scoreline at 21-3 in favour of the Chiefs, I was absolutely convinced they were already eliminated.

There was not a single aspect of this game that allowed you to think the Titans would overcome the odds. Then Marcus Mariota completed that touchdown pass to himself (yes, you read that correctly) and suddenly it turned into an entirely different ball game.

If the Titans are to survive this trip to Foxborough, they will need more than just lady luck on their side. Second-year running back Derrick Henry will have to perform at a similar level he did at Arrowhead, where he rushed for 156 yards on 23 carries.

Additionally, Mariota will have to elevate his play from "solid" to "elite" within a week and the defence will have to show up on every single snap - then, when all of this comes together, luck may be the factor that could tilt the match-up in their favour.

The Patriots, on the other hand, will be looking forward to seeing the Titans rather than the Chiefs enter Gillette Stadium. With the Chiefs already having beaten them once in Foxborough this season, the Titans are unlikely to provide the explosive threat that conquered the champions.

Coming off the bye-week, the Patriots will be feeling fresh and ready to start their next Super Bowl run. Frankly, it would take a miracle for the Titans to defeat the Patriots and move on to the next round.

Belichick's team hasn't lost a home game in the playoffs since the 2012 Championship Round (13-28 vs the Ravens) and with Tom Brady coming off yet another MVP-caliber season will be unlikely to so against the surprise package of the AFC.

Prediction: Patriots win 34-13

#3 Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Arguably the most intriguing match-up of the Playoffs so far, the Jaguars travel to Heinz Field surviving a close encounter with the Bills. The most important question from Jacksonville's perspective was answered in their 10-3 home victory - the defence is as strong as ever and will look to carry this team all the way for the first time in franchise history.

Somewhat confusing, however, was just how much their offence struggled to gain yardage against the Bills' tough defensive unit. Blake Bortles actually ran for more yards (88) than he threw (87) and this is truly worrying for Jaguars' coaching staff.

Defence can win you championships, but you also need some sort of offence to accompany it. If your most effective way of gaining first downs is your 6'5'' quarterback rushing on option plays then you are inevitably going to struggle at some point.

One thing the third seed won't be able to rely upon is their opponents being held to 3 meagre points again. The Steelers' offence is just too good and too versatile to be held at bay the way the Bills were. If the Jaguars are to progress Leonard Fournette will have to rediscover his regular season form and, more importantly, Bortles will need to come up with more passing plays.

The Steelers then again are facing a group that has troubled them a lot at Heinz Field, most recently the Jaguars destroyed them 30-9 in October this season, despite Antonio Brown receiving for 157 yards.

This could turn out to be the closest game of the Divisional Round, a lot will depend on the outcome of the marquee match-up between the teams' star players: Antonio Brown and Jalen Ramsay.

Prediction: Steelers win 20-17

#4 New Orleans Saints @ Minnesota Vikings

Now, this is what Playoff football is all about. If this game turns out to be anywhere near as spectacular as it plays out on paper, we're in for some fantastic entertainment on Sunday evening. The vintage performance of Drew Brees in the 31-26 Wild Card Round-victory over the Panthers just makes it all the more interesting.

The Saints had to fight until the very end to ensure their survival in the Playoffs with Cam Newton throwing for 349y during an exciting contest. New Orleans' defence however held on when it mattered the most and their team is now headed to the U.S. Bank Stadium, where they are hoping to find themselves again on February 4th.

The most surprising takeaway from the hard-fought match-up with the Panthers is that Ingram and Kamara couldn't get going and the Saints turned back to their most trusted strategy of the past years - giving the ball to Brees and letting him work his magic.

Brees ended up throwing for 376 yards and two touchdowns, without any significant running game in support. If the running back-tandem can turn the corner on Sunday, the Vikings may be facing the most dangerous offence in the NFL right now.

The Vikings themselves, however, boast an elite defensive unit on par with that of the Jaguars. Their hopes will, therefore, rest on Case Keenum's shoulders, he will need to replicate his regular season outings to outscore a Saints offence that seems impossible to contain throughout the entirety of a match.

This may be the hardest obstacle for Minnesota to overcome on their way to a hometown-Super Bowl and this is primed to be an exciting contest to close out the Divisional Round

Prediction: Saints win 27-24