Here’s where things get very interesting. Last week’s Wild Card Round had some decent matchups, but most of the games were one-sided. As we get closer to the Super Bowl, the matchups get tighter and the games get closer. We have 4 games this weekend and 2 games tonight. Both of the 1-seeds are in action tonight and I can’t wait to see these games. I’ll breakdown both games tonight and I will preview the next two tomorrow. Let’s dive in.

- Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans (-4)

The Bengals are probably the hottest team in football at the moment and they’re heading into Nashville after a big Wild Card win over the Raiders. The headline of the week though is the return of The King. Derrick Henry will be back in action and will not be on a snap count. I think I speak for all Titans fans (including myself) when I say that it’s about time! Even though my loyalty is with Tennessee, I will be as unbiased as possible.

Tennessee somewhat surprisingly clinched the AFC top seed in the playoffs after losing Derrick Henry in Week 8. Henry was on pace to potentially break the single-season rushing record, but a foot injury halted that. D’Onta Foreman stepped in for the Titans in a big way and will now take a back seat to Henry. The plan for the Titans is simple, get Henry the ball early and often. In games that Derrick Henry has had more than 20 rushing attempts, the Titans are 23-3. Get Henry the ball, you win the game. Pretty simple. Henry’s return is huge for Tennessee, but they have proven they can get the job done without him. The defense has stepped up and they also have a healthy AJ Brown and Julio Jones. They only had them both healthy for 8 games this season. The Titans are practically at full strength and ready for a run.

The Bengals game last week was a little closer than it should’ve been, but it came down to the last play. Cincinnati closed it out and are facing a tough matchup here. I mentioned this last week, but there are so many ways that the Bengals can beat you. If the pass game isn’t working, you can rely on Joe Mixon. If Mixon isn’t working, you can go to Chase. If Chase is slowed down, you can go to Tee Higgins or Tyler Boyd. Last week, the box score says it was a close game for the Bengals, but it was pretty one-sided. The defense showed up when they had to, and the offense clicked when they had to. They’ll have to take it up a notch against Tennessee though. They will also be without former Charlotte 49er DT Larry Ogunjobi, who was a big help on the defensive side.

Prediction

Tennessee is a 4-point Home favorite and if you know the Titans, you know that they don’t make their wins pretty. I think they will cover, but barely. Titan Up!

Bengals 20 Titans 27

- San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers (-5.5)

This is a really nice matchup. Green Bay got the week off and will look to use that recharge time to beat up on San Fran this week. The 49ers had an upset win against the Cowboys on the road last week and will look to do the same at Lambeau Field tonight. These two teams met in Week 3 and the result was a 30-28 Green Bay win at San Francisco. Both teams are different than they were then, and it will be interesting to see how this one unfolds.

Green Bay clinched the top NFC spot before Week 18 and have been consistent the top team throughout the whole season There are a lot of rumors swirling concerning Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team, but they’re not concerned with that right now. The MVP favorite will look to capitalize on that momentum that they have had all season long. He hasn’t done it alone though. Both their pass and rush defense are above average, and they have a lot of weapons on offense. Davante Adams is definitely their most notable, but Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have all contributed to the team’s success. It looks like they’ll be without Valdes-Scantling this week and top OL David Bakhtiari and CB Jaire Alexander are both questionable. They’re facing a top-notch defense, so it’ll be interesting to see how they approach this week.

The 49ers will look to continue the hot run that they have tonight against a stiff Green Bay defense, but can they win tonight? Sure. The Niners have what it takes to win in Lambeau, but it will be far from easy. Green Bay is undefeated at home this season, but to what competition? The Lions, Seahawks, Steelers, WFT, Rams, Bears, Browns, and Vikings. I really only consider one of those games as a big win. They should’ve beaten the rest of them. In the Week 3 meeting, George Kittle was the top target, expect that again tonight. Deebo Samuel has had an increased role since then, but I think Kittle will probably be the top guy for San Fran in this one. Another concern for the Niners is their ability to play in the cold. They don’t do it a lot. We’ll see if they’re up for the challenge.

Prediction

I think this will be a tight game. 5.5 points seems like a lot for this matchup even though the Packers are undefeated at home. I think Green Bay will win, but not cover.

San Francisco 49ers 26 Green Bay Packers 30

Yacs

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