NFL Quick Takes: Divisional Round
And just like that, we're down to four. Here are a few quick takes as we look ahead to the NFL conference championship games.
Super Wild Card Weekend was a blast. Every game — minus Bucs-Cowboys — was a thriller. It was the perfect way to kick off the 2023 NFL playoffs.
The Divisional Round? Not so much.
Chiefs-Jaguars started the weekend off strong, then it was all downhill from there. The Eagles blew out the Giants, Buffalo was humbled at home by Cincinnati, and the 49ers squeaked out a low-scoring, boring win over the Cowboys. All three of those games were snoozers.
On the bright side, the results set up two intriguing conference championship matchups: Bengals-Chiefs and 49ers-Eagles. I’d argue those are the two best matchups we could have hoped for.
Before we turn the page to the conference title games, I’ve got some quick takes to share.
Do not bet against the Bengals
The Bengals followed up last year’s run to the Super Bowl with a 12-4 season, and they’ve won nine straight games including Sunday’s win over Buffalo. So why does it feel like they still aren’t getting the respect they deserve?
I’m among those guilty of betting against the Bengals. I picked Buffalo to beat them at home, but admittedly that had more to do with the Damar Hamlin storyline than anything Bengals-related. I probably bought into that too much, as did the NFL.
Their announcement that 50,000 tickets had already been sold to Chiefs and Bills season-ticket holders for a potential neutral-site conference championship game backfired. The Bengals understandably took that announcement as disrespect and they handled it perfectly. Joe Burrow put the icing on the cake with a perfect one-liner in his postgame interview.
“Better send those refunds.”
Lesson learned. Don’t bet against these Bengals.
Patrick Mahomes’ injury is a game-changer
Another reason to not bet against Cincinnati: Patrick Mahomes’ high ankle sprain.
I know Mahomes and the team are downplaying the injury. What else would you expect? As impressive as Chad Henne was in his brief time replacing Mahomes under center, there’s just no way the Chiefs were going to sit Mahomes unless the leg was broken. Even then, I feel as though Mahomes is the type of guy who would beg to play.
I already liked the Bengals in this matchup before Mahomes’ injury. Now I love them. Mobility is what separates Mahomes from the other quarterbacks in the league but it’s safe to say he’ll be limited next Sunday. Cincinnati has won its last three games against Kansas City and I’d be pretty surprised if the game to snap that streak came against a hobbled Mahomes.
The Jaguars aren’t going anywhere
I’ll admit it, I was actively rooting for Jacksonville to upset Kansas City at Arrowhead. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jags were a blast to root for during their run. I called them “this year’s 2021 Bengals” as I wouldn’t have been shocked to see them sneak into the Super Bowl. It turns out this wasn’t their year, but they’ll be back.
Look out for the Jaguars in 2023, and don’t be surprised if Lawrence flirts with MVP consideration. Go ahead and place a futures bet on that if you can.
Giants get a reality check
Brian Daboll did a fantastic job with the Giants in his debut season as head coach. He showed that good coaching can make all the difference with an underperforming quarterback who has shown flashes of potential. Daniel Jones suddenly looks like a QB deserving of a hefty payday in free agency.
But the blowout Divisional Round loss to the Eagles showed there’s still plenty of work that needs to be done before we can consider the Giants a legitimate threat in the NFC East, never mind the NFL postseason. It’s a huge offseason for them with Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Darius Slayton among their free agents. Even if Jones does return, finding him some weapons will be a challenge. They’ll need to make it happen though to have any chance of making a deeper run in 2023.
The Cowboys are back to being a laughingstock
The Cowboys fooled us. They really had us thinking this year could be different. They overcame Dak Prescott’s early-season injury to finish with a 12-5 regular-season record and dominate Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.
Then, they turned back into the same Cowboys team we’ve been watching for more than a decade.
As expected, Dallas vs. San Francisco was a low-scoring battle between two of the top defenses in the league. But as great as the Niners D is, Dak Prescott’s continued turnover struggles were alarming. He was outplayed by Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy, tossing two picks and throwing for only 206 yards in the 19-12 loss.
The coaching didn’t help. Dallas’ loss was capped off by one of the worst plays in recent memory. Ezekiel Elliott was the center and well… this happened:
You would have thought Mike McCarthy couldn’t have ended his night any worse after that bizarre sequence, but he found a way. After the game, the Cowboys head coach put his hand over a cameraman’s lens and lightly shoved him away, causing another controversy on top of nearly getting Elliott killed.
Death, taxes, and the Cowboys being a laughingstock. Jerry Jones already said McCarthy will be back as head coach, but is it time to consider an alternative to Prescott?
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He he gets more than the franchise tag, it’s a mistake IMO.
I’d love you take on Daniel Jones Free Agency. Do they resign him? At what cost?