When you add up the miles along the Rams journey to this championship game, they've played a ton of football in the last two weeks. Seattle's defense is playing its best and even without Zach Charbonnet in the backfield, Kenneth Walker should be more than capable to handle that extra workload. Look for Seattle's energy to outpace Los Angeles.
Both teams boasts very good defensive units. The difference lies within the matchup along the line of scrimmage. Right not the Patriots have struggled to block the edges and they face Nik Bonnito & company, gunning for Drake Maye -- who has had fumbling issues in the pocket. Look for that element to be the biggest key in why the Broncos still find a way to cover even with Jarrett Stidham at QB.
Look for the Hurricanes to lean into the one component in this matchup where they have the advantage, and that's the offensive line. In the trenches Miami has a huge size difference, which means they'll try to shrink the game there with Mark Fletcher and their run game. Expect the Canes to chew up a lot of clock, with the ability to keep this game under that 8.5 number.
With the frigid temperatures expected in Chicago this weekend, expect the Rams passing game to not be as effective as it has been all season. It doesn't mean that they won't be productive, but it won't be as sharp. That'll allow the Bears to steal a few possessions away and make this one tougher for the Rams to comeback from on the road.
When you watch how the Houston Texans can dominate a game, you can't help but see how special of a unit they have. Now, the Patriots have a very good defense as well and will be facing a Texans offense potentially without Nico Collins. Will all of that being said, I trust the Texans passing attack more so than the Patriots vs a very good defense.
I don't understand how this spread is 7.5 points. I mean, yes the 49ers are dealing with major injuries on both sides of the ball. But there is a commonality here that they have entering a game vs their division rival Seattle that'll help them be in position to keep this one tigher than the spread, which they will.
Buffalo's defense is starting to look alive here in the postseason, especially on the defensive interior. They are facing a QB who has a very similar skill set as Josh Allen in Bo Nix. Because Nix has a tendency to start game slow, putting him in a position to have to pass his way back into a game, I don't see this rematch from last postseason being any different than what the outcome was last year.
The difference between the Texans and the Ravens is in their ability to consistently bring pressure all throughout the game. They are also one of the better open field tackling teams in the league. Offensively speaking, Houston can attack you with four different options in the passing game, making this a very difficult matchup across the board for the Steelers.
With all of the moving and shaking due to injuries along the offensive line, the Chargers may be at a slight disadvantage here vs New England. The Patriots are a well coached, disciplined team that's healthy. With a potential MVP at QB and a defense that's lights out, look for this to be a long flight back to Los Angeles for the Chargers.
Philly has not played its best ball all season long, but still finds a way to make it all work out. Defensively, the matchup here vs San Francisco is where they'll have the edge going up against a banged up unit. Conversely, they have the same advantage going up against a banged up 49ers defense as well. Eagles lock in and take care of business at home.
Jacksonville has been a fun team to watch this season. What's given their fans hope this season is an offense that can put points on the board rather quickly, and a defense that is stifling vs the run. The Bills have a great QB in Josh Allen and RB in Dalvin Cook, but there is still something missing with this team this season. Welp, look for Jacksonville to show the world what that 'something' is.
What makes the Bears a difficult matchup is how they are built to win many different ways offensively. They can run the ball when they want to and have explosiveness in the pass game at both WR and TE. Defensively they are opportunistic and athletic. This is just a bad matchup once again for Green Bay.
On paper, the Rams should easily cover this spread against Carolina. But in actuality, the Panthers have the confidence from beating Los Angeles earlier in the year and comes in with that type of energy for this matchup. Obviously they can't depend on the same volume of turnovers they got last time, but the same energy will be met which will keep this very close.
When you look at rematch games, it always comes down to what little adjustments teams make over the previous matchup. When facing Indiana, it really is about discipline and execution, which is tough to game plan for and adjust to. The Hoosiers simply do not make mistakes and this spread is close enough to definitely reflect that notion.
One thing about Illinois State under coach Brock Spack is that they are going to be assignment sound and disciplined at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. Montana State is an explosive bunch, one that does a great job of generating big plays in the run game. It's a styles make fights type of situation, one that I believe will yield a very close game.