NFL: Playoffs - Tossyard Preview and Predictions (Part 2)

The final part of our NFL playoffs preview and predictions is here. We look at Tampa Bay’s chances of going all the way as well as the Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers swept past the Eagles in the wild card round last week. Tom Brady is now 21-4 at home in the playoffs and Tampa Bay is 8-1 at home this year, winning by an average of 19.3 points. Tampa will need to find some balance in its offensive game plan and try to prevent Matthew Stafford from having more time than necessary. The Bucs had no problems moving the ball last week against the Eagles and will elect to do the same in this encounter.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Gio Bernard filled the RB spots admirably last week against Philadelphia. However, a return for Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II would be a huge boost. The defense has also had to do without Murphy-Bunting last week. While It wasn’t an issue against the Eagles, Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. are a different type of challenge. One worry for Tampa is that injuries keep piling up. Bucs fans will know that despite the odds, having Tom Brady on your team means you always have a chance.

Los Angeles Rams

Stafford finally won his first NFL playoff game as the Rams made easy work of the Cardinals. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how well they can cope with being underdogs. On the bright side, The Rams have won both games they entered as underdogs and are also 7-2 on the road. The more we dissect this matchup, the more Rams may actually have a slight edge here. The Bucs are dealing with Injuries right now on both sides of the ball and that is a disadvantage.

The Rams had their third-highest rushing total of the NFL season with 140 yards between Sony Michel and Cam Akers. A great sign heading into a matchup against one of the league’s top run defenses. More importantly, the Rams’ defense held Arizona below 200 yards, including a season-low 122 passing yards allowed. Stopping Tom Brady is a completely different task than stopping the Cardinals, so Stafford needs to be excellent here.

Prediction – Los Angeles Rams +4.5

Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills

The Chiefs have now advanced to at least the divisional round in four consecutive postseasons. After a blowout over the Steelers, the Chiefs set up a rematch of last year’s AFC title game against the Bills. They have been excellent at Arrowhead where they are 8-2 this year. Unfortunately, Buffalo outplayed them in Arrowhead in October on a night where Patrick Mahomes had three turnovers. Several things have changed for the Chiefs since. The offense has corrected its turnover issues. From 19 in the first eight games to just 8 since then. Patrick Mahomes is riding the momentum of a 400-plus yard, five-touchdown game against the Steelers. That’s a huge boost going into a matchup with a Buffalo defense that allows the NFL’s fewest points per game.

The Bills can be expected to cause problems of their own. Kansas City’s defense has improved but Josh Allen can still hurt the Chiefs. The Bills are playing some of the season’s best football. They just caused mayhem with a 30-point drubbing of New England in the wild card round. Josh Allen and the offense are averaging 32.3 points over its past six games. The Chiefs rank 21st against the run and 27th against the pass, giving the Bills some ideas and flexibility on how to attack.