4:35 PM EST
Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers
The Minnesota Vikings will be heading into San Francisco today trying to pull off another miracle. Last weekend against the New Orleans Saints on the road no one gave them a chance in that one. The Vikings knew they were a true underdog and went into NOLA and upset the Saints on the legs of Dalvin Cook and the arm of Kirk Cousins. The Minnesota Vikings have all-pro type players on the offensive end that can get the job done. If the Vikings are going to get the job done they will need to continue to set the tone with Dalvin Cook on the ground. Last weekend against the Saints Cook rushed 28 times for 94 yards with 2 touchdowns. The way that Dalvin Cook has been running opens up the passing game for Kirk Cousins so that he has some time to get the ball to Thielen and Diggs. Kirk Cousins will have to get the ball to Diggs or Thielen if he’s going to be successful in the passing game. Last week Adam Thielen had 7 catches for 129 yards receiving and Stefon Diggs had only 2 catches for 18 yards. Both will need to bring their A+ game today to get the Vikings to the NFC Championship game. The 49ers defense will be coming after Cousins all day long with that front seven so look for the Cousins to hit his safety blanket Dalvin Cook in the screen pass plays. When the Vikings have the run game going they’re tough to beat but they will be depending on the defense this game. Look for Griffin and Hunter to try and get after Jimmy Garoppolo so they can slow down that passing attack. It’s going to be a tough day for the Vikings secondary with Sanders, Kittle, and Samuels emerging as true weapons on every down. The toughest part about that is the 49ers have stud receivers and have a 3 headed running back by committee Mostert, Breida, and Coleman who you don’t know will have the hot hand. So if the Vikings are going to be successful they will need a full game of all phases of the defense showing up as they did in NOLA. This Vikings team is loaded but have been inconsistent if they can get some turnovers on the defensive end to give their offense more opportunity anything is possible.
The 49ers are coming into this game healthy and have shown growth throughout the season as a unit. This team continues to get better on the offensive end and the defensive. The backbone of this team is their defense because once Nick Bosa gets to the quarterback he’s usually forcing a turnover or disrupting the play overall. When Bosa rushes the quarterback it causes mistakes and that’s where the 49ers have been able to have the upper advantage is in the takeaway department. Look for the pass rushers to get some pressure on Kirk Cousins to force him into turnovers and it also helps the 49ers that they have Richard Sherman over there at corner. When people face Richard Sherman they barely throw to his side because of his IQ and techniques. Look for the Vikings to try and go the other way to get the secondary receiver Diggs more looks if Sherman is all over Adam Theilen. The play of Jimmy Garoppolo has been special this season as he has been able to put this offense on his back throughout the season. On the season Jimmy G has thrown for 3,978 yards with 27 touchdowns so look for him to continue that air raid against the Vikings secondary that’s been a little shaky as of late. Xavier Rhodes hasn’t been himself as of late so look for the 49ers to try and attack him early in this game. The running game for the 49ers has been special all year long with their three running backs and it seems as if it doesn’t matter who gets the ball they produce. This 49ers team is extremely stacked and well balanced so if they can shake up Kirk Cousins early in this game with pressure it could be a long game for any Vikings fan. The 49ers will be at home and playing with a lot of energy with that crowd behind them. This will be a good game overall in San Francisco and it will come down to who makes the first mistake and who’s offense can capitalize on it first.
Score Prediction: Minnesota Vikings Win (24 – 17)
6:15 PM EST
Tennessee Titans @ Baltimore Ravens
The Tennessee Titans knocked out the reigning defending SuperBowl Champion Patriots last weekend in Foxboro. Nobody saw this coming from the Titans as they were able to dominate the clock on the ground. Derrick Henry was a complete beast in that game against the New England Patriots last week rushing for 182 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. It seems as if the Titans will be moving at the pace that Derrick Henry moves because he’s been able to carry the load and this team all season. Coming into tonight’s game against the Ravens the Titans will need to make sure that they get some production from Ryan Tannehill as the Ravens will try to load the box on Derrick Henry. There’s no way that Ryan Tannehill can throw for 72 yards and beat the Baltimore Ravens. This is the game where the Titans need that play-action working with Tannehill and AJ Brown because it can’t be all Henry. This has been a huge bounce-back season for Ryan Tannehill and to continue that success he will need to make the right decisions against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Tannehill will be trying to outsmart Marcus Peters and Earl Thomas in the passing game tonight. If Tannehill can produce while Derrick Henry is carrying defenders on his back the Titans can have a good chance to come out of this game victorious. The Titans defense will have their hands full so if they can do anything to stop or slow down Lamar Jackson it will help. It’s going to be a tough task for the Titans defense to stop the run game of Jackson and Ingram but they will need to limit big plays in this one. The Titans secondary has stepped up as of late but this will be their biggest task dealing with a dual-threat at quarterback who can deliver the ball to his weapons. If the Titans can limit Jackson to one dimension of his game whether it is the run or pass they can be successful but it will take a full team effort on both ends.
The Baltimore Ravens are the number 1 seed and it’s been because of the play of Lamar Jackson. It’s safe to say that he’s going to be the league MVP after the season is over. Lamar Jackson has 3,127 passing yards with 36 touchdowns in the air and 1,206 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns on the ground. Overall Jackson’s a cheat code and it’s going to be tough to slow down this high powered offense. The Titans will have their hands full because Jackson can throw the ball and run it like no other. Some of the plays Jackson made this season were video game-like and never seen before. Look for Jackson to get his game going early in this one as he leads the NFL’s most high powered offense to victory. Lamar Jackson by himself is already tough to stop but when he has Mark Ingram to run the RPO with it makes it even tougher. Mark Ingram has been a great addition to the Ravens this year and his ability to run as hard as anyone in the NFL gives Jackson the freedom to be himself. This RPO that the Ravens run is tricky and the Titans defense will be in trouble if they guess wrong. Another aspect of Lamar Jackson’s game that people slept on this season was his deep ball. Jackson has been able to find his playmakers in the secondary with ease because of the separation and size difference. The two players that Lamar Jackson looks for in this passing game are Hollywood Brown and Mark Andrews both are products of the Oklahoma Sooners NFL branch. The speed of Brown and the size of Andrews makes it tough on other teams and easier for Lamar Jackson with every pass to that receiver. The Ravens offense is dominant and the Titans will need to limit them or force them into turnovers to have any chance in this game. The Ravens defense will have their hands full on the ground trying to stop Derrick Henry and if they can stack the box that will make it easier to defend Tannehill. The Ravens want to make Ryan Tannehill beat them with his arm and not have the running game beat them. The Ravens are a complete team and have shown that all year long so look for that to continue at home against the Titans tonight.
Score Prediction: Baltimore Ravens Win (38- 14)
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