This year’s wildcard weekend was slightly more competitive in the AFC than last year’s. Houston and New England dominated their games and won with few scares. The only nail-biter was Buffalo’s last minute win over Jacksonville. Two teams return to the divisional round, while the other two play their first divisional round game in the post COVID-19 era. The remaining four (the Denver Broncos had a week off) teams have a great shot at getting to both the conference championship and the Super Bowl. Even with the inexperienced Broncos remaining, no team is an easy out. It’s time to pick which two teams have the best chance of making the next round.
#6 Buffalo Bills v. #1 Denver Broncos
The easiest of the four divisional games to predict. Buffalo crushed Denver in their last playoff meeting with similar rosters. The Broncos were lucky in most of their close, regular season wins. A serious playoff contender with Super Bowl aspirations will teach Denver some valuable lessons.
Prediction: Bills win 30-24
#5 Houston Texans v. #2 New England Patriots
This is easily the best matchup in the AFC. Both teams have elite defenses and good offenses. Both offenses also have many weaknesses, and this game will come down to which defense cracks first.
At one time, both head coaches were intimidating middle linebackers with playoff success. The main coaching difference for Houston’s DeMeco Ryans is his playoff experience with the current roster. New England’s head coach Mike Vrabel is great, but his starting quarterback Drake Maye struggled more than expected in what many believed would be an easy home win against Los Angeles. The Texan defense has more than enough to shut down the Patriots offense no matter how often they have the ball.
Prediction: Texans win 24-9
AFC wildcard weekend picks record: 2-1
JD's Sportscorner 