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Our NFL “remaining 4” has been finalized, as convention championship weekend takes place this Sunday.
Coach Mike Vrabel has taken the New England Patriots from pretender to contender in his first season, whereas Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos lastly received their first playoff sport since Tremendous Bowl 50. Nonetheless, they did lose their quarterback within the course of when Bo Nix went down with a damaged ankle. On the NFC aspect, it is one other NFC West showdown, as Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams journey to Seattle to tackle Sam Darnold and the Seahawks. The groups cut up their two regular-season conferences, with the house workforce successful every time. When these groups met final month, they gave us one of many video games of the 12 months, as Seattle transformed a game-winning two-point conversion in additional time. What’s going to occur this time round?
Which groups do you have to choose this week, and which do you have to fade? CBS Sports activities writers Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin are right here to interrupt them down. For readability, traces for these picks had been taken on Jan. 21 over at DraftKings Sportsbook.
New England Patriots (-5.5) at Denver Broncos
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on CBS (Stream on Paramount+)
Dajani (Patriots -5.5): I am unsure what sort of deal Mike Vrabel made with the soccer gods, but it surely’s fairly unimaginable that New England acquired to play the simplest power of schedule for the reason that flip of the millennium, hosted a hapless Justin Herbert within the wild-card spherical, the turnover addict C.J. Stroud within the divisional spherical, and who’s ready for the Patriots within the AFC Championship sport? JARRETT STIDHAM.
Stidham is the seventh quarterback to make his first begin of the season within the playoffs, and solely one of many earlier six really received their sport. He’s 1-3 as an NFL starter, and it will likely be attention-grabbing to see how Sean Payton alters his sport plan with Bo Nix out. No matter Stidham’s position on Sunday, there are two issues that should occur if the Broncos need this upset: The run sport has to reappear and the protection has to dominate. Since J.Ok. Dobbins was injured in Week 10, the Broncos rank backside 10 in speeding yards per sport and yards per rush. Dobbins has an opportunity to return this week, however I am not banking on him to be an X issue. This Denver protection ranks high three in factors allowed per sport (18.3), yards allowed per sport (278.2) and third-down share (33.8%) as effectively. Vance Joseph’s unit can positively include Drake Maye, however the Patriots are the one workforce with an ideal against-the-spread report (8-0) on the highway this season. I imagine this shall be an in depth sport till New England lastly covers within the fourth quarter … Prediction: Patriots 20, Broncos 13
Dubin (Patriots -5.5): This one is fairly easy: the Broncos won’t have their beginning quarterback for this sport. It is actually arduous to see them placing collectively a consultant offensive efficiency with Jarrett Stidham on the helm — particularly given how effectively the New England protection has performed up to now in the course of the playoffs in holding down offenses piloted by Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud. New England’s offense hasn’t precisely lit the world on hearth in both of its video games towards elite defenses, and the Broncos current one other one for them to go up towards, however I’ve way more belief in Drake Maye going towards a Denver unit that has really proven some leaks since its bye week, than I do in Stidham and Co. towards the Pats. … Prediction: Patriots 21, Broncos 10
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-2.5)
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox (Stream: Fubo — strive totally free)
Dajani (Rams +2.5): My preseason Tremendous Bowl choose was Ravens vs. Rams, and simply because I used to be flawed about Baltimore doesn’t imply I am flaking on Los Angeles on this spot. Everybody goes to be on the Seahawks this week due to their unimaginable protection, however I’ll remind you that Matthew Stafford and Co. racked up 581 yards of complete offense and 37 factors in that additional time thriller in Seattle we witnessed final month. This choose comes right down to me trusting Stafford and his incredible solid of weapons greater than Sam Darnold. The historic tendencies are in my favor as effectively. The Rams are 2-0 all-time vs. the Seahawks within the playoffs, and have received 4 straight NFC Championship sport appearances.
I do know scoring factors towards this Seahawks protection shall be robust. The one touchdowns they’ve allowed since Thanksgiving, not together with the Rams matchup, are a Philip Rivers passing landing and a Bryce Younger speeding landing. Nonetheless, I am calling for the upset. Sean McVay is 5-2 towards the unfold and 4-3 straight up as an underdog within the playoffs … Prediction: Rams 24, Seahawks 23
Dubin (Rams +2.5): I picked the Rams to beat the Seahawks within the NFC title sport in our pre-playoff predictions, so I’m clearly rolling with the identical choose right here. L.A. received the primary sport between these two groups and may have received the second, and would have if not for one of many craziest two-point conversions anybody has ever seen. The Seahawks have an elite protection and home-field benefit, however when two groups are as shut in high quality as these two are, I all the time prefer to roll with whichever workforce has the benefit at quarterback, the sport’s most vital place. On this case, that is Matthew Stafford and the Rams. I like them to advance with a closely-contested win. … Prediction: Rams 23, Seahawks 20
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