The NFL playoffs are now upon us with six exciting matchups coming up this weekend. Making this year’s playoff journey even more intriguing is that there doesn’t seem to be as many dominant teams as in past years. Get ready for a thrilling weekend of games as the race to Super Bowl LVIII kicks into full gear.

Saturday, January 13

Browns 27, Texans 20

The opening game of the playoffs is a rematch from just a few weeks ago, when the Browns and specifically Amari Cooper completely dominated the Texans defense. The Texans defense will surely make some adjustments in this contest but their leaky run defense that showed up last week against the Colts is a new problem to monitor. The Texans run game also needs to be better in this game to win because of the problems the Browns have had at times this year defending it. If the Texans cannot have any semblance of a balanced attack, Myles Garrett and the Browns pass rush will be able to feast on CJ Stroud.

Chiefs 20, Dolphins 17

This game has the chance to be one of the coldest games in NFL history with the temperature projected to be around -5 degrees right now. This gives an advantage to the Chiefs who have a strong run game and defense. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have a lot of injuries on defense with both Xavien Howard and Andrew Van Ginkel out in this game. Luckily, they should be getting Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Waddle back from injury to help an offense that has missed their playmaking ability. The Dolphins will probably also need to lean on their run game with the combination of Mostert and rookie stud De’Von Achane. In a tight game, I’m trusting the better defense and run game.

Sunday, January 14

Bills 24, Steelers 20

The Bills seem like the biggest boom or bust team in the entire playoff field with a very real chance to lose in the first round or to go on and win it all. The biggest concern for them is the amount of turnovers committed by Josh Allen. That could hurt them this week against a defense that generates turnovers, even if they aren’t a very good defense overall. The Steelers offense has had late season success because of their run game and the play of Mason Rudolph at QB. The combination of their opportunistic defense and improved offense makes me believe the Bills will have to sweat this game out until the end like they have so many times this year. Ultimately, the injury of TJ Watt and the late playmaking ability of Josh Allen will be too much for the Steelers to overcome.

Cowboys 30, Packers 24

The Cowboys get to play at home, so expect some offensive fireworks from them once again. The biggest matchup figures to be Jaire Alexander vs CeeDee Lamb if the Packers use Alexander to cover Lamb. If the Packers want to try to slow down the Cowboys pass game, Dallas should try to run the ball against a poor Green Bay run defense. The other source of concern for the Cowboys is the Green Bay pass rush which was the biggest reason for their success defensively against the Bears. Meanwhile, the Packers offense has been extremely hot lately. The play of Aaron Jones and the way he has run the ball has gone under the radar, as he looks like one of the best backs in the league in recent weeks. When teams have had success against the Cowboys defense, it has been because they have found ways to run against them.

Lions 33, Rams 30

This game has the most storylines attached to it with Matthew Stafford’s return to Detroit and Jared Goff playing his former team as well. This also seems like it could turn into a shootout, with each of these offenses the identity of the team. Both offenses have very strong run games that are the key to their success. The Lions have a strong run defense which should put the Rams in more longer distance passing situations. Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions pass rush need to get pressure on Stafford because if not, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp will be burning them downfield against a defense that has given up so many big plays downfield. The Lions creative offense should open up enough opportunities for playmakers like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs to have big performances.

Monday, January 15

Buccaneers 27, Eagles 23

This Eagles team is completely reeling entering the postseason with both sides of the ball struggling. Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown are also beat up making this game even more challenging. One of the biggest problems for the Eagles last week was their offensive line not being able to pick up blitzes that the Giants were bringing. That might spell more trouble this week against Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers defense, who love to blitz. The Buccaneers offense has also slumped in the last two regular season games, but they have a great chance to rebound here. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will have big games against an Eagles secondary that just can’t seem to get it together because of either poor play or miscommunications. Baker Mayfield’s recent ankle injury is a bit of a concern but if he can get ball out quick to his playmakers, the offense should be okay in this one.