I'll start out by saying that the biggest winner this weekend is a tie between the NFL and the fans. Do three road wins on last-second field goals and an instant classic overtime shootout sound like enough to you? What more could anyone have asked for? (Unless your team lost this weekend). I, went 2-2, so I guess I'm not an NFL genius, but who could have predicted that the 49ers would have defeated the Packers? The 49ers' defense and special teams beat the Packers. Prior to that, the Bengals upset the Titans despite Burrow getting sacked 9 times. Derrick Henry wasn't healthy, so my prediction was correct, or at least I'm taking a W on that one. Then, the Rams tried to give up the lead to the Bucs. We almost witnessed another Brady moment, but they couldn't quite pull off the upset. While I was rooting for the Bills to beat the Chiefs, I can't deny how great a game we witnessed. I think the Chiefs are most likely going to win the Super Bowl now. Who can beat them?
Bengals/Chiefs
3:30 on Sunday on CBS
Odds: Chiefs -7
Hopefully, this game can add to the Bengals' magical season and elevate Joe Burrow to new heights in the NFL. While fans can dream, the much more likely story is the Chiefs led by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes cement themselves as the NFL's new Belichick and Brady. After what they overcame against the Bills, I don't know if anything can stop them. The Bengals' only hope is hubris. The problem with that is the Chiefs got the stuff to back it up. The Bengals' run and confidence could make it more interesting than many are expecting. Hopefully, it's another classic.
49ers/Rams
6:30 on Sunday on Fox
Odds: Rams -3.5
The Rams get a mulligan against the 49ers. The 49ers' defense is, as I've said before, Super Bowl-worthy. The problem I keep expecting them to run into is the lack of offense. The Rams' defense is pretty good, too. I would expect if it stays low-scoring, the 49ers can win. If the score gets up high, Garappolo won't be able to muster enough offense to keep up with Stafford. The key for the Rams is to put the game in Stafford's hands. They nearly lost to the Buccaneers because they took the ball away from him to try to run the clock out. McVay gave up all of those picks to get him but keeps taking the ball out of his hands. He made a bad play against the 49ers in the season finale, but I don't expect that to happen again. Stafford has a couple of postseason wins now. I think the confidence could elevate him to new heights. I think the Rams hold on to win despite their best efforts to blow an early big lead.