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New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills - 1/15, 8:15 pm ET
For the third time since the beginning of December, the Patriots and the Bills will square off this weekend, meeting in a post-season game for the first time in 58 years.
After winning the AFC East for the second year in a row, Buffalo will be host to this historic game. The last time these teams faced off in the home of the Bills we saw the Patriots run out as winners in a game massively affected by heavy winds. The Patriots went 6-2 on the road during the regular season, while the Bills went 6-3 at home.
These are two of the very best attacking teams in the AFC this season. In their conference, they are the two top teams for point differential, Football Outsiders' DVOA, and EPA per play allowed on defense.
But both teams also excel on the defensive end, with brilliant secondaries at their disposal. They were the top two teams when it comes to points allowed and passing yards allowed.
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Despite that though, they operate their systems in very different ways. The Patriots love to run the ball and only try to throw when they absolutely must, while the Bills are a great aerial threat with an inconsistent ground game at best.
This leads me to believe that the Patriots could potentially take the underdog victory on the night.
This season Buffalo struggled more with stopping run-plays than the Patriots did with stopping aerial plays and while Mac Jones isn't quite as good a passer as Josh Allen, he is still very reliable and I expect him to be able to get the job done to a sufficient level.
San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys - 1/16, 4:30 pm ET
A historic rivalry is reignited at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas this weekend when the San Francisco 49ers come to town for this playoff game in a win-or-go-home match-up.
In a game that is sure to be a brilliant back-and-forth affair, both teams come into the game with offenses ranked in the top three for yards per play. They also have excellent defenses with both sides ranked in the top 10 for the fewest points allowed this season too.
It's been an interesting season for the Cowboys, who finished as the highest-scoring team this year and scored 40+ points on five different occasions during the campaign. The 49ers have had a great campaign themselves, but going forward they haven't been quite as explosive as their opponents on Sunday.
These teams are incredibly evenly matched up this season, so the result is likely to come down to who can take care of the ball best on the day.
Back the Cowboys!
This leans in favor of the Cowboys, whose defense were ranked number one in takeaways this season while their turnover differential was also the best among all teams. San Francisco in comparison were ranked 21st in giveaways and were the tenth-worst for their turnover differential.
The game will ultimately rely on whether or not Dak Prescott can get his offense going early on. The 49ers have struggled with aerial balls on occasion this season and with the Cowboys at their best in that area of offense, it's a clear path to victory for them if they can exploit it.
Defensively, the pass-rushing ability of the Cowboys is likely to cause Jimmy Garoppolo a lot of problems because he isn't the most mobile or most talented in all honesty. If the Cowboys can get in his face and break up his rhythm then it could be a long day for the 49ers.
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It seems like despite the obvious quality both teams possess, the way they opt to play football benefits the Cowboys when they go head-to-head.
The Cowboys defense will be on high guard and that will likely lead to Garoppolo overturning the ball at least once, and in games this close those mistakes can cost you the game.
Dallas are 5-1 in their last six meetings with the 49ers including a 41-33 win last season without Prescott. They're also 5-1 in their last six games and 7-2 over the last nine meaning they have momentum on their side to claim victory here.
