NFL Divisional Finals Preview and Predictions: By Kyle Balfour

Week 3 Review:
By Stuart Tomlin

What a week for the NFL.

After a much better than expected Thursday Night game, we went into the weekend looking forward to some more NFL action, including the first Wembley game. And then Donald Trump opened his mouth with his divisive “Son of a Bitch” comments at his stroke-his-ego rallies (why does a sitting President need to have rallies three years before a re-election campaign?) and the NFL stood up – or rather took a knee – and locked arms against him. Some people chose to boycott the NFL because of this. And they missed a sensational week because of it.

I’m not big on mixing politics and sports, but we’re long past the point of “Stick to politics/stick to sport”. When someone like Donald Trump makes comments about our sport – the athletes in our sport have to stand up against this. You know my views by now – I do not like Donald Trump – and we here at Go For It On Fourth will never support or condone any kind of racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, bigotry, white supremacy or hatred of any kind, and fully believe that none of these things have a place in our world. We fully support the rights of the players, coaches, owners and staff to protest the government as they see fit. We fully support their right to take a knee, and will undisputedly support the NFL, the players, the coaches and the staff over the likes of Donald Trump and his supporters in this matter.

Okay, well that’s my serious part of this review over and done with. It’s hard to speak about this week in the NFL without speaking about politics, so it had to be addressed.

Anyway, onto the actual thing we’re here for: the sport! After a difficult week last week, the NFL came back with an absolute bang with this week’s games. Upsets, controversial finishes, amazing plays. It’s been sensational fun.

Oh, and my fantasy team actually won this week. Hard luck to Mike Haliburton, was a fun game. Dave Duncan, you’re next in the fantasy league. And the Colts won this week! So, I’m pretty happy all round to be honest.

Shall we get on with the games?

Kyle and I were both 18-13 going into the week. Let’s see how we got on.

San Francisco 49ers v. Los Angeles Rams
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Stuart Said: Rams (1-0)
Kyle Said: Rams (1-0)
Actual Result: 49ers 39-41 Rams

Just what we all expected from Thursday Night football from these two teams…an offensive show of force! The Rams and the Niners both played amazingly on offence and horrendously on defence – and it turned into one hell of an entertaining game. Good week to have Carlos Hyde, Sammy Watkins or Todd Gurley on your fantasy team. The Rams were the better team in the first half as the Niners played some superb clownball while in the second half, the Niners started catching up and brought it close towards the end, but the Rams were able to hold them off for the win. A strong game that started an incredible week.

Jacksonville Jaguars v. Baltimore Ravens
Wembley Stadium, London, England
Stuart Said: Ravens (1-1)
Kyle Said: Ravens (1-1)
Actual Result: Jaguars 44-7 Ravens

Again, just what we expected from a Wembley game, another blowout. The Ravens absolutely domin…wait, you mean the JAGUARS were the ones dominating? Really? This was a bit of a surprise, as the Jaguars put in their most dominant performance of their Wembley tenure, and the Baltimore Ravens left any sort of attack or defence they had in the States. Flacco didn’t complete a pass until about 4 minutes left in the second quarter. The Ravens punted five times in the first half. An incredibly dominant day for the Jaguars defence. Could this be the Jaguars’ team they’ve been waiting years for? Meanwhile, the Ravens need to up their offence over the next few weeks if they’re going to have a chance of unseating the Steelers as NFC North Champions.

Buffalo Bills v. Denver Broncos
Ralph Wilson (New Era Field) Stadium, Buffalo, New York
Stuart Said: Broncos (1-2)
Kyle Said: Broncos (1-2)
Actual Result: Bills 26-16 Broncos

Well then…I didn’t see this one coming, either. This seems to be a bit of a theme this week. Tyrod Taylor turned up and absolutely did bits all over that Broncos defence, with his best performance of the season so far. It’s a bit early as it turns out to call the Bills a tanking team. The Broncos struggled offensively this week after blowing the Cowboys out last weekend. An ugly pick from Siemian and a failed fake punt on the next drive were a perfect summary of the Broncos’ troubles this week. If this game proved anything, it’s hard to tell who’s good and who’s not this season. Both teams will be interesting to watch going forwards in this regard.

Chicago Bears v. Pittsburgh Steelers
Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Stuart Said: Steelers (1-3)
Kyle Said: Steelers (1-3)
Actual Result: Bears 23-17 Steelers (OT)

A sloppy, messy game this week with a surprise ending. After potentially the most hilarious play of the entire season, where Marcus Cooper scooped up a blocked field goal, ran towards the endzone, started celebrating the touchdown only for the ball to be knocked out his hands by Steelers Tight End Vance McDonald, knocking the ball out of bounds, and leading to a spot of the ball before the endzone. Clownball of the highest order. To add insult and injury to injury, the Bears had to settle for a field goal on that drive. However, the Bears rallied and managed to pull off the surprise win with a Jordan Howard 19-yard touchdown run in overtime. Mike Glennon struggled again and could have been worse, meaning the calls for Trubisky will more than likely continue to grow, despite the victory. The Steelers meanwhile sleepwalked through this game and will probably be fine long-term, but they can’t afford this kind of performance too often.

Carolina Panthers v. New Orleans Saints
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Stuart Said: Panthers (1-4)
Kyle Said: Saints (2-3)
Actual Result: Panthers 13-34 Saints

This was one to forget for the Panthers. After playing two pretty terrible offences in weeks 1 and 2, the Panthers encountered an offence that is actually effective with Drew Brees, and suffered from it. Cam Newton meanwhile performed badly this week, one of the worst performances of his career, with three interceptions. Didn’t look right from the start and it showed. The Saints relied on Brees but still haven’t figured out how to use their running game of Ingram, Peterson and Kamara, and we’ll see how they go as they go through the season. The Panthers meanwhile need to get back to what was working weeks 1 and 2…and forget what didn’t work here.

Minnesota Vikings v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stuart Said: Buccaneers (1-5)
Kyle Said: Buccaneers (2-4)
Actual Result: Vikings 34-17 Buccaneers

Oh boy, this is not going well for my predictions this week. The Vikings without Sam Bradford for the second week, actually turned up and Case Keenum played one of his best games as a professional. Wait, probably his best game as a professional. Not a high bar to clear. He had help from Stefon Diggs turning in a sensational performance on my fantasy bench, with 173 yards, two scores and about 29 fantasy points. Welp. The Buccaneers struggled this week with just three points to show from the first half, with a bunch of incompletions and a Winston interception. A shaky second half with two touchdowns and three interceptions followed, but the Buccaneers were playing catch-up and it showed. A strong start to the season for Minnesota, be interesting to see if they can keep it going. The Buccaneers need a bounce-back next week.

Indianapolis Colts v. Cleveland Browns
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Stuart Said: Colts (2-5)
Kyle Said: Colts (3-4)
Actual Result: Colts 31-28 Browns

Thank Christ. The Colts actually won a game. Okay, it was only against the Browns, but we have to start somewhere, right? Jacoby Brissett was a lot more fluid in this game, bringing the Colts out to a 21 point lead in the second quarter, and with Brissett and T.Y. Hilton having much more of a chemistry this week, and the Wide Receivers as a whole helping Brissett out a lot more. On the other side, Kizer looked dodgy in places, with a couple of crippling interceptions hampering his team at the worst possible moments. In typical Colts fashion, we did our absolute best to almost lose the game at the death, evaporating a 10-point lead in the last quarter for the SECOND WEEK IN A ROW…almost. The Browns weren’t able to do what the Cardinals did and take advantage of our mistakes, and we finally got a win. The great news is that Andrew Luck’s return is finally just over the horizon, with Week 6 being looked at as the return date, and if we can stay within a competitive record by then, this season might just have life in it yet for us. We’re going* the Super Bowl lads. (*probably not). Meanwhile, the Browns continue their march to a second successive first overall pick. They finally seem to be doing things the right way, but it’ll take a lot longer than one year to fix their franchise.

New York Jets v. Miami Dolphins
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Stuart said: Dolphins (2-6)
Kyle said: Dolphins (3-5)
Actual Result: Jets 20-6 Dolphins

Josh McCown leads his Jets team to victory. I told you this was a strange week. The Jets forgot how to tank this week and actually performed really well in a deserved victory. Focusing on the run defence and stopping Jay Ajayi paid off well for the Jets (and seeing as he was against me in fantasy, cheers lads), and without that running threat in play, the Dolphins were forced to throw with Cutler. It did not go well for them. The Jets clearly wanted this win more than the Dolphins, and it showed on both sides of the ball. There might not be many Jets highlights this season. This was one of them. Based on this, there might not be too many Dolphins highlights either.

New England Patriots v. Houston Texans
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Stuart Said: Patriots (3-6)
Kyle Said: Patriots (4-5)
Actual Result: Patriots 36-33 Texans

Here’s one I actually got correct – but not in circumstances I expected. Yet another amazing comeback from Tom Brady when Houston is involved. That part sounds about right. But before that, the Pats struggled, especially in the secondary, as Deshaun Watson looked every bit the future of the Texans franchise at quarterback. He’s a fast learner and is gonna be very, very good one day. The Texans pass rush also caused major problems for Brady in the initial going, including a fumble recovery touchdown. Then Tom Brady did Tom Brady things, passed for five touchdowns and an amazing comeback win capped off by Cooks’ 22 yard touchdown catch at the end. Because, Patriots. The Patriots haven’t been too impressive so far this season in both of their home games, and it’s a strange one. But you can never count them out. The Texans meanwhile have improved massively and this one stung for them, but if Watson can continue on this pace, they might be a team to watch this season.

Detroit Lions v. Atlanta Falcons
Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Stuart Said: Lions (3-7)
Kyle Said: Falcons (5-5)
Actual Result: Lions 26-30 Falcons

And the Detroit Lions trail in the fourth quarter and complete another comeback victory. Or, that WOULD have been the narrative if the final touchdown hadn’t been ruled out on the replay, as his knee was down. The 10 second run-off of the clock ended the game, as there were only eight seconds on the clock left at the time of the play. An incredible end to what was a fantastic game between two good teams. Devonta Freeman carried the Falcons’ offence in an impressive showing, while Matt Ryan ended his lack of interception streak in spectacular fashion, by throwing three in fifteen throws. Welp. These interceptions, including a pick-six, kept the Lions in the game, but the final play wasn’t enough for them to win it. Both of these teams will likely be there or there about when it comes time for the playoffs.

Philadelphia Eagles v. New York Giants
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stuart Said: Eagles (4-7)
Kyle Said: Eagles (6-5)
Actual Result: Eagles 27-24 Giants

61 yards. SIXTY ONE FUCKING YARDS. One of the greatest field goals in NFL history by Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Absolutely stunning scenes on an incredible day of football. The shanked punt by the Giants helped their chances, as did the 19-yard connection between Wentz and Alshon Jeffrey, the longest of the day for the Eagles. But Sixty One Yards. Cannot state enough how amazing that was. The Eagles ran out to an early lead, and then the Giants started to peg them back when Odell Beckham remembered he is in fact Odell Beckham and scored a couple of amazing touchdown drives. The less said about his celebrations, the better, but none the less, he’s a brilliant wide receiver. However, it wasn’t enough, because as I stated, sixty one fucking yards. The Eagles took a bit of a foothold in this division, while the Giants have themselves a massive hole to climb out of.

Tennessee Titans v. Seattle Seahawks
LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
Stuart Said: Titans (5-7)
Kyle Said: Titans (7-5)
Actual Result: Titans 33-27 Seahawks

The Bold Pick of the Week paid off, as the Titans and the resurgent DeMarco Murray came back with a vengeance this week to what would be considered by some a surprise win over the Seahawks. However, the Titans have been steadily improving for a while now and Mariota very much looks the real deal. The Seahawks vaunted defence found it difficult to manage both Mariota and Murray this week, and it’s honestly hard to say what has happened to the Seattle offence this season. The offence has struggled this season – hopefully that continues next week against us – as the offensive line keeps falling to bits and the running game cannot get going. Titans continue to impress in what is fastly becoming an oddly competitive AFC South, while the Seahawks need to find their offensive identity. And fast.

Los Angeles Chargers v. Kansas City Chiefs
StubHub Center, Carson, Los Angeles, California
Stuart Said: Chiefs (6-7)
Kyle Said: Chiefs (8-5)
Actual Result: Chargers 10-24 Chiefs

The Chargers’ ability to lose games at the death seems to be continuing on here from their move from San Diego to Los Angeles, however this time it was the loss of the turnover battle that punished the Chargers this week. The Chiefs scored 17 of their 24 points from Phillip Rivers turnovers, the final one being the game ender with the Chargers 17-10 down. The Chiefs continued their strong start to the season off the backs of Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill, and Alex Smith is continuing to play arguably the best football of his career so far. The Chargers meanwhile are struggling badly in their new home – so much so, that the NFL is already considering taking them back to where they belong in San Diego. On the plus side, the Chargers seem to be finally getting a pass rush through a superb pair in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. If the Chargers’ offensive play can match that, they should be fine. Big IF.

Green Bay Packers v. Cincinnati Bengals
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Stuart Said: Packers (7-7)
Kyle Said: Packers (9-5)
Actual Result: Packers 27-24 Bengals (OT)

Well, we got the expected result here – a Packers victory. How we got here was a little less expected. The Packers needed overtime to beat a Bengals team who went into this game having not scored a touchdown – what a difference a new offensive co-ordinator can make – to take a 21-7 lead over the Packers. Then Aaron Rodgers did what Aaron Rodgers does best, and led the Packers back. The Packers pegged the Bengals back to take the Bengals to overtime, and Aaron Rodgers won in overtime for the first time in his career, having previously lost all seven of his attempts in overtime. That’s a statistic and a half. He also threw only his second pick-six of his career. It was a memorable day for Rodgers. The Bengals meanwhile are 0-3 and have a lot to do to salvage this season, but this offence was much better than the first two weeks.

Washington Redskins v. Oakland Raiders
FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
Stuart Said: Raiders (7-8)
Kyle Said: Raiders (9-6)
Actual Result: Redskins 27-10 Raiders

A surprise result to finish off a Surprise Sunday. Kirk Cousins made his strongest case yet for a contract extension from the Washingtons or a big payday from another club (*cough, 49ers, cough*) with a 365 yard and three touchdown performance, torching a normally stellar Raiders defence. With efficient passing (17 for 19), Cousins will probably point to this game as a perfect example of why he deserves that big contract extension. Derek Carr meanwhile had an evening to forget, with two underthrown interceptions and four heavy sacks contributing to his team’s loss against Washington. The Washington running game was impressive too, with Chris Thompson proving effective both in rushing and in the pass attack. Both teams have hard away games next week, with Washington heading to Kansas City, and Oakland heading to Denver. Washington will go with their heads higher after this week.

Arizona Cardinals v. Dallas Cowboys
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Stuart Said: Cowboys (8-8)
Kyle Said: Cowboys (10-6)
Actual Result: Cardinals 17-28 Cowboys

The Cowboys came back to form this week with a dominant performance in Arizona, with Dak Prescott shining after a weak performance last week against Denver. His performance on the run was superb, connecting twice with Brice Butler, once for a touchdown. Arizona’s offensive line proved to be a turnstile this week, which the Cowboys found effective, with Demarcus Lawrence recording three sacks and getting to Palmer several more times. They needed this with Ezekiel Elliott struggling again this week. Palmer struggled as well with the Cowboys defence, however Larry Fitzgerald shone once again. Honestly, when the world ends, it’ll probably be cockroaches and Larry Fitzgerald recording 100 yard games. The Cowboys should be fine over the next few weeks. The Cardinals have struggled in all of their games this season, and will need to step up if they’re going to avoid a difficult season.

Well, that’ll do it for this week. Let’s have a look at the final prediction results for this week:

Stuart: 8-8
Kyle: 10-6

After three weeks, here’s the standings:

Stuart: 26-21
Kyle: 28-19

We go onto week four, with hopefully a Colts victory, the first Giants victory, some more great football, and a lot less Donald Trump to focus on. Wouldn’t it be nice?

Go Colts.