After laying a goose egg during championship weekend, I’m now bringing up the rear when it comes to NFL playoff predictions here at NR. The standings are now: Charlie, 9-2 and Andy 7-5, while I’m down at 6-6. So the question remains, can I salvage a winning record?
Since it’s only one game this week, and the big one, I’m going to mix it up by adding additional predictions beyond just the winner.
I’m kind of torn on this one. Kansas City seems to be peaking just at the right time, with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce returning to old form in the playoffs, and they don’t need to do as much as in the past given the strength of their defense. I’ve gone against the Chiefs in two straight games, and they’ve proven me wrong each time. But hey, why break with tradition? The San Francisco offense is more explosive, having shown in the second half against Detroit how quickly it can rack up points when firing on all cylinders. They simply have more weapons than the Chiefs and I anticipate a big game from George Kittle, who is eager to show that he can be just as dominant as Kelce.
Predictions:
49ers, 23-20.
Given that the over/under is set at 47.5, this means I will go with the under.
First touchdown scored: George Kittle.
MVP: Brock Purdy.