Six down, seven to go.
The postseason is nearly halfway over, after the wild-card round. Simms went 4-2 straight up and 3-3 against the spread; I was 3-3 and 2-4, respectively.
Simms has clinched the straight-up title for the year, at 185-92-1. I’m 177-100-1. Against the spread, I’m clinging to a two-game lead, 141-133-4 and he’s 139-135-4.
This week, we have two disagreements against the spread, and two straight up.
For all division-round picks, you know what to do.
Bills at Broncos (-1.5)
Josh Allen knows the clock is ticking louder and louder on his chances to get to a Super Bowl. This may be his best chance yet to make it, especially without Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow in the playoff field. While the future is extremely bright for the Broncos, this year could end up being another stepping stone toward the ultimate prize.
Florio’s pick: Bills 24, Broncos 21.
Simms’s pick: Bills 24, 21.
49ers at Seahawks (-7)
Sam Darnold gets another chance to make a big play in a big spot, and to avoid making a bad play in a bad spot. And Kyle Shanahan gets another chance to cook up a game plan that will yield more than three points. All the pressure is on Seattle; none of the pressure is on the 49ers. In this round, sometimes that can make all the difference.
Simms, obviously, disagrees. He thinks Darnold will get it done, and that the Seattle defense will once again hold the San Francisco offense in check.
Florio’s pick: 49ers 27, Seahawks 24.
Simms’s pick: Seahawks 27, 49ers 17.
Texans at Patriots (-3)
The Texans’ defense is on par with other great units that carried the franchise to a Super Bowl win. This week, they likely won’t have to overcome a surprisingly poor performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Florio’s pick: Texans 16, Patriots 13.
Simms’s pick: Texans 20, Patriots 17.
Rams (-3.5) at Bears
Who will step up in the fourth quarter, and who will step off? The Bears thrive when they’re firmly behind the 8 ball. And number 18 has shown that, in those moments, he can rise to a higher level.
Simms sees the Rams as being good enough on both sides of the ball to pull away.
Florio’s pick: Bears 30, Rams 27.
Simms’s pick: Rams 38, Bears 27.
The NFL previously applied the term “super” to the wild-card round of the playoffs. This year, the ratings were.
Via Sports Business Journal, the six games televised by Fox (which had two), CBS, Prime Video, NBC and ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 attracted an average of 31.9 million viewers.
That’s a 13-percent increase from last year, and the best since the NFL expanded the playoffs from six teams to seven in 2020, which grew the wild-card round from four games to six.
The total average is the best since the four-game format attracted an average of 32.6 million in 2016 for these games: Raiders-Texans, Lions-Seahawks, Dolphins-Steelers, and Packers-Giants. The smallest victory margin that year was 13 points, with an average score of 30-11.
This year, four of the games went down to the wire. Two of the games were lopsided.
The weather forecast for Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday night calls for possible snow and temperatures around 20 degrees, and Bears coach Ben Johnson noted that it’s going to be the coldest game the Rams have played in this season. But Rams coach Sean McVay is not concerned.
McVay said the weather in Chicago won’t be as bad as the Rams faced in two games last season, against the Eagles and Jets, and the weather didn’t affect Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford’s ability to throw the ball in either of those games.
“You know in the cold how the ball feels, but last year was a great example, we had two really cold games,” McVay said. “Matthew’s played in these conditions. So it doesn’t change. There’s a couple things you have to be mindful of, but you start talking about wind, rain, how that affects your footing, we always kind of adjust and adapt. They’ve got to be able to play in those elements — they have a little more experience, but we’re not going to allow that to be an excuse. I think you have to have a feel, but I think the way that our guys play, I think it suits us well in any sorts of conditions.”
McVay said the focus this week isn’t going to be on the weather because the weather is out of their control.
“We’re not going to waste our energy on things we can’t control,” McVay said. “I don’t have a weather machine. We do have a lot of guys that have been accustomed to playing in these types of situations, whether it’s previous teams, where they played their college ball in outdoor stadiums. We talk about mental toughness all the time and controlling the things we can control. Let’s control the things we can control. When you’re not on the field stay warm, and then when you’re out there your adrenaline kicks in. The ball is a little bit slicker, it feels like a rock, but other than that, let’s freakin’ roll.”
After injuring the index finger on his throwing hand during Saturday’s wild-card win over the Panthers, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said of the situation, “It wasn’t great.”
Four days later, that has changed.
“Great,” Stafford told reporters on Wednesday when asked how the finger feels.
He reiterated that he doesn’t believe the cold weather in Chicago on Sunday night will be a factor for the finger. “I think it should be good,” Stafford said.
Stafford said he won’t be wearing anything on the finger during the game at Chicago, and there was no swelling after the opening-round playoff game.
“We did a good job of jumping on it, wrapping it before the plane and all that stuff,” Stafford said. “Whatever was there is gone now. It feels good.”
Stafford was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. Which is no surprise. Even if Stafford’s finger were amputated, he’d find a way to practice and to play. And to play well.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has a right finger injury that he insisted wouldn’t be a problem. The injury report confirmed that.
Stafford was a full participant on Wednesday’s report as the team began preparations for Sunday’s game against the Bears with a walk-through.
Stafford was 24-of-42 for 304 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against Carolina.
The Rams practiced without cornerback Darious Williams (personal).
Offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (ankle) and nose tackle Poona Ford (elbow) were limited.
Wide receiver Xavier Smith (wrist), cornerback Josh Wallace (ankle), tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) and safety Quentin Lake (foot) were full participants.
