Washington Commanders against Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday 3 p.m. He/8 p.m. GMT)
History of the season: Jayden Daniels is an extraordinary match. A superb unleashing of seven victories during the winter leaves Washington with only Philadelphia to beat for the NFC and Daniels championship to become the first quarter-arre recruit to lead its team to a Super Bowl. They need a second victory in six weeks against a team from Eagles with the strongest alignment in the NFL. But the training made up of Philly, with Saquon Barkley in his nucleus, struck the commanders for an easy victory during the other meeting of the regular team season in November. The Eagles will desperately try to spoil the feast of the recruit while winning this improbable decisive series for the season.
What Washington must do to win: Commanders must maintain the improved level of defense they have reached during these playoffs, while trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Barkley as much as possible thanks to a methodical and time -consuming racing game. Washington only forced 17 reversals in the regular season, but they generated five against the Lions last week and another against the Bucs during the Wildcards round. These reversals led to three affected.
In relation: The arm of Mahomes at the Philadelphia line: why each remaining team can win the Super Bowl
Like the defense, if Washington manages to bring together the same production of offensive demons Brian Robinson Jr and Austin Ekeler as against Detroit, it will be difficult to stop them. The pair has accumulated 128 yards on the ground – only 17 less than their total of the three previous games. It is essential to prevent the scenario from needing explosive passes in the face of the elite coverage of Cinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay.
What Philadelphia must do to win: Mea culpa. The Eagles do not need to pass the ball. During the Wildcards round, Jalen Hurts offered the lowest chance of attempted pass, offering a positive result to any winning team in the playoffs in the last 10 seasons. Last week, Hurts totaled 65 net yards by the pass, the lowest of all the teams in an eliminatory match in the last decade, whether won or lost. Unfortunately for Washington, with Barkley at the head of the Eagles offensive, the figures are not very important. When each balloon affected by the ball carrier has the potential to browse the entire length of the terrain, as long as Hurts do not return it between transfers, Philadelphia has a powerful advantage.
Snow and ice played a role in the lack of air sites last week. It will be the weakness of the defense against the Washington race that could let them stagnate on Sunday. Detroit runners accumulated 201 lanors and three affected against commanders last week, the Eagles will expect Barkley to do something similar this weekend.
Key actor for commanders: Jayden Daniels, Quarterrière. The recruit is the reason why Washington went from the last place of the NFC was in 2023 at the edge of the Super Bowl. He showed his ability to raise the level of his teammates when it really matters. Take Dyami Brown, the least spotted. The receiver raised an average of 19 yards per game in the regular season; During the two victories in the playoffs since, he has totaled 187 yards while receiving more targets and ahead of Terry McLaurin. The Eagles will be nervous at the idea of paying too much attention to McLaurin now that Daniels has achieved Brown’s potential.
Key player of the Eagles: Jalen Carter, defensive platform. After leaving a brutal attack on Matthew Stafford against the Rams last week, the passer will show that Daniels is not as immune to the pressure it seems. What could tip the scales is Washington’s right back injury Sam Cosmi. The offensive replacement Trent Scott platform will need help to stop the Carter disruptor.
Prediction: Eagles on commanders. Daniels is sure to make the Eagles work, but with Barkley in the alignment, Philadelphia will defeat Washington. Sometimes it has the impression that it is not a question of knowing if it will stop for a touch of 60 meters, but when. The command coach, Dan Quinn, Maudira les giants de New York for letting Barkley join their rivals.
Buffalo Bills against Kansas City Chiefs (6.30 p.m. He/11:30 p.m. GMT)
History of the season: As in 2023, the chiefs were mediocre for a large part of last year, driving at the lower speed, ready to strike in the playoffs. They remain the best trained and best prepared team of the NFL. Their only stumbling block: Bills. The decisive touch of Josh Allen in the fourth and second places when the teams met in the regular season was only a task on an impeccable notebook. So can Buffalo start again? Can Allen finally leave a final mark after losing three times against Mahomas in the playoffs? The pressure is strong in what will surely be another instantaneous classic.
What Buffalo must do to win: Run the ball. Kansas City’s defense has a weak point that can be operated by James Cook and Allen. The chiefs have been somewhat softened since they limited the Bills to a respectable 104 yards on the ground during their meeting during the week 11. During their last five games, Kansas City granted an average of 150 yards to Sol, while the Bills have constantly dominated on the field, with an average of 170 yards during the eight games since he beat the chiefs. Above all, during the playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens and the Broncos de Denver – the best and the third best NFL racing scorers in terms of total yards authorized in 2024 – each abandoned a total record for the season against Buffalo. If this is the damage that Cook and Allen can cause opponents specializing in the stop of runners, then the duo will most likely cause serious problems in Kansas City.
What Kansas City must do to win: Put the ball in the hands of Xavier Worthy. In the plan of head coach Andy Reid, the fast receiver can extend Buffalo in depth on the ground. This should give Mahomes an explosive target to unlock half a secondary star corner potentially missing from the Bills, Christian Benford, who is in a concussion protocol. Reid should also work on creative keys for Worthy when the chiefs have the ball in the red zone. It brings a crucial threat to support the more routine and more efficient production of Kelce Travis. The Bills experienced difficulties in tight matches in the playoffs last season, and nervousness was still obvious last week when Lamar Jackson was unleashed in the second period. Reid can count on Worthy to be an X factor, just as Tyreek Hill was during the epic victory of the chiefs in the round of division against Buffalo in 2022.
Bills key player: Spencer Brown, right platform. Brown has had a fantastic season by protecting its quarter-arre and blocking the races. Allen was only dismissed 17 times during his 19 games this season, while Brown and his offensive line helped Buffalo score more than 30 times. The most exciting for the Bills is that the 6 -feet 8 -inch and 310 pound murderer was absent from their regular season victory against the chiefs. When they need to score, they can count on Brown to do the dirty job that makes Allen shine.
Key player of the chiefs: Jaylen Watson, cornerback. The difference for Kansas City could be the return of Watson to the secondary. The defensive half, which missed the defeat against bills in the regular season, took advantage of a timely warm -up against Houston. The coverage of the chiefs is exceptional with Trent McDuffie by his side. They should allow Steve Spagnuolo to focus its defense on larger subjects: stop the race.
Prediction: chiefs against bills. It seems as close as a draw. What style will the greatest influence on the result? The brute force of the Bills or the calm and the madness of the chiefs? The 3-0 file against Allen in the playoffs gives Kansas City the confidence necessary to defeat the powerful Bills. Mahomes, as always, finds a means.
