Scully's NFL Divisional round playoff picks: Packers will embarrass sixth-seeded Niners

The cream rose to the top in the Wild Card Round, as five of the top six seeds advanced, and a compelling slate of four games is set for the Divisional Round.

I’m excited to watch and wager upon the action!

Bengals vs. Titans

Picked to finish last in the AFC North, Cincinnati exceeded expectations by winning the division title and earned its first playoff victory in 31 years last weekend. However, the victory proved costly for the defensive line, which lost Larry Ogunjobi and has several other key contributors banged up.

Tennessee should receive a psychological boost from the return of Derrick Henry, who will join A.J. Brown and Julio Jones in the lineup for the first time since crushing Kansas City in late October. The Titans will score a lot of points.

However, Cincinnati is rolling offensively, and Joe Burrow will take advantage of Tennessee’s shaky secondary, leading multiple scoring drives.

It will be a high-scoring game that could come down to who has the ball last.

Pick: Over 47.5

49ers vs. Packers

San Francisco fans have to take the good with the bad with Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners were in complete command last week, up 23-10 in the fourth quarter, when “Bad Jimmy” nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by committing a series of blunders.

They won’t be able to overcome his mistake-prone ways at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay has gotten healthier in recent weeks, and the well-coached Packers won’t show up unprepared like Dallas, which was penalized more times (14) than any playoff team since 2010.

The Packers will make Garoppolo beat them. After surviving a pair of nail-biters at the L.A. Rams and Dallas, San Francisco is poised to take a step back this week.

And Green Bay will take no prisoners producing a double-digit victory!

Pick: Green Bay -6

Rams vs. Buccaneers

The Rams never gave Kyler Murray a chance to beat them last week, constantly harassing the star quarterback in a dominant performance. No team does it better, and L.A.’s ability to rush the passer will be a major storyline Sunday.

Tampa Bay’s offensive line is banged up. Tristan Wirfs, arguably the league’s best tackle, is questionable after spraining his ankle in the Wild Card Round. His backup, Josh Wells, and All-Pro center Ryan Jensen were also sidelined by injuries.

And while Philadelphia’s limited offense couldn’t get anything going, the defense invaded Tampa Bay’s backfield, recording eight tackles for a loss, including four sacks, and six hits upon Tom Brady.

Matt Stafford exits a sharp performance, completing 13 of 17 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions, and the balanced offense logged 140 rushing yards. The Rams are playing with confidence on both sides of the ball.

The loss of receivers Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin didn’t hurt pass-reliant Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round, but L.A.’s mighty defense will derail the Bucs' ambitions.

Pick: Rams +3

Bills vs. Chiefs

Buffalo dominated the line of scrimmage against Bill Belichick’s New England defense last week, scoring touchdowns on every possession, and the wide-open run lanes were a sight to behold.

While never focusing upon the run, the Bills logged 174 rushing yards behind their resurgent offensive line, and Josh Allen was unpressured in the pocket, completing 21 of 25 passes for 308 yards and five touchdowns in a stellar performance. The fourth-year quarterback enters this matchup in career-best form.

Kansas City had three punts and a pair of turnovers on its first five possessions Sunday night, trailing 7-0 before finally scoring with about five minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Pittsburgh’s punch-less offense couldn’t take advantage of another slow start by the Chiefs and proved embarrassingly inept all night, but Buffalo’s high-powered attack would have buried Kansas City under similar circumstances.

It’s been a common theme all season — Kansas City’s offense will stall for long stretches, including in its last three outings. That wasn’t the case during the previous two Super Bowl seasons.

In contrast, Buffalo became more formidable after losing the 2021 AFC Championship Game to Kansas City.

The Bills have improved significantly over the last six weeks, eliminating inconsistencies that plagued them earlier in the season, and Buffalo’s top-ranked scoring defense is built to stop Kansas City.

Buffalo is my strongest play of the weekend!

Pick: Buffalo +2