Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins: 

For the Bills, it’s been a season of extreme on-field highs and devastating off-field lows. While Damar Hamlin’s condition has improved massively since he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills have continued to find the motivation to play their absolute best football from his situation. Even when one distances the on-field product from the off-field situation, the Bills’ prowess is extremely apparent. At the center of it all is superstar quarterback Josh Allen, who’s had an MVP-caliber season as he’s led the Bills to one of their most successful regular season campaigns of all time. This season, the Wyoming product threw for a monstrous 4,283 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while adding 762 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. Allen is the definition of a true dual threat in the NFL with his astounding arm strength and ability to create plays from nothing with his legs. Allen’s supporting cast this season has been simply sublime. The main highlight of the Bills skill position core is Stefon Diggs, who had 108 receptions this season for 1,429 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lesser-known Bills such as Devin Singletary, Gabriel Davis, Dawson Knox, and Isiah McKenzie have kept the offensive core going even when Allen and Diggs are having a bad game. Pair that with the NFL’s second ranked defense, and the Bill’s dominance becomes truly apparent. Simply put, this is a team that can win football games any way they please, and the rest of the NFL may be at their mercy in this playoff.

The Miami Dolphins are a team where, despite their bounty of offensive talent, most analysis is directed at one position: quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa has been on and off the field throughout this season as he’s struggled through a multitude of concussions that have led many to wonder if he’ll even play in the NFL next season. This has left the Dolphins offense in the hands of Teddy Bridgewater, but he’s also been hurt with a finger injury, and the Dolphins have had to turn to 7^th round rookie Skylar Thompson in the final weeks of the season. If you’re expecting a Brock Purdy-esque story, you should look away. In what can only be described as a putrid showing, Thompson has thrown for just 534 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in his two games as a starter. Yikes. Luckily for him, he has an amazing offensive core around him led by the NFL’s top receiving duo in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Couple that with big play running back threat Raheem Mostert and ever-consistent tight end Mike Gesicki, and the Dolphins have enough to cover up Thompson’s weakness as a passer. Miami’s defense is ranked 24^th in the league despite a highly paid cornerback duo of Byron Jones and Xavien Howard, along with former Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb. While it hasn’t been talked about much, Miami’s poor defensive discipline may be an even bigger on-field weakness than Thompson’s poor passing.

This is another matchup where it’s rather easy to predict what is going to happen here. The Dolphins are a team with multiple glaring weaknesses, from poor quarterback play to a bad defense. While they have the explosiveness to cover these weaknesses, such big-play potential has been hindered by having Skylar Thompson at quarterback. Sometimes the Dolphins just outright beat themselves, and you can’t afford to do that against a team with no true weaknesses such as the Bills. With all due respect to Dolphins fans, this one probably won’t look too good for them.

Prediction: Bills 42, Dolphins 14 

Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants: 

The Vikings are one of the most confusing, yet intriguing teams in recent league memory. Considering their impressive 13-4 record, one would expect a fairly dominant squad that puts teams away with relative ease. Ironically, this season has been the exact opposite for the Vikings, who have won 11 games by under 8 points. When they win, they barely scrape by. When they lose, they get crushed. The Vikings have a point differential of -3 this season, which is outright unheard of for a team with such a good record. Even so, their success is understandable. The team has an awesome offense once again, led by Kirk Cousins, who’s thrown for 4,547 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions this season. Surrounding him on offense are elite weapons like Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and T.J. Hockenson. This Vikings squad is a classic great offense-bad defense team, as they rank 30^th in the league in total defensive stats. In big games, Minnesota lives and dies by its offensive prowess, and the hope is that Kirk Cousins can finally shake his primetime choker moniker and ascend to the fabled top tier of star NFL quarterbacks.

For the first time in the Daniel Jones era, the New York Giants have looked good throughout an entire season. While it may have taken a while to get here, it’s nice to see Jones being talked about for something other than looking like he slipped on a banana peel after an 80-yard run. While Jones has been a solid game manager for the Giants with 3,205 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, New York’s true offensive star is running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley has had a superb bounce-back season in 2022-2023, running the scoresheet for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns alongside 338 receiving yards. Unfortunately, Barkley is just about all the Giants have offensively. The receiving core has been barren this season, with no receiver amassing more than 724 yards (Darius Slayton). The Giants defense is slightly below average, as the unit ranks 18^th league-wide. This isn’t a bad team by any means, but they’re extremely one-dimensional. Barkley has carried the heavens and the earth for the Giants to make the playoffs, and he’ll have to do so for the rest of the season if they hope to make it past the wild card round.

As much as I would find a Vikings collapse in this matchup utterly hilarious, I am a realist. Minnesota has more high-end talent, depth, and consistency than New York despite their poor defensive play. Barkley should have a good day against one of the NFL’s poorer rushing defenses, but Minnesota has offensive firepower that should overwhelm the Giants from the outset. You like that?

Prediction: Vikings 34, Giants 21