NBC Sports Philadelphia's Derrick Gunn gives his predictions for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Colts at Chiefs (Sat. 4:35 p.m., NBC)
In 2017, Andrew Luck was nursing a shoulder injury that cost him the entire season. This season, under first-year head coach Frank Reich, Luck and the Colts are in the thick of the playoffs. A team that started 1-5 won nine of their last 10 to get to the postseason. Indy dismantled their rivals, the Houston Texans, for a showdown with the high-scoring Chiefs. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes is favored to win the MVP award and he gets his first taste of the postseason in front of a raucous home crowd. This is Andy Reid's 14th playoff season, but the second season hasn't been kind to him. He's 11-13 in the playoffs with one Super Bowl appearance but has never won it all. The Colts' underrated fast defense could be shorthanded in the secondary. Safety Malik Hooker (foot), and safety Mike Mitchell (calf) may sit this one out. Its been a great season for Luck and the Colts, but their luck runs out at Arrowhead Stadium.
Cowboys at Rams (Sat. 8:15 p.m., FOX)
Which team establishes their ground game the best could determine the outcome of this one. Ezekiel Elliott finished No. 1 in the league in rushing. Todd Gurley was No. 3. The Cowboys' defense continues to get better each week and will be a good test for the Rams' lethal offense that features a pair of 1,200-yard receivers in Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks. The 'Boys' passing attack is hurting. Losing WR Allen Hurns to a dislocated ankle is a big blow, and WR Cole Beasley is nursing a high ankle sprain. During the regular season, the Cowboys' defense suffocated the Saints' offense and will need a similar performance this weekend to have a chance in Los Angeles. Should be an entertaining affair, but the Rams will send the Cowboys riding off into the night with a loss.
Chargers at Patriots (Sun. 1:05 p.m., CBS)
Before you say the Patriots got this one, consider this. The Chargers are 8-1 on the road. During the regular season, they won road wars at Seattle, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City. They lost at home to Baltimore, then two weeks later traveled East and got their revenge by knocking the Ravens out of the playoffs. The Chargers, thin at linebacker, could play up to seven DBs at any given time and it works for them. TE Hunter Henry, who tore his right ACL back in May, has been activated and, if he plays, gives Philip Rivers another valuable target to throw to. Nobody prepares for big games better than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The Patriots' track record speaks for itself. Sixteen straight double-digit winning seasons and they've won the AFC East 10 years in a row. New England is almost unbeatable at home, but I'm going with a hunch and going to take old man Rivers and the Chargers in a road upset.
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