NFL Wildcard Round

 This round is usually very fun.  There are often upsets, and some lower seeds advance.  I'm picking two like that, although I don't think one of them is truly an upset.

Saturday games

#7 Seattle Seahawks at #2 San Francisco 49ers : No upset likely here.  The 49ers have a sturdy defense and a high-powered offense that helps them take early leads, which the defense will maintain.  Their special teams is pretty awesome, too.  While any upset is possible, I don't see this one happening.  49ERS, 31-16

#5 Los Angeles Chargers at #4 Jacksonville Jaguars : The Jags offense has proven to be a strong force, and would definitely be favored in this game.  However, the Jags have struggled against strong defenses, and that is one thing the Chargers have.  I think this will be a low-scoring affair, and those kind of games have been the Jaguars problem this season.  They either outscore their opponents by quite a bit, or fall short.  In this game, I think they will fall short.  CHARGERS, 17-16

Sunday games

#7 Miami Dolphins at #2 Buffalo Bills : It can be hard to beat the same opponent three times in the same season, but the Bills should do it.  They rolled through the AFC East this season, so this should be another smooth game.  With Tua back on concussion protocol, things will get even rougher for the Fins.  BILLS, 34-23

#6 New York Giants at #3 Minnesota Vikings : This game could be ripe for an upset.  The Giants have a decent team who can play very well, but they can also trip themselves up.  In this matchup, I think their offense is a bit toio one-dimensional, which should allow the Vikings defense the opportunity to slow them down.  If they can find some new angles, though, the Giants could advance.  VIKINGS, 27-20

#6 Baltimore Ravens at #3 Cincinnati Bengals : The second AFC divisional match-up of the day looks like a potential upset, but I don't think so.  The Ravens faltered lat in the season.  They were on track to be the #5 seed,b ut couldn't hold up under the pressure.  The Bengals will challenge them all day, and the offense won't quite be up to the challenge.  BENGALS, 21-16

Monday Night Football

#5 Dallas Cowboys at #4 Tampa Bay Bucs : Here's a visiting team who is favored, and they should be.  Yes, you should never count out Tom Brady in the postseason, but the Bucs offense has been out of sync for most of the season.  On the other hand, the Cowboys offense has been strong most of the season, and htat should propel them into the next round.  COWBOYS, 24-13

NFL 2022 Regular season results

 So how did the power teams finish the season?  Most years have a couple of poser teams who do not make the playoffs, and this year was no exception.  However, most of them did, with just two teams outside the top 14.

Power Rankings [Last week's ranking]

1.  BUFFALO BILLS (13-3) [1]

2.  San Francisco 39ers (13-4) [2]

3.  Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) [4]

4.  Kansas City Chiefs (14-3) [5]

5.  Dallas Cowboys (12-5) [3]

6.  Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) [6]

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8) [9]

8.  Baltimore Ravens (10-7) [7]

9.  Detroit Lions (9-8) [11]

10. New England Patriots (9-8) [8]

11. Minnesota Vikings (13-4) [13]

12. Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) [10]

13. Miami Dolphins (9-8) [15]

14. Seattle Seahawks (9-8) [16]

15. New Orleans Saints (8-9) [12]

16. New York Giants (9-7-1) [14]

Divisional Rankings [Last week's rank]

 1.  AFC East [1]

2.  NFC East [2]

3.  AFC North [3]

4.  AFC West [4]

5.  NFC North [5]

6.  NFC West [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

NCAA Football 2022 Final Top 25

 With the results of the bowl games, let's see how the teams ended up:

Top 25 [Pre-bowls position]

1.  GEORGIA BULLDOGS (14-0) [1]

2.  Michigan Wolverines (13-1) [2] : Let's face it, the Wolverines should have won that game.  If the NCAA doesn't investigate the "lost touchdown" call, and some of the other controversial calls, then the game was definitely rigged.

3.  Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) [3] : They nearly beat Georgia

4.  Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) [5] : They did the seemingly impossible -- derail the powerful Utah offense

5.  TCU Horned Frogs (13-1) [7]

6.  Alabama Crimson Tide (11-3) [6]

7.  Tennessee Volunteers (11-2) [8]

8.  Florida State Seminoles (10-3) [[11]

9.  Washington Huskies (11-2) [12]

10. Tulane Green Wave (12-2) [15] : They matched USC, then surpassed them

11. Utah Utes (10-4) [4]

12. Clemson Tigers (11-3) [10]

13. USC Trojans (11-3) [9]

14. Oregon Ducks (10-3) [14]

15. LSU Tigers (10-4) [25] : They engineered the biggest blowout of the bowls!

16. Oregon State Beavers (10-4) [19]

17. Air Force Falcons (10-3) [NR]

18. Fresno State Bulldogs (10-4) [NR]

19. Texas Longhorns (8-5) [13]

20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-4) [20]

21. Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-4) [21]

22. Duke Blue Devils (9-4) [24]

23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-4) [23]

24. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-5) [22]

25. Boise STate Broncos (10-4) [27]

On the Edge: UTSA Roadrunners (11-3), Troy Trojans (12-2), Louisville Cardinals (8-5)

Dropped off: UTSA Roadrunners [#16], UCLA Bruins [#17], Kansas State Wildcats [#18]

NFL 2022 Week 17 results

 We are missing a game, as the Monday Night Football game has been postponed (with no announced replay day) due to a player suffering a heart attack on field.  It was a rare occurrence, but medical personnel mobilized quickly, and that might have saved his life.

Power Rankings [Last week's ranking]

1.  BUFFALO BILLS (12-3) [1]

2. San Francisco 49ers (12-4) [3]

3.  Dallas Cowboys (12-4) [4]

4.  Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) [2] : Their losing streak is killing them

5.  Kansas City Chiefs (12-3) [5]

6.  Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) [6]

7.  Baltimore Ravens (10-6) [7]

8.  New England Patriots (9-7) [8]

9.  Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8) [10]

10. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) [12]

11. Detroit Lions (8-8) [15]

12. New Orleans Saints (8-8) [14]

13. Minnesota Vikings (12-4) [9]

14. New York Giants (9-6-1) [17] 

Divisional Rankings [Last week's rank]

 1 (tie). AFC East [1]

1 (tie). NFC East [2]

3. AFC North [3]

4.  AFC West [4]

5.  NFC North [5]

6.  NFC West [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]