When- January 21, 3:30 PM, NBC
Where- GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Jacksonville- 4 Seed (AFC South)
Rating- 35.08
Record- 10-8
Strength of Schedule- 23 out of 32
Kansas City- 1 Seed (AFC West)
Rating- 36.61
Record- 14-3
Strength of Schedule- 26 out of 32
Why Jacksonville will win- The Jaguars are coming off a 1 point Super Wild Card victory in a game which they turned the ball over 5 times and trailed 27-0 in the first half. This is a team playing with house money and nothing to lose heading into Arrowhead to face the AFC's top seeded Chiefs. After throwing 4 INT’s in the first half of his first career playoff game, Lawrence rebounded with 4 touchdown passes which should give the young QB a huge boost of confidence heading into the matchup. If it comes down to special teams Jacksonville has the advantage.
Why Kansas City will win- The Chiefs shouldn’t have much trouble moving the ball on a Jaguars defense that ranks 27th in the NFL in pass yards allowed (239.3) and 25th in sacks per game. The offense put up 486 total yards along with 4 Patrick Mahomes TD’s in their first meeting back in November. Earlier in the week Lawrence downplayed the loudness of Arrowhead Stadium which should provide the Chiefs and their rabid fan base some extra motivation heading into the game.
Eye Test Analytics Predicted Outcome- Chiefs by 4.28 points
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