Prisco's Divisional Round Picks and Bold Predictions: Steelers' Mike Tomlin Staying Put

Hello everyone, and buckle your seat belts, because the next round of playoff football is just days away. John Breech is taking the day off to mentally prepare for a potential Baltimore Ravens trip to the AFC title game, so you’ve got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver the latest.

This is the Pick Six newsletter. Now let’s get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don’t want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)

We’ve got Prisco’s playoff predictions, coaching news, and an inside look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ collapse, plus lots more:

1. Today’s show: Bold predictions for divisional round

Pete Prisco and John Breech joined Will Brinson on the latest “Pick Six NFL Podcast” to forecast the next wave of playoff action, not only with a ranking of this weekend’s games but bold predictions for each. Some highlights:

Prisco is all aboard the Jordan Love hype train, predicting the Packers quarterback will “make a throw to win it” in San Francisco, leading Green Bay to a stunning upset of the No. 1-seeded 49ers.
Travis Kelce may be Patrick Mahomes’ most reliable target, but Prisco predicts Dalton Kincaid to have the better game among tight ends, helping the Bills move the chains in their anticipated rematch with the Chiefs.
The Ravens have long excelled on the ground, but Prisco envisions “a lot of passing” in Baltimore’s matchup with the Texans, forecasting a combined 575 yards from Lamar Jackson and rookie C.J. Stroud.

Catch the full episode (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.

2. Prisco’s Picks: Bills edge Chiefs, Buccaneers stun Lions

Pete Prisco had a firm grip on Super Wild Card Weekend, going 5-1 in against-the-spread picks. Now he’s back with predictions for every single divisional round matchup. Here’s a preview:

Ravens 30, Texans 29: This will be the first road playoff game for Texans rookie passer C.J. Stroud, which can be a challenge. It can be even tougher against the Ravens’ stout defense. They will throw a bunch of different looks at Stroud.
Packers 33, 49ers 31: Jordan Love has been special the last eight weeks and showed up in a big way last week against the Cowboys. I think that carries over. The 49ers’ defensive front is tough, but the Packers offensive line is playing well.
Buccaneers 30, Lions 28: The Bucs blew out the Eagles as Baker Mayfield came up big. Detroit played well on offense against the Rams, but the defense showed some flaws. That could lead to another good day by Mayfield and his receivers.
Bills 28, Chiefs 23: Patrick Mahomes will be playing the first road playoff game in his career. It sure doesn’t come in an easy place to play. Josh Allen has to limit his mistakes, which he did in the victory over the Steelers. I think he does it again here.

3. Coaching news: Tomlin staying, Belichick meets with Falcons

Here’s the latest on the coaching front, with multiple teams shuffling coordinators and others hosting big-name interviews:

Mike Tomlin informs Steelers he’ll return: There had been speculation about him stepping away in 2024
Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh meet with Falcons: Plus all the other head-coaching interviews to occur
Saints part ways with OC Pete Carmichael Jr.: The assistant spent 15 years under Sean Payton and Dennis Allen
Browns fire OC Alex Van Pelt: Plus two other offensive assistants under Kevin Stefanski

4. Eagles’ collapse: What’s next and who’s to blame

At one point this year, the Eagles were 10-1, destined to make a repeat Super Bowl bid. They finished 1-6, including an ugly playoff loss to the Buccaneers, leaving plenty to question coach Nick Sirianni’s job security. Is it fair to suggest Sirianni is — or should be — on the hot seat after three straight playoff runs? In truth, this sudden rise and fall is a repeat of recent Eagles history, which could speak to both the franchise’s impossible standards and the inevitability of NFL parity. In this deep dive on Philly’s crumble, Cody Benjamin explores who’s chiefly to blame, and whether a total overhaul is justified.

5. Biggest questions facing remaining playoff teams

The teams eliminated from the postseason have plenty of questions to answer now that the offseason is upon them. But that doesn’t mean the eight teams left in the race for the Lombardi Trophy are without hurdles to clear. We explored the biggest questions facing each of them, including whether Buffalo and Detroit can keep up their momentum:

Bills: Can they survive more injuries on defense? We all know Josh Allen, James Cook, Stefon Diggs and Dalton Kincaid are capable of getting this team on the scoreboard. But after missing key starters in Rasul Douglas and Tyrel Dodson, Buffalo’s defense took more hits against Pittsburgh, losing Taron Johnson and Terrel Bernard, among others. They’ll need as many reinforcements as they can get against Kansas City.
Lions: How long will the clean pockets last? They deserve all the credit in the world for bringing playoff hopes to fruition, and Jared Goff was particularly sharp in their back-and-forth with the Rams. But almost all his work came from a pristine pocket. We know Goff is a different quarterback when pressured — more affected than most — and the Buccaneers are coming into town after a blitz-crazy domination of the Eagles.

Check out all the key questions right here.

6. Mock draft: Falcons among three top-10 teams to take QB

The new order for the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is out, and Josh Edwards has already looked ahead to predict how the first 32 picks will shake out. He’s got three QBs going in the top 10, including back-to-back signal-caller selections to kick off the round. Here’s a sneak peek at his projection — a look at his first 10 picks: