Here at the sports desk located somewhere below decks of the Good Pirate Ship RedState, we’ve been noting how other sportswriters and commentators across the land and in the Great White North have been eagerly pursuing the King Wokester prize by fulminating, fuming, and occasionally frothing about issues such as Ivan Provorov staying true to his faith and Tony Dungy similarly remaining true to his faith by believing that murdering unborn children might not be très cool. Our more than able shipmate Sister Toldjah has been keeping tabs on the turkeys.

Anyway, while the left loses their minds — pardon the redundancy — over their hatred of anyone believing Jesus Christ is a Name and not an expletive, there are sporting events taking place this weekend. Now that yours truly has convinced Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken to stop grumbling about turning the TV from hockey to football for a few hours, here is a quick glance at the upcoming games in the 2023 NFL Divisional Round Playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs — Those gritty, gutty kitties travel to the land of politically incorrectly named sports franchises. It’s tempting to take one look at this one and immediately start pondering how a Chiefs versus Bills or Bengals matchup would shake out, and not entirely without justification. Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent, a quarterback rewriting the rules as he can either play it normally or create magic out of thin air with equal aplomb. The Jaguars’ defense is decent against the run but somewhat below average against the pass, which, when you’re facing #15 behind center, spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E better than Travis Tritt. On the other side of the ball, Kansas City’s defense is good against the run but average against the pass. Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence can run extremely hot or cold, sometimes in the same game, and Jacksonville does not embarrass itself running the ball. Both teams have head coaches with unimpeachable credentials. My hunch is Kansas City will come out on top, but the game will be close and exciting.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles — How much does Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts hurt? The Eagles, who had been steamrolling their way through the regular season, looked quite ordinary in their final three games with Hurts not playing due to an injured shoulder. An effective Hurts turns Philadelphia’s offense into a machine; an ineffective one … we shall see. The Eagles’ defense is lights out against the pass but average against the run, so expect to see the Giants feature a three-prong offensive plan of Saquon Barkley left, Saquon Barkley right, and Saquon Barkley up the middle, with occasional guest appearances by New York quarterback Daniel Jones legging it out. The Giants’ defense is nowhere near the Eagles’ quality-wise, so Philadelphia has the definite edge. Still, if New York can keep it close late, look out.

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills — Based on last week’s Wild Card games, one must wonder what the Bengals and Bills have against Joe Burrow and Josh Allen respectively. Both were hurried, harried, and harassed hard, fast, and continuously courtesy of offensive line play that was as offensive as it gets. The biggest separator between Cincinnati and Buffalo is the ground game. The Bills are effective in running the ball; the Bengals are mediocre. This gives Buffalo sufficient advantage to be the favorite, but unless you’re either a Burrow or Allen family member, it should be entertaining.

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers — Hoo boy. Right now, the 49ers are a machine on both sides of the ball. Third-string quarterback Brock Purdy has personally ensured both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance jerseys are half-off at the team shop, while Christian McCaffrey is running like the McCaffrey of old. Meanwhile, San Francisco boasts the best overall defense in the league. However, they are susceptible to the pass. Enter Dak Prescott, who was fire in last week’s torching of Tampa Bay. If the Cowboys’ offensive line can give Prescott enough time to pass, and if the Cowboys’ defense, which is okay against the pass but average at best against the run, can at least slow down the 49ers, this could get interesting. Otherwise, it could get ugly fast.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.