Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below the main deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken are up and at ‘em and rarin’ to go ...
Not go to work, mind you. Just go.
Anyway, after two games yesterday (Saturday, January 10, 2026) that were such nail-biters, fans of the teams involved ran out of nails and were left gnawing on knuckles, three games are on tap in the first round of the NFL playoffs. In order:
In the “we’re actually glad this isn’t a home game but don’t tell anyone” department, the Buffalo Bills are shuffling off to Jacksonville for a jangle with the Jaguars. At the season’s start, the Bills were a trendy Super Bowl pick. By the end of the year, the trend was more aligned with wondering what was wrong with them. Buffalo, behind Josh Allen, could still rack up the points with the best of them, and their running game was second to none. The Bills’ defense was strong against the pass but highly vulnerable against the run. They were a good team, but not as good as expected.
Jacksonville was much better than expected. Trevor Lawrence will most likely never be the generational quarterback he was tabbed to be coming out of college, but he is more than serviceable. On offense, the Jaguars are statistically average in the air and below average on the ground, but they usually manage to find a way to score. On the other side of the ball, Jacksonville’s defense is very, very good against the run and at forcing turnovers, but below average against the pass. Expect Allen to throw early and often in what could turn into a track meet.
The second game on today’s schedule finds the San Francisco 49ers prospecting their way to Philadelphia for a bout with the Eagles. Or Rocky Balboa.
The 49ers have spent the year confounding everyone, including most likely themselves, with maddeningly inconsistent play. Brock Purdy has been terrific one game and awful the next. The defense, hobbled by season-ending injuries to its two best players, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, has similarly blown hot and cold. The consistent bright spot has been Christian McCaffrey, for whom one can make a strong case as the team’s most valuable player. That all said, when they are on their game, San Francisco is a force to be reckoned with.
The Eagles spent the year doing their utmost to make people wonder how last year they reached the highest. Sure, they won more than they lost. A lot more. That said, their offense was often anemic and riddled with bickering, while the defense did most of the heavy lifting. They were below average at stopping the run ... and oh, hey, did I mention that Christian McCaffrey is in town? This one looks to be a tight tilt.
The final game on today's schedule finds the Los Angeles Chargers muttering off to Massachusetts for a dust-up with the New England Patriots. The Chargers are average on offense, both in the air and on the ground, but stout on defense in both categories. The Patriots are statistically good on defense and very good on offense behind Drake Maye, but played a cream-puff schedule and remain an untested, unknown item. No idea how this will turn out.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone.
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