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It’s time.
Sims and I toe to toe. Face to face. If you stand on the hood.
I’m one game ahead in the Pick 282 contest. Three games left. Two, if you haven’t heard, will be played this weekend.
We disagree on both.
Last week, we went 2-2. For this year, I’m 194-88. It is 193-89. That is, 68.7 percent and 68.4 percent. Which is probably the best thing we’ve ever done.
Against the spread, I 153-122-7. It is 141-134-7. (Last week, I was 2-1-1 and I was 1-2-1).
Here are the picks for the NFC and AFC championships. Check it out, and get ready for what we hope will be seven brilliant hours of high-stakes football.
Eagles Leader (-6)
The Eagles are the better team. But the leaders have played better recently.
Will it be easy in Philadelphia? No. Was it easy in Detroit last week? The leaders are still pulling it.
The key for the Eagles will be the health of quarterback Jalen Hurts. If the Chiefs can hold running back Saquon Barkley closer to 100 yards than 200, Hurts will have to make some plays. Can he run like he normally does, with his left knee hurt again? Can he get the ball to his players? Can Marshon Lattimore, acquired at the trade deadline of his moment, disrupt and frustrate AJ Brown?
For the leaders, can midfielder Jayden Daniels continue to remain calm at all times, poised in the face of all stares? Five rookies have led their teams to the brink of the Super Bowl in recent years. None of them reached the title game. Daniels, who may already be the best quarterback in the NFC, has proven time and time again that no moment is too big for him. No matter how big the moment is.
Florio: Leaders, 27-23.
Sims: Eagles, 28-17.
Bills in Chiefs (-1.5)
Is the fourth time a charm for bills?
The Chiefs have shown, all year long, that they can produce big plays in the biggest positions. With one exception.
In Buffalo, it was the Bills (and quarterback Josh Allen) who shut the door on any potential last-minute magic from Patrick Mahomes, with a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2.
Against the Texans, Mahomes did it again. Against the Ravens, Allen did it again.
It all comes down to four or five moments. Which team accomplishes that in those locations? Who can avoid a serious mistake? Who can force the other team to make one? Who will ultimately succeed when the match is on the line?
It’s really a toss-up. Anyone who cares about football should stay glued to the TV for the duration of the match.
Florio: Chiefs, 30-27.
Sims: Bills, 24-27.
