In the National Football League (NFL) Divisional Round last weekend, defence was the order of the day on Saturday and offense came out to play on Sunday.

On Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers defence held the Minnesota Vikings’ offense to 147 total yards and seven first downs in a 27-10 rout while the sixth-seed Tennessee Titans, led by running back Derrick Henry’s 195 rushing yards, demolished the JustBet-favoured Baltimore Ravens in a 28-12 beat down.

Ravens’ quarterback (QB) Lamar Jackson, uncharacteristically, had three turnovers and was stopped cold on two critical fourth-and-one plays.

Jackson did have 20 rush attempts for 143 yards, but he also attempted 59 passes, which was way beyond what the team intended. Baltimore had 29 first downs to Tennessee’s 15 and gained 530 yards to Tennessee’s 300, but the turnovers made life difficult and they had no answer for Henry’s bruising rush.

As was the game plan against the New England Patriots in the wildcard game when Henry amassed 182 rushing yards, the Titans were intent on dispensing a steady dose of the ground-game and the rushing champion was all too willing to oblige.

He is now the only running back in NFL history with 180+ yards in three-straight games.

The Titans became the first team since the 1972 and 1973 Miami Dolphins, and the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, to win multiple games in the same post-season with its quarterback throwing for less than 100 yards in each of those games.

Tennessee’s QB Ryan Tannehill threw for 71 yards against the Patriots the previous week and 88 against the Ravens.

The Titans have now beaten up two ‘big-boys’ and head into the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship game this weekend with the utmost confidence. If they are to repeat the feat, Henry will again have to shoulder the load and take Tennessee to their first Super Bowl since 1999.

Last Sunday, offence made a welcome entrance to the play-offs.

The Kansas City Chiefs erased an early 24-point deficit to earn a 20-point win over the Houston Texans while the Green Bay Packers, behind QB Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams, staved off a late Seattle Seahawks comeback attempt to win 28-23 and book their ticket to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game this weekend.

The Texans team that played the final 40 minutes of the game was totally unrecognisable from the one that scored 24 unanswered to start the game and the Chiefs are now the only team in play-off history to be down 20 points and then win by 20.

The reigning MVP and Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes was one of the top three in the position this season and against the Texans, he threw five touchdowns (with no interceptions) and led the team in rushing with 53 yards. The Kansas City offense closed the game on a 51-7 run (for a 51-31 win) and, at one point, had a streak of seven-straight possessions with a touchdown.

Mahomes certainly displayed some offensive magic last week and now Kansas City is the JustBet favourites to win the Super Bowl. With the Patriots and Ravens out of the way, thanks to the Titans (who they face on Sunday), the Chiefs may feel easy but cannot afford to be complacent.

The Kansas City Chiefs have an offense that’s capable of scoring 50-plus points, but defence and the run-game have dominated these playoffs so they will need to contain Devon Henry while putting points on the board — the former could be their downfall.

If the Chiefs fail to limit Henry, then the arm of Mahomes will need to conjure up a lot more magic this weekend. In a pass-first league, he is the perfect problem-solver and may be called on to solve a few more problems on Sunday.

In the NFC championship game, much better is expected from the Packers than the lopsided 37-8 defeat they suffered at the hands of the 49ers in November. They executed an efficient game plan last week against the Seahawks and left QB Russel Wilson still winless at Lambeau Field.

The 49ers matchup well with Green Bay and their run-game is far superior.

They are an overall better team, but the Packers have put together a world-class defence and still have Rodgers operating at an efficient level. The expectation is for a San Francisco home win but don’t be surprised if Green Bay pull off an ‘ugly’ upset.

The JustBet odds offerings for the NFL Conference Championships are available along with those for all other popular sports and events. Please visit one of the over 100 locations (or visit mobile.justbetja.com) for details and place your bets on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings…… Get in the GAME!

Date Time Event 1 219/1/2020 15:05 San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers 1.31 3.65Kansas City Chiefs – 2.30

18:40 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans 1.28 3.85

*Betting odds, limits and handicaps are subject to change

Super Bowl LIV Winner

San Francisco 49ers – 2.50

Green Bay Packers – 7.10

Tennessee Titans – 8.00