Super Bowl on the line: Can Buffalo get past Kansas City? Is Washington a team of destiny?

I went 3-1 in my divisional round picks last week. There was no shame in having my only loss be Detroit losing to Washington. I'm sure I was far from being alone on that one.

Against the spread, I was only 1-3, thanks, in part, to Kansas City, voluntarily, taking a safety on their final possession instead of punting the ball on 4th down. I can't even imagine if I had big money on Kansas City to cover. That's why I don't bet big money.

The Eagles also didn't cover when they almost choked a two-score lead in the snow late in the 4th quarter at home to the Rams.

I went 2-2 on picking the over/under on points. Late scores by the Rams and Ravens prevented me from going 4-0.

Unlike last week, the weather should be ideal for both games on Sunday. May the best team win.

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (-6) Total: 47.5

Washington wins! This game goes under.

I remember criticizing Jayden Daniels earlier this season for being too complacent on the sidelines. I wrote, at the time, that he did not appear to be a leader. I apologize to Mr. Daniels. What I viewed as a weakness would become his biggest strength and is the reason his team is, remarkably, playing in the NFC Conference Championship.

The Eagles are limping into the NFC Championship Game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is, well, hurting. Saquon Barkley is, obviously, the focal point of the Eagles. Jalen Hurts, however, is the straw that stirs the drink. He is the leader of the team, the face of the franchise. If his knee limits his mobility, the Eagles' offense will look vastly different.

I think something special is going on with the Washington Commanders, similar to the first New England Patriots' Super Bowl championship run during the 2001 season. Unlike that Patriots' team, and with all apologies to the great Tom Brady, Daniels has had more of an impact on this run than Brady did in that one. Brady hadn't become the Brady we now know as the G.O.A.T. at that point. That is the scary part, and the exciting part if you are a Commanders' fan. If this is Jayden Daniels now, what will the future hold.

On the flip side, we said the same thing about Dan Marino when he made it to the Super Bowl in his rookie season, but Marino would never make it back to the Big Game. That is the point I would be driving home if I was Washington's head coach, Dan Quinn. Give Quinn a boatload of credit for doing a great job with this team, and, maybe, just flat out being a great head coach. He will have to win a Super Bowl to cement that label.

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (-2) Total: 48.5

Buffalo wins. This game goes under, as well.

As a Patriots' fan, I am tempted to pick Kansas City for the sole reason that I want to jinx them so they don't get to the Super Bowl for a chance to three-peat. I may regret this pick for that very reason.

I feel the same way writing about this game as I did when I wrote about the Ravens-Bills game last week. Everything I wrote in that blurb supported the idea of the Ravens winning, but I concluded with the line that, having said all that, I was picking the Bills. Period. End of sentence. I had no real rationale for picking them to win, and, thanks to a Mark Andrews' fumble and a drop on a two-point conversion, the Bills did escape Buffalo with a victory.

I have to admit the Bills are a flawed team. Their defense is middle of the road in giving up points, and they are in the bottom half in pass defense. Josh Allen gets a lot of hype as an MVP candidate, but the team is too reliant on him. His wide receivers aren't that good. The running game has shown flashes, but has been too inconsistent. Their kicker has been shaky in big spots in recent years.

This Chiefs' team, on the other hand, seems to be peaking and getting healthy at the right time. They, obviously, have the pedigree. This is a Kansas City team unlike any of their other championship teams. This one doesn't need to rely on Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to win games. This team's bread and butter is their defense... but there is always Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in case they need to break the glass in case of emergency.

The one player I keep thinking about going into this game is Xavier Worthy. How appropriate would it be if he is the difference in this game? The Bills handed Worthy to the Chiefs when they traded down with them in last year's draft? I said it was dumb at the time and it may not have taken long for the Bills to rue their decision.

Having said all that, Buffalo wins. {ducks}