Mark Craig's NFL playoff picks: Zooming in on the quarterback matchups

Time and TV: 3:30 p.m., Ch. 11, Peacock, Universo

Line: Chiefs by 9½

2022 meeting: The Chiefs won 27-17 at home in Week 10.

Key stat: 10. Kansas City's winning margin against Jacksonville despite a season-worst minus-3 turnover differential (zero takeaways, three giveaways). The Chiefs are 5-3 when they lose the turnover battle this year.

Did you know?: If the Chiefs win, they will join the 2011-18 Patriots (eight) and the 1973-77 Raiders (five) as the only teams to advance to five consecutive AFC Championship Games.

Prediction: The upstart Jaguars and their 29^th-ranked third-down defense (43.2%) will be unable to usher Patrick Mahomes and the No. 2-ranked third-down offense (48.7%) off the field. Kansas City, which also ranks first in yards (413.6) and points (29.2), converted seven of 10 third downs and one of one fourth downs in the Week 10 meeting. Chiefs 38, Jaguars 31.

Time and TV: 7:15 p.m., Ch. 9

2022 meetings: The Eagles swept the season series, winning 48-22 at the Giants in Week 14 and 22-16 at home as the Giants rested their starters in Week 18.

Key stat: 253, 8.2, 4. Yards, average per carry and touchdowns by the Eagles' run game vs. the Giants in Week 14. And, oh yeah, Jalen Hurts also threw TD passes of 41 and 33 yards that day.

Did you know?: This is the first NFL playoff game to feature two starting quarterbacks who each rushed for more than 600 yards in the regular season. Hurts ran for 760 while Daniel Jones ran for 708.

Prediction: Sorry, Daniel Jones, but you're no longer facing the Vikings' defense. The Eagles posted a league-high 70 sacks this year, including seven in the Week 14 beatdown of the Giants (four against Jones). Now, Philly is well-rested and playing a prime-time home game in front of the most obnoxious fans in football. Eagles 31, Giants 17.

Time and TV: 2 p.m., Ch. 4, Paramount+

Last meeting: The Bills won 21-17 in 2019. The game between the teams this season in Week 17 was canceled after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and was hospitalized in the first quarter.

Key stat: 231. NFL playoff-low yards Buffalo allowed while giving up 31 points to Miami last week. The Dolphins had a defensive touchdown and averaged just 31.8 yards on five scoring drives.

Did you know?: Cincinnati's Joe Burrow needs a win to become the first quarterback in NFL history with five playoff wins before his 27^th birthday. He's 4-1.

Prediction: This is now the first official meeting between Burrow and Josh Allen, and it will be the end of the road for reigning AFC champion and too-one-dimensional Bengals. Cincinnati's 29^th-ranked running game, which mustered only 2.8 yards per carry and 51 overall in last week's win over the Ravens, won't be much of a challenge for a Bills defense that gave up 2.1 yards per carry and 42 overall in last week's win over the Dolphins. Add it up and Burrow gets a bitter taste of why the Bills are 13-1 at home in playoff games since 1970. Bills 41, Bengals 38.

Time and TV: 5:30 p.m., Ch. 9

Last meeting: The 49ers won 23-17 at Dallas in last season's wild-card playoff round.

Key stat: 52 and 2. Difference in hours of rest and plane rides since their wild-card wins. As Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy noted, the league did the Cowboys no favors with the Monday night game at Tampa. While the 49ers played at home on Saturday night and now play again at home, the Cowboys played on the road on Monday night and are now on the road again in a short week.

Did you know?: A win by the Cowboys would match the Patriots' league-leading 37 playoff victories. A win by the 49ers would move them into a tie with Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh with 36 playoff victories.

Prediction: The Cowboys' swarming, takeaway-machine defense pulls the upset of the week as it reaches deep to overcome the venue, the unfair rest disparity, San Francisco's 11-game win streak, a great 49ers offensive line and an even greater story line in rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. Dak Prescott, coming off the best game of his career, stays hot enough against the league's No. 1 defense, while Purdy, forevermore the most relevant Mr. Irrelevant, bows out after winning the first six starts of his career. Cowboys 24, 49ers 17.