Divisional round staff predictions: Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs

I loved watching Hulk Hogan wrestle in the 1980s.

Capitalizing on a sense of American Pride in 1980s pop culture — along G.I. Joe, Rocky IV and Bruce Springsteen’s "Born in the USA" — the “Real American” rose to become the wrestling industry’s first major crossover star.

The Hulkster’s matches followed a formula: the match would start, the opponent would beat him up for three-quarters of the match, then he’d "Hulk up," deliver a barrage of offense and win the match with a big leg drop.

Does this start to sound like the Jacksonville Jaguars over the past two months?

• Against the Raiders on Nov. 6, the Jaguars trailed 17-0 just before the half only to "Hulk up" and dominate the second half to win 27-20.

• Against the Ravens on Nov. 27, the Jaguars trailed 19-10 early in the fourth quarter only to exchange punches with the Ravens and "Hulk up" at the end with a game-winning two-point conversion, 28-27.

• Against the Cowboys on Dec. 18, the Jaguars trailed 27-10 late in the third quarter only to "Hulk up" and outscore the Cowboys 30-7 en route to a 40-34 overtime win.

• Against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 7, the Jaguars trailed 10-0 in the first half and couldn't muster any offense late before the defense "Hulked up" and scored a touchdown at the end of the game to win 20-16.

• Most recently, last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jaguars trailed 27-0 late in the second quarter only to "Hulk up" and defeat the Chargers 31-30 thanks to a big leg drop — from kicker Riley Patterson.

This weekend, when the Jaguars go to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, it's akin to Wrestlemania III, when the Hulkster fought the much bigger and more feared Andre the Giant.

Andre had his way with Hogan most of the match, but in the end, Hogan slammed the "unslammable giant" and pinned him for the 1-2-3.

Can the Jaguars pull off yet another improbable Hogan-esque upset, or will the Chiefs play the part of the Ultimate Warrior, who scored one of the few clean pins ever against Hulk Hogan, at Wrestlemania VI?

Even if the Jaguars' season comes to an end, it's been an unforgettable ride where the team has risen from obscurity to become the most improbable team left in the playoffs.

Our experts last week were 6-1 thanks to the historic playoff comeback victory over the Chargers. When the Chiefs met the Jaguars earlier this season, all seven of our experts picked the Chiefs and went 7-0.

Will we be in lock step again this week? Check it out.

'One play at a time':The plays that led to the Jaguars' historic playoff comeback

A quiet confidence:What the Jaguars learned from their Week 10 meeting with Kansas City

Gene Frenette:Jaguars extending playoff ride through Arrowhead not unrealistic task

DEMETRIUS HARVEY

Jaguars beat writer

Jaguars 35, Chiefs 31

This is a very tough one to call, which is hilarious if you think about how the season played out by November. But, the Jaguars are hot right now and if there's any week they'd beat the top-seeded Chiefs, it's this one.

Regular season: 6-11

Postseason: 1-0

MIKE DiROCCO

ESPN

Jaguars 33, Chiefs 31

It makes little sense to pick the Jaguars. The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have won their last four divisional playoff games and Arrowhead Stadium is a tough place to play. But there’s just something about this Jaguars team. Nothing phases them.

Regular season: 6-11

Postseason: 1-0

GENE FRENETTE

Times-Union Sports columnist

Jaguars 30, Chiefs 27

Maybe it's all that esprit de corps emitting from the Jaguars' locker room, but I'm playing a total hunch here. All the numbers attached to these teams suggests Kansas City should win, especially with the NFL's best homefield advantage and QB Patrick Mahomes having a ton of proven playoff experience. Wrote a month ago it felt like the Jaguars were a team of destiny, and now this Upset Special should probably be an item on a Waffle House menu.

Regular season: 8-9

Postseason: 1-0

GARRY SMITS

Times-Union Sports reporter

Chiefs 24, Jaguars 17

Yeah, I was the only one of our esteemed group of experts to pick the Jags to lose last week but for 59 minutes and 57 seconds, I was looking good. The Jaguars now have to go on the road, against the team tied for the best record in the NFL, against the best quarterback in the league and yeah, there's that Travis Kelce fellow at tight end, who averages 7.5 receptions in four career games against the Jags.

Regular season: 8-9

Postseason: 0-1

JUSTON LEWIS

Times-Union Sports reporter

Jaguars 31, Chiefs 27

IWATJ. (It Was Always The Jags)

Regular season: 8-9

Postseason: 1-0

CLAYTON FREEMAN

Times-Union Sports reporter

Chiefs 30, Jaguars 24

A Jaguars stunner at Arrowhead? If Trevor Lawrence maintains the red-hot rhythm of his second half from last week, it's a real possibility. And yet... the Chiefs' trump cards are many. Maybe too many. The hot streak (like the Jags, Kansas City won its last five). The raucous home crowd. The potentially nasty weather. The extra week to rest, always a plus come playoff time. And then there's the fleet feet and awesome arm of a certain Patrick Lavon Mahomes II, who has beaten the Jags in all three meetings with an average of 340 passing yards.

Regular season: 8-9

Postseason: 1-0

TIM WALTERS

Times-Union Sports Editor

Jaguars 35, Chiefs 34

I can't believe I just typed the Jaguars to have more points than the Chiefs. It's not born out of homerism. Sadly, I'm a Jets fan by birth. The part of my brain in charge of reason says to pick the Chiefs. They averaged the most points per game in the NFL this year (29.2), they feature statistically the best QB in the league in Patrick Mahomes (5,250 passing yards, 41 TDs) and they have more offense than they know what to do with (Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, Kadarius Toney, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, etc...). Yet, when the reason part of my brain told me to pick the Cowboys and Ravens over the Jaguars, I didn't listen. It helped lead me to the best record among our expert pickers. Football is crazy and the Chiefs are one of the few constants. Yet, there's always one upset per weekend, and the Jaguars seem to have the momentum to be the upset special of this weekend's four games. With that, the Jags fall behind in the first half, the defense clamps down in the second half and the Jags' offense takes advantage of the No. 16 defense in the league to go on a run and win a crazy game by a point. I'd say it seems far-fetched if it hadn't happened five times already this season.

Regular season: 10-7

Postseason: 1-0

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars at Chiefs predictions: Florida Times-Union staff picks