Well it's that time of the year again, the NFL playoffs start today with a series of intriguing matchups. Could would be looking at our future champion in this round or will it be one of the top two seeds? We'll have to wait and find out..... Here are my picks for all four wild card games.
Cincinnati Bengals over Houston Texans: The first game of the weekend is a rematch of last year's wild card game where the Texans blew out the Bengals with backup quarterback T.J Yates under center. This go-round I think it will lean the other way. As I mentioned in my year-end recap, A month ago the Texans were my pick to make it to the Super Bowl out of the AFC. Their play over the last month has completely changed my opinion of them.Their playing with no fire, confidence, or momentum which is terrible entering the playoffs. The Bengals are the exact opposite. They stepped up big time with a great second half of the year and they are firing on all cylinders right now. Their defense has been making big plays and their pass rush has been dominant of late. I also really like the matchup of Andy Dalton versus the weak Texans secondary. Unless the Texans go back to mid-season form all of a sudden, I think Andy Dalton, A.J Green and the Bengals defense will handle the Texans on their home turf.
Green Bay Packers over Minnesota Vikings:I'm bitter that my beloved Chicago Bears didn't make the playoffs because of the Vikings narrow victory over the Packers last week. This week, I expect a different result. Lambeau Field in the playoffs is a completely different animal for the Vikings. I don't expect Christian Ponder to put up another solid performance like last week, leaving 100% of the pressure on Adrian Peterson. Peterson can absolutely handle it (he has all year, he is the only reason they are in the playoffs), but I think Aaron Rodgers and co. will step to the plate and take care of business. The return of Charles Woodson will benefit the Packers defense and I don't think Peterson will put quite as much of a beatdown on them as he did last week. The Packers have too many weapons for the Vikings to slow down and I think the Packers will win handily.
Baltimore Ravens over Indianapolis Colts: With the return of Ray Lewis and what will be most likely be the final home game of his career combined with Colts coach Chuck Pagano in is second game back after finishing his leukemia treatment against his former employers, This going to be an emotional football game. On paper, this is a very even matchup. The Ravens have not been on the top of their game recently, but Ray Lewis's presence makes them a completely different football team. Lewis is clearly a shadow of his former self from an on-field performance standpoint, but his leadership makes the Ravens play far more inspired football. The Colts have been playing emotionally-charged football since Pagano's leukemia diagnosis and Andrew Luck has done far more than expected in his rookie season. That being said, I don't think the Colts will be beat the Ravens. The Ravens are going to play their hearts out to give Ray Lewis in a win in his last game in front of the home crowd and I think they will pull it out. The X-factor for Baltimore will be Ray Rice. The Colts run defense is pretty weak and if he runs well and catches short passes, he will overshadow the Ravens's flaws. It's a great matchup and this will be an emotionally deep game for both teams, but I think the Ravens home-field advantage and talent advantage will allow them to defeat the Colts.
Washington Redskins over Seattle Seahawks: In the most hotly-anticipated game of wild-card weekend, I'm expecting a slugfest. You got two rookie quarterbacks and two talented football teams with a ton of momentum squaring off. It might not be the popular pick considering how the Seahawks have played recently, but I like the Redskins in this matchup. Robert Griffin III is lacking the burst he had for most of the season because of his sprained knee, but their read option offense matches up well against the Seahawks. As good as Seattle's defense is, They play poorly against play action. The read option has is a nightmare for opposing defense because you don't what they are going to do. RG3 could run, fake it to Alfred Morris to pass, hand off to Morris, or drop back in the pocket and throw a bomb downfield. The Redskins have too many weapons to contain. The Redskins also have the advantage of having this game be at home. The Seahawks are unbeaten at home, but they are definitely beatable on the road. The Seahawks are going to fight hard and could absolutely win this game. Marshawn Lynch is playing out of his mind and Russell Wilson has looked great to finish off the year and he should have a good game against the subpar Redskins secondary. The Seahawks are going to need big performances from their defensive standouts like Richard Sherman, Chris Clemons, and fresh off suspension Brandon Browner if they want to win this game. It should be a battle, but I like the Redskins to pull a narrow upset victory over the Seahawks.
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