That was in 2014 and this is here and now. Sure there is that little 11 game winning streak that the Chiefs are riding heading into this battle. What has helped get KC to this point is their defense and special teams. Knile Davis had that 106 yard kick return for the Touchdown last week against Houston, so its Something the Patriots are going to have to key in on. That defense in KC has been good. Justin Hoyer and Tamba Ali are menacing and will give any offensive line trouble. Cornerback Marcus Peters and Safety Eric Berry are having phenomenal seasons. Also Linebacker Derrick Johnson is a great player anchoring their 7th best overall Defense in the NFL this season. Two things could hurt the KC offense. Leading receiver Jeremy Maclin left the wild-card game with a high-ankle sprain, so its not sure yet as to whether or not he can play. Alex Smith is another factor. He's a good QB, but the fact that he isn't great at throwing a deep ball and not having Maclin there is going to possibly hurt his game.
New England has stumbled down the stretch, losing four of their final six games. They've been dealing with injuries to some key players. Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, both of whom have missed the last few games, are expected to come back and play in this game. The question mark with them is, if they are back, how effective can they be? The offensive line too is a question because they have looked a little bit shaky going down the stretch during the season. The Patriots have started more offensive line combinations than any team over the last 25 years this season, so it does make you wonder how good and solid they are going to be this weekend. Its interesting to note that Tom Brady's start will tie him with Adam Vinatieri for the most postseason starts in NFL history at 30.
That being said, I do hold a little bit of hope for Kansas City in this football game. They did shut out Houston last week and have that long winning streak going. However, New England is way better than the Texans, its not even close. Some people are doubting the Pats going into this game, and with the injuries they have, I'm not surprised. But New England hasn't been beaten at home in a playoff game (at least in an upset) since the Jets did it to them in 2010. This isn't going to happen this year. KC has been a fun story to watch this year, but the run comes to an end.
Pick: New England Patriots!
Green Bay showed me something last week against Washington. After getting off to the rough start, Rogers and company found there game and blew past the Redskins on their way to victory. When Rogers gets going and is in command on offense, he really can control the clock and put a defense on their heels. James Starks and Eddie Lacy did combine for over 100 yards rushing and will have to continue to help the offense stay on the field. The Packers have to play the up-tempo offense that got them going against the Redskins. That defense, however, is a middle of the pack kind of defense. They did give up over 300 yards last week against Washington, but made the big play when they had to.
That defense is going up against Arizona this time, and its going to be a lot different than what it saw against Washington. Carson Palmer is leading the charge for an offense that could be a dark horse in this post season. Its Palmers big shot, since he missed the playoff game last year with an injury, so this could be a coming out party for him. When you have two 1,000+ yard receivers on the team, which Arizona does in Larry Fitzgerald (1.215 yards) and John Brown (1,003 yards) and then have another one who was close to it in Michael Floyd (849 yards), it gives a guy like Palmer a lot to work with in the passing game. Throw in a solid running game with Chris Johnson leading the charge, the offense could cause Green Bay problems. The fact that Carson Palmer hasn't really had a taste of playoff football, by comparison to Aaron Rogers, could be the only snippit against the Cards.
I went against the Packers last week against Washington because the Pack had stumbled in the last two games. I was wrong, but I'm not sold yet that the Packers are back to their old winning ways. I like the Pack I do, but I got a bad feeling about this one. I just think that Arizona is going to be too much to handle. It won't be as bad of a butt kicking that we saw during week sixteen, but still its not going to end well for Green Bay.
Pick: Arizona Cardinals!
If your the Seahawks, you have to feel a little bit lucky you got by Minnesota last week. It took everything they had, and a little bit of luck that Blair Walsh missed his kick, to get the Seahawks to this game. Marshawn Lynch missed last week with an injury but he might be back in the lineup for the game on Sunday. Once again, the strength of this team is its defense (surprise, surprise right). This Seattle defense has allowed just one touchdown in their past six road games. All 11 regular starters will be in uniform, are fully healthy, and played well down the stretch. They were able to keep the leagues best rushing attack in check last week in the extreme cold of Minnesota. Russel Wilson has played very well this year, flying under the radar, putting up fantastic numbers under center. The only thing that worries me is that they were showed up last week by that Viking defense that the offense can be shut down.
For Carolina, they were the best team in the league for a reason this year. When Kelvin Benjamin got hurt during the start of the year, some thought that the Panthers offense would have been in deep trouble. But Cam Newton played this year at an MVP level, he was just far and away the best player in the league this year. He's been so good, he managed to turn an often under-achieving Ted Ginn Jr, into a decent second target behind Tight End Greg Olsen. The running ability of Newton spreads the field and makes defenses hesitate in coverage, which creates passing opportunities. Depth at the receiver position could be exploited this weekend.
These teams are mirror images with underrated passing attacks, complex running games, and defenses with depth at every position. Which is why its hard to pick this game. Carolina got the toughest draw of the entire weekend, because of how good Seattle has been in the playoffs. Seattle got a little lucky last week against the Vikings. That won't happen again this weekend. Carolina is too good. Its going to be a close one, but in the end the best team will walk out with the win.
Pick: Carolina Panthers!
Pittsburgh got really luck against the Bengals last week. Cincy basically shot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties late in the ballgame, that handed the Steelers the win. This week is going to be rough. All three of the Steelers playmakers are banged up or out for the season. Roethlisberger is nursing an AC joint but remains probable, Antonio Brown is out with concussion symptoms from a hit at the end of the game last week, and Le’veon Bell is out for the season. Running Back Deangelo Williams still has a chance to play. What could help keep the Steelers in this game is their defense. Their run defense is top five in the NFL and they only give up 19 points a game. The pass defense, on the other hand, hasn't been good. In fact, only the Saints and Giants had a worse pass defense than the Steelers do.
That defense has to go against an aging Peyton Manning. Now this year, Manning hasn't looked like his old self. He's actually looked human most of the year this year. Sure the running game made strides towards the end of the season, but there is uncertainty lingering. Denver still doesn’t know which Peyton Manning will show up Sunday, and may have to insert Brock Osweiler. The Offensive-Line has been the weakest link and the Broncos need Tyler Polumbus to play well at Right Guard to keep Manning from getting hit. What has been the brightest spot for the Broncos this year, and one of the biggest reasons they finished where they did this year was there defense. The Broncos Defense won at least five games at the last play of the game, and finished first overall in total Defense. They have cornerbacks who can play man to man with Chris Harris, Aqib Talib and even Nickelback Brandon Roby. Their linebackers may be the deepest in the NFL with pass-rushers Demarcus Ware and Von Miller, while Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan play stout coverage. The Defensive line was also excellent against the run.
That's whats going to be the difference in this football game. Denver has been an average offense with a fantastic defense. Pittsburgh is an average defense with a banged up offense. I like Big Ben and am quickly becoming a fan of Antonio Brown. But both won't really be able to help much in this one.
Pick: Denver Broncos!
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