Heading into this game, you can't get any hotter than the Kansas City Chiefs. KC has come in winning ten straight games, having not lost a game since October 18th. This was coming after KC started the year 1-5, the only win at the start of the year coming over Houston in the first game of the year in Houston. Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles have been helping power this KC offense to what it has been able to do over the last ten weeks. Kansas City hasn't allowed more than 22 points in any loss they've had this season. But here's something to take into consideration from the KC perspective. The Chiefs did not face a playoff opponent in their final seven games of the season. The 1-5 start to the season came agaist teams with a combined winning percentage of .625. Over the final stretch of games, KC went 10-0 versus teams with a combined winning percentage of .419.
Houston too had a struggle during the course of the season. During the course of the year, Houston has gone through nine quarterback changes, the most recent handful out of necessity rather than indecision. Throw in the fact that star back Arian Foster hasn't been a factor most of the year due to injury, it has meant that the Houston offense have been winning with a smoke-and-mirrors offense. Meaning they rely on gadget plays, a patchwork backfield and DeAndre Hopkins' ability to physically beat defensive backs at the catch point. A plus for the Texans though has been their defense. Since Week 8, the Texans have held five of nine opponents (Titans twice, Bengals, Saints, Jaguars) to exactly six points. The Texans gorged on the toothless AFC South to the tune of a 5-1 record while managing an uninspiring 4-6 record against opponents outside the division.
Kansas City's current eight-game playoff losing streak is tied with Detroit for the longest in the league. Its going to be put to the test in this game. It's going to be a low scoring, hard hitting football game that's for sure. As good as the Houston defense is, and trust me they are very good, I just don't think the offense can match it. Look at what happened in week one. Alex Smith threw three TDs, two to tight end Travis Kelce and his teammates sacked Brian Hoyer four times and intercepted him once. Pus I think the fact that the Chiefs have gotten as hot as they have are going to play a factor in this football game.
Pick: Kansas City Chiefs!
Cincinnati had a fast start to the season, kicking the year off by going 8-0. Since then, however, they have come back down to earth a little, closing out the year going 4-4. Since Andy Dalton went down to injury, it's put pressure on AJ McCarron. Dalton was looking to break an 0-4 playoff record, but due to a broken thumb, won't be able to play against Pittsburgh. So the pressure of play falls on AJ McCarron. He's no slouch of a QB, but at the same time he's not at the same level as Dalton. With six touchdowns to two picks, McCarron hasn't been afraid to throw downfield to wideout A.J. Green and his fellow playmakers. With a lower pick percentage than Dalton, the former Alabama star isn't a massive downgrade from The Red Rifle, but McCarron still has just three starts to his name.
Now there's the Steelers. Pittsburgh went 4-2 in the final six games, and have played pretty well this year, despite the fact that they've had two big keys to the offense missing time. Big Ben has played in only 12 games this year due to injury. And there is question marks with the run game right now. Think about this, the Steelers have been without Le'Veon Bell for a good chunk of time with a knee injury (he won't be back) and DeAngelo Williams is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered the last day of the season. If Williams can't go on Saturday night, Fitzgerald Toussaint is going to be getting the carries, something which Steelers fans have to be worried about. If the Steelers can't run the ball, then Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant are going to be relied on heavily.
The Steelers have won four of the last five meetings, including the past two in Cincinnati. Cincinnati has looked average the last month and half of the season, while the Steelers are gelling at the right time. Losing Williams would be a major loss for Pittsburgh, but the NFL's top stars shine in games like this, and Roethlisberger and Brown will be the two finest playmakers on the field come Saturday.
Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers!.
Not too many people are giving the Vikings much a chance in this football game. Lets face facts, from an offensive perspective, the Vikings really rely on Adrian Peterson. AP finished the year with 1,85 yards which lead the NFL. There is a downside to this offense. Minnesota has the 32nd ranked pass attack during the regular season. Teddy Bridgewater finished the year with 3,231 passing yards, his favorite target being Stefon Diggs, who finished the year with 720 receiving yards. The defense has been OK. Here's a surprising stat about the Vikings defense. The Vikings are 0-4 when allowing more than 20 points and 10-0 when allowing less than 20 points. So it makes you wonder what's going to happen against Seattle.
Now as for the Seahawks, they look like they are starting to return back to form. Seattle went 4-4 at the start of the year, but finished up going 6-2 down the final eight games. One of those six wins down the stretch was that 38-7 blasting of the Vikings in Minnesota just over a month ago. Leading the way for Seattle has been Russel Wilson. Wilson became the first player in NFL history to record 4,000+ passing yards, 30+ touchdown passes and 500+ rushing yards in a single season. On defense, you normally think of the Legion of Boom, and for good reason. That secondary has garnered the majority of the headlines during the greatest run in franchise history. This year it's the front seven that has dominated. Seattle is the only defense yet to allow an individual 100-yard rusher this season, ranking No. 1 against the run at 81.5 yards per game.
I know Minnesota is coming in riding their three game winning streak. But Seattle is clicking at the right time. The bottom line, though, is that they are still trying to reach the level the Seahawks have attained for three years. Seattle simply has a marked advantage in too many categories, not the least of which is January success.
Pick: Seattle Seahawks!
After struggling through parts of the year, Washington has really turned it on, winning their final four games of the regular season. The rise of Kirk Cousins took incredible patience from head coach Jay Gruden, especially considering that he was benching Robert Griffin III, a quarterback beloved by ownership and the subject of a blockbuster draft-day trade that plucked the Redskins of a treasure trove of draft picks. This simply wouldn't fly in other places, and it didn't fly in Washington for quite some time. Gruden and the Redskins may very well lose on Sunday, but for the first time in a long time, we're not discussing the Redskins as a surprise candidate to fire their coach and start over. Cousins has been good in getting the ship righted and getting this team back on track and back on their winning ways late in the year. He finished the year with 4,166 passing yards. The only thing that worries me is the run game.
Green Bay is a bit of a different story. This is the first time in half a decade that the Packers have had a better scoring defense than scoring offense. Capers has turned Clay Matthews into one of the best all-around defensive players in the NFL, and Morgan Burnett is playing great at the safety spot this year, not to mention an encouraging second year from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Now don't get me wrong, Green Bay has a good offense. Aaron Rogers has done some fantastic things this year without his top target in Jordy Nelson, who's been out all year with a knee injury. Eddie Lacy has had a down year by his standards, finishing the season with only 758 rush yards. At times, he has shown bursts of brilliance but more often he has been a pedestrian back at best.
The Packers have won five of the past six games in this series. But the Pack stumbled in the 2nd half of the year, going 4-6 to close out the year and lost their final two games. Washington has won four in a row to close out the year. Sure the Skins played in a weak NFC East, but they are getting hot at the right time and I don't have much confidence in Green Bay, something I didn't think I'd be saying at the start of the year.
Pick: Washington Redskins!
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