Here we are once again. Its time for the divisional round of the National Football League playoffs. We started this playoff race with twelve teams, now the field has shrunk down to eight. Oakland, Detroit, Miami and the Giants are all heading home after getting eliminated from the playoffs last weekend. Of the eight teams that are left standing, seven of them are really good. Houston, not so much, they got lucky playing in a crappy division. A couple of big questions arise going into this weekend. Can Houston keep it close against New England? Can Dallas get payback on Green Bay for the Dez game two years ago? Can Seattle win on the road in Atlanta? How healthy and effective is Big Ben going to be for Pittsburgh? All those questions, and a whole lot more, will be answered in the next 72 hours. They are all rematches of games that were played earlier this season.
First up, at 4:35PM Saturday, the NFC West winners, the Seattle Seahawks, travel to the Georgia Dome, to take on the NFC South Champions, the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta won the NFC South this year, with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time since 2012. This was Atlanta's first division title, and winning season, since that 2012 playoff run. The falcons are looking to try to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time sin 1998. Atlanta is 7-12 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Seattle is playing in the divisional round for the 5th straight year, this coming after a 26-6 win over the Detroit Lions last week in the Wild Card game. The last time Seattle missed the Divisional Round was in 2011, when they last missed the playoffs. Seattle is looking to get a win in the divisional round for the first time since 2014. Seattle is 16-14 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between Seattle and Atlanta in the playoffs, with Atlanta winning the only other meeting between the teams in 2012. This year, they played each other during week six, a game which Seattle won 26-24.
This game should be a solid game to watch this week. Atlanta is the highest scoring offense in the NFL, scoring 63 touchdowns and 540 points. They come into this game after a week off and have a fully rest Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Its even bigger that Jones is rested, because Jones missed two of the team's final four games and didn't seem to be at 100 percent at all in the final month. it may not have mattered much because the Falcons won their final four games and 38.5 points per game. Oh yeah and you've got Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman running the football, both of whom are better then anybody Detroit has. And it does help the cause, if your the Falcons, that you are a good team at home, as compared to a road club. Atlanta is 5-3 at home, while 6-2 on the road. That's a balanced club. And they are a more dangerous offensive team now then they were when these two teams met back in week six in October.
But lets not count out Seattle here, they are a very tested playoff team. Seattle is dominate at home, they did go 7-1 on the year at home. However, the record for the Seahawks on the road isn't as good, as Seattle is 3-4-1 on the road this year. What I really want to know is, what we saw from Seattle last week against Detroit, was that legit and they've turned the corner, or was it just a flash in the pan against Detroit? Thomas Rawls did have a big week last week, running for 161 yards against Detroit, which showed that the Seahawks do have a run attack after all. This could create a huge mismatch against an Atlanta run defense that is rated just 28th against the run. Which is not good considering some of the running backs that they may have to face the rest of the playoffs.
Just in case you forgot, Ryan threw for 335 yards the last time these two teams met week six, and that was with Earl Thomas patrolling Seattle's secondary. Now he's not there. Seattle might be able to hang around for a little while, but I think the Atlanta offense is going to be too much to handle.
Pick: Atlanta Falcons
Next up, at 8:15PM Saturday, the AFC South champions, the Houston Texans, travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the AFC East Champions, the New England Patriots. Houston won the South for the 2nd year in a row at a 9-7 record and are coming off a 27-14 win over the Raiders in the wild card game last weekend. Of Houston's four trips to the playoffs in their history, this is the 3rd time they are playing in the 2nd round. Houston has never gotten past this round in their history. Houston is now 3-3 all time in the playoffs. As For New England, they won the AFC East for the 8th straight year and the 14th time since 2002. New England finished the year 14-2. They haven't lost a game inn the divisional round since falling to the Jets in 2010. New England is 29-19 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the 2nd meeting between the teams in the playoffs, with New England winning the 1st one in 2012. They met in week three of this season in New England, a 27-0 Patriots win.
The meeting earlier this year was without Tom Brady in the lineup. Well guys what Texans fans, he's back for this matchup! The only way I can even really see Houston keeping this game even remotely close is that defense. Just look at what the Texans defense was able to do against Oakland last week. I know it was against a third string quarterback bu still. And when J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus are on the same field next season, they're going to be terrifying. On the offensive side of the ball, Houston doesn't leave a whole lot of wiggle room. Last week, Brock Osweiler wasn't that impressive. He completed just 56 percent of his passes for 168 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing score. This came against a Raiders defense, who last time I checked they weren't all that great. Now they got to go up against a better defense in New England's, who by the way have the 4th best defense.
The Patriots are powered by, who else, Tom Brady. Tom Brady has been downright lethal this season, passing for 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions. That's almost other worldy, and its even more amazing considering the fact that the guy missed the first four games of the season due to the suspensions over deflate gate. Lets face facts, this maybe the easiest game of the entire weekend to predict. Houston is an OK team at best, while the Patriots are one of the top teams in all off the game.
Picks:
Solly: New England Patriots
Steve: New England Patriots
3rd Mic Dan: New England Patriots
Next up, Sunday at 1:05PM on Sunday, the AFC North Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the AFC West Champions the Kansas City Chiefs. The 11-5 Steelers are coming off a win in Wild Card weekend, beating the Dolphins 30-12. This marks the 2nd year in a row that the Steelers are playing in the divisional round. The Steelers are looking to reach the AFC title game for the first time since 2010. Pittsburgh is now 35-23 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Chiefs, they finished the year going 12-4, winning the AFC West for the first time since 2010. This marks the second year in a row the Chiefs are playing in the divisional round, a round which hasn't seen a Kansas City win since 1993. Kansas City is 9-16 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between these two teams in the playoffs, Kansas City took the first meeting in overtime, 27-24, in the 1994 wild card game. These two clubs met in week four, a 43-14 whipping by the Steelers.
Lets make a bit of a long story short here, Andy Reid coached teams coming off a bye week, of sorts, in the playoffs is usually really good.
Picks:
Solly: Pittsburgh Steelers
Steve: Pittsburgh Steelers
3rd Mic Dan: Kansas City Chiefs
Last game of the weekend, at 4:40PM on Sunday, the NFC North Champions, the Green Bay Packers, head to AT&T Stadium to take on the NFC East Champions, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas comes in having won the NFC East at 13-3, the most wins in a single season in Cowboys history, good enough for an NFC East title, the first win for the boys since 2014. Dallas is looking for payback, because the last time they were in the playoffs, they played the Green Bay Packers in the Dez Bryant "No Catch" game. Dallas is looking to get to the NFC title game for the first time since 1995. Dallas is 34-26 lifetime in the playoffs. As for Green Bay, they are coming off a 38-13 win over the New York Giants in Wild Card Weekend. Green Bay won the division at 12-4 and are looking to get to the NFC title game for the first time since the overtime loss to Seattle two years ago. Green Bay is 32-21 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 8th time that Dallas and Green Bay will face off in the post season, with Dallas holding the 4-3 advantage in the all time playoff matchup. During the regular season, these two teams met in week six, a 30-16 Cowboys win in Green Bay.
This will be the best game of the weekend, this I have no doubt.
Picks:
Solly: Green Bay Packers
Steve: Green Bay Packers
3rd Mic Dan: Green Bay Packers
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