In order to start answering those questions, we have to get through Wild Card weekend first. Here's the matchups.
Of all the possible playoff matchups in this years post season, this may be the worst quarterback battle. Houston is starting Brock Oswiler because Tom Savage is hurt. And making his first career NFL start for the Raiders is Conor Cook, who takes over for injured Derek Carr and Matt McGloin. If you are the Houston Texans and coach Bill O'brein, this not an ideal situation, because he had pulled Osweiler late in the season for overall ineffectiveness. So now you have no choice but to go back to him, which isn't exactly a good move but what choice do you have if your Houston. Houston is one of the stronger defensive teams in all of the NFL, they have the best overall defense and are the 2nd best pass defense in the entire league.
if you're Oakland, you may have a problem. When Carr went down in week sixteen, you had to go with McGloin and Cook against Denver and it didn't end well, causing you to get passed for the AFC West title by Kansas City. The Raiders have struggled on defense throughout the regular season, ranking 26th in yards allowed. However, when they need a big play, they turn to hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack. After a relatively slow start, Mack had 11 sacks, five forced fumbles and three recoveries this season.
Oakland looks like a mixed bag right now. Sure the offense has talent to possibly make a game of it, but with the rookie quarterback under center, its going to really hurt their chances. Oakland might not really be able to muster 100 yards on offense on the day, which is going to leave a sour taste in the Raiders mouth.
Prediction: Houston Texans
Detroit has struggled the last three weeks of the season, losing to the Giants, Cowboys and Packers. One of the big things that the Lions are going to have to face is the same thing that's been bugging them down the last three weeks, the injured finger on the throwing hand of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Physically, his numbers are about the same as they were before he got hurt, but if you watch him throw, he's off his game. He's missed open receivers with throws since he got hurt. Oh and if you look at the numbers of the Lions in the playoffs as of late, they aren't good. The Lions have never won a wild-card game, they are 0-8. The Lions have never won a playoff game on the road in the Super Bowl era, they are 0-10. Detroit is 0-3 when they play outdoors this year.
And to be fair, the Seahawks haven't looked like world beaters as of late either. They were beaten soundly at home in Week 16 by the Arizona Cardinals, and they closed the year with a narrow victory in Week 17 over the 2-14 San Francisco 49ers. Seattle, who has been known for its running game, hasn't had it this year. Seattle is ranked 25th in rushing, and that means it's nearly all on Wilson and wideouts Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse to get the job done.
Seattle still has a tough defense to play against. Richard Sherman always finds a way to come up with a big play in the big games, so expect him to make another one this week. I know Seattle doesn't look quite like they did when they won the title back in 2013, but they are still a decent team. Detroit has come in on a slide the last few weeks and have to go into one of the toughest places to play in football.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks
If you are the Dolphins, there's a lot of pressure on you to try and pull this off. Matt Moore is under center of the Dolphins in this game. he's a solid quarterback but solid is about it. Moore can read the defense and handle short- and medium-range passes, but he is limited beyond that. One of the things that the Dolphins have going for them is Jay Ajayi. Ajayi first came to prominence when he broke the 200-yard mark in the win over the Steelers, and keeping him in check must be one of Pittsburgh's top defensive priorities. But that's really the biggest threat that the Dolphins have going for them right now. Also, think about this. The last two times the Dolphins made the playoffs (2001 and 2008) they lost to an AFC North team (the Ravens).
Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are dominating for the Steelers, and the Dolphins don't have the same kind of firepower to compete for 60 minutes. This is going to be the 2nd straight year that the Steelers are going to be facing a backup quarterback in the playoffs. It was AJ McCarron last year, and now its Matt Moore. Pittsburgh defense could have a field day with the backup QB. Picking this game should be somewhat easy. Pittsburgh is really rolling, having won seven straight games to close out the regular season. They're hitting all the right notes at the right time.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers
Its going to be a cold one in Green Bay this weekend, but that hasn't really effected the Giants the last two trips to Lambeau Field during the playoffs, the Giants won both of those games. One of the biggest pluses for the Giants this year has been their defense. Big Blue's defense is led by strong safety Landon Collins, who has enjoyed a magnificent year with 125 tackles, four sacks and five interceptions. Collins returned one of those picks for a touchdown and was also credited with 13 passes defensed. And the Giants offense is OK in its own right, They do have one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL in the form of Odell Beckham Jr. Victor Cruz has shown flashes and Sterling Sheppard looks like he could be a stud in this league. Then there's the man throwing the ball in Eli Manning, who kind of knows what he's doing in the playoffs. One thing though that is going to stick out for me is the lack of a running game for the Giants, who has the 29th ranked rushing attack in the league.
Green Bay has there own problems as well as the Giants. The Pack's defense has looked average at best as of late and it looks like they will be without Quinten Rollins, Damarious Randall and Makinton Dorleant in the secondary, who got hurt the final day of the season against Detroit. As good as the Giants pass game has been this year, if you can find a way to contain Odell, you have a solid chance of winning, because the Giants offense doesn't really set the world on fire. Green Bay's offense does, more so over the last six games. Aaron Rodgers has gone 6-0 with 15TD's no picks and a 121 passer rating during this Packers winning streak. I'm sure Rodgers is going to be looking at his favorite target, Jordy Nelson. Nelson caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he has shown a knack for making his biggest plays when Rodgers is forced to scramble out of trouble and make a last-second throw downfield.
There's no doubt that the Giants will try to get pressure on Rodgers, but he showed last week against Detroit that he has no trouble getting away from pressure and extending a play till a receiver can get open. The Giants will put up a fight, of this I have no doubt. I really don't feel comfortable saying what I'm going to say, because two of the last three trips to the playoffs for the Giants have been great, so I don't want to bet against them. But they are playing a red hot Aaron Rodgers. I can't bet against him
Prediction: Green Bay Packers
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