First up, we have the wild card winning Indianapolis Colts taking on the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. Indy made the playoffs at 11-5 and is the 2nd time in the last three years that the Colts are a playoff team. Buffalo has made the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row and third time in the last four years. They finished 13-3, winning the AFC East for the first time since 1995. This is the first every playoff meeting between the two teams.
Buffalo hasn't won the division since 1995, which also happened to be the last time they actually won a playoff game. Buffalo has had a solid mix the last few games of running and passing the ball. Indy has gone over the 100 rush yard each of the final five games and rush for over two hundred yards twice. The Colts have a decent mix as well but as good as Philip Rivers has been, Josh Allen has been even better. Buffalo was a top four team in every offensive area. Buffalo also finished in the top five in every defensive area. To be fair, Indy isn't a pushover. But this is the best team that the Bills have had in over twenty years. Indy might give them a scare, but smart pick is to take Buffalo
Pick: Buffalo 30, Indianapolis 10
Next up, we have the wild card winning Los Angeles Rams taking on the NFC West Champion Seattle Seahawks. This marks the 3rd time in the five years since moving to LA that the Rams are a playoff team. LA finished with a 10-6 record, second best in the West. The only team that had a better one, the team they're playing in the Seahawks. Seattle finished the year 12-4, winning the West for the first time since 2016. This is the 3rd year in a row and nine times in the last eleven season that they are a playoff team. This is the 2nd ever playoff meeting between the teams, with the Seahawks getting the win in the 1984 wild card game.
How this game turns will depend on the play of Jared Geoff. Not sure he can even go with the thumb injury. If he can't go, the John Wolford is going to make his first career playoff start, which is something that no Rams fan wants to hear. If Geoff can go, Los Angeles fans hope they get what they saw in the week ten matchup between these two teams, with the way that the Rams D sacked Wilson six times and Geoff was almost perfect in his throwing that day. He looked off at times and was a little inconstant down the stretch. Seattle has had the better team most of the year and managed to win four straight after that shocking loss to the Giants in week 13. Seattle's seems to have found their stride on the defensive side of things in the second half of the year. Wilson hasn't been as on as he was at the start of the year, but I think there's enough there for the Seahwaks to get it done.
Pick: Seahawks 27, Rams 17
Final game on Saturday will have the wild card winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking on the NFC East Champion Washington Football Team. This marks the first division title for Washington since 2015, which was also the last time the Football Team made the playoffs. This is the 3rd time in the last four years that Washington has finished with a 7-9 record and its the third time since the turn of the century that a team has made the playoffs with a losing record. Tampa made the playoffs with an 11-5 record, the first time they had a winning record since 2010 and the first time they've made the playoffs since 2007. Tampa hasn't won a playoff game since its Super Bowl Victory in 2002. This is the third ever meeting between the two teams in the playoffs, each having won win a piece.
There's no doubt in anybody's mind that Alex Smith is the feel good story around the NFL this season. But that's not going that's not going to get you a whole hell of a lot come playoff time. The defense has been good in Washington, allowing around 20 points per game and have done a good job controlling the run. That's going to force Brady to make way more throws then he wants to. Having said that, Tom Brady and co still prove that they can get it done through the air. Tampa had the 4th best passing attack in yards this season, so there's no real stopping Tampa when it comes to going to the air. Tampa has a varied attack that can get the job done
Pick: Tampa Bay 30, Washington 14
First up on Sunday, we have the wild card winning Baltimore Ravens taking on the AFC South Champion Tennessee Titans. This marks the 2nd year in a row and third time in the last four years that the Titans have made the playoffs. Their 11-5 record is the best the Titans have finished since 2008, which was also the last time they won the AFC South. Baltimore finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. Baltimore is looking for its first playoff win since 2014. These two teams are meeting for the 2nd year in a row and for the 5th time overall, with the teams splitting the first four meetings.
What happened last year was Derrick Henry running wild against Baltimore. He ran for 195 yards and the Titans barely threw the ball. They were able to keep the Ravens in check. They did it again in week 11 this year, with Derrick Henry running for another 133 in the OT win this year. Lets face facts, Baltimore has been rolling the last five games and may have finally found their groove. So has Derrick Henry. Baltimore hasn't had an answer for him either last year in the playoffs or in week eleven this year. As good as Henry is, and he's going to have a good game, the Ravens are just the hotter team right now. Lamar finally gets a playoff win.
Pick: Ravens 33, Titans 30
Next up is the wild card winning Chicago Bears taking on the NFC South Champion New Orleans Saints. This marks the second year in a row the Bears finished with a .500 record of 8-8. Its the 2nd time in three years they've made the playoffs, and are looking for their first playoff win since 2010. New Orleans has made the playoffs, and won the NFC South, for the fourth year in a row, finishing at 12-4. They look to rebound after getting upset by Minnesota in overtime of last year's wild card game. this marks the 3rd ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs, with Chicago winning the previous two.
Chicago limped into the playoffs, getting in on the last day of the season, after Arizona lost its final game of the year. Chicago's defense is good enough to keep this game close. Mitch Trubisky is making his second ever career playoff start, so it's not looking good for the boys from the Windy City. They're going up against a tough Saints team that just saw Drew Brees throw for three touchdowns last week and has been returned to form since his injury. And speaking of that, it looks like the Saints may get back another of their prized weapons in Alvin Kamara. Chicago had been going good until falling to the Packers last week, so who knows how much they're really going to be able to keep pace.
Pick: Saints 31, Bears 20
Final game of the weekend will see the wild card winning Cleveland Browns take on the AFC North Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland finished 11-5, first time they've hit double digits in wins since 2007 and the most wins they've had in a season since before they were deactivated. This is Cleveland's first playoff appearance since 2002 and they haven't won a playoff game since 1994. This is the first playoff appearance for the Steelers since their last division title win in 2017. Pittsburgh hasn't won a playoff game since 2016. This is the 3rd ever meeting in the playoffs between the franchises, with the Steelers having won both of the previous two meetings.
yes I know Cleveland beat them last week to get here, but they are facing a Steelers team that is going to be a bit angry over that loss. It was only a two point win for the Browns and Pittsburgh rested a lot of their regular starters. The Steelers will be back at full strength this week. I'll give credit where its due to the Browns who have played great all year, but the clock is going to run out on them. They're getting close to really being a contending team in this division but they aren't quite there yet. The defense can keep it close but at the end of the day the experience will win out.
Pick: Steelers 30, Browns 20
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