Wildcard Weekend Picks

Saturday, January 7th


Cincinnati (9-7) @ Houston (10-6)

This game features two quarterbacks who will be making their very first NFL Playoff start. Something else they have in common is that neither one is 100 percent. Andy Dalton has been battling a flu all week and even spent some time in the hospital. On the other side, T.J. Yates has a separated shoulder. These two teams are pretty evenly matched, but Houston's defense has been great all year, and I think that makes the difference. The Texans also have Arian Foster and Ben Tate, something the Bengals can't counter with. It's interesting that Yates is completing 61.2 percent of his passes, which is 0.2 higher than Matt Schaub. The home crowd will be jacked to see their Texans play in their first playoff game.

Prediction: Houston, 24-20.

Detroit (10-6) @ New Orleans (13-3)

The Lions will face a tall task in the franchise's first playoff game since 1999, going up against a high-powered offense led by Drew Brees. New Orleans averages over 460 yards of offense per game and should be able to have their way with a porous Lions secondary. Neither defense is outstanding, but the Saints know how to bend without breaking. Detroit leads the league in personal fouls and can't afford to help out the opposition by giving them even more yards. The Lions have enough fire power to keep this one close until haltime, but the Saints will take firm control in the second half. Detroit hasn't beaten a team with a winning record all season and the Superdome might be the toughest place to leave with a victory in all of football.

Prediction: New Orleans, 49-28.

Sunday, January 8th

Atlanta (10-6) @ New York Giants (9-7)

I think Atlanta has more talent, but they still haven't proven that they can win in the postseason with Matt Ryan under center. Eli Manning on the other hand has a Super Bowl ring and has put together a fantastic season. Rodgers, Brees, and Brady get most of the attention, but Eli has shown that he is in that same class (4,933 passing yards, 29 touchdowns). Michael Turner presents a problem for the NY defense because he has more rushing yards than anyone else running to the left side, meaning Jason Pierre Paul's pass rushing ability could be slowed significantly. However, Eli and his weapons will prove to be too much for an average Falcon defense to handle and I don't trust Matt Ryan at home in the playoffs, let alone on the road. This should be a close one and probably the best game we see all weekend.

Prediction: New York, 31-27

Pittsburgh (12-4) @ Denver (8-8)

If the Steelers were at full strength, this would be a complete mismatch. However, Pitt is extremely beat up right now. Rashard Mendenhall is out for remainder of the year, safety Ryan Clark's blood condition prevents him from playing in high altitude, and Ben Roethlisberger has a badly sprained ankle. Big Ben will operate from the shotgun quite a bit due to his lack of mobility with that ankle, but his completion percentage goes way down and his interceptions go way up in those situations. As inujured as the offense is, the defense will be mostly intact and will be welcoming back Lamarr Woodley. Pittsburgh has allowed just three touchdowns in their last six games, which doesn't bode well for Tim Tebow. 14 points might be enough for the Steelers to win. Although, if Timmy Rah-Rah has the ball in a 13-10 game with three minutes left, look out.

Prediction: Pittsburgh, 24-3.