Most people refer to this as the best weekend of the year in the NFL. Four games involving the eight best teams, each just two wins away from the Super Bowl. And, after the dud that was Wild Card Weekend, hopefully the Divisional Playoffs can give us the excitement that we've come to expect from football in January (the kind that those of you who watched Clemson-Alabama got).
I also don't remember the last time all four home teams won the wild card games. So, for all the talk about which teams playing last weekend could end up in Houston, it turns out that all four division winners had something to say about their chances of going all the way to the Super Bowl. Of course, now things get real, though. We don't have Miami and the Raiders and their backup quarterbacks anymore. They've been replaced by a future Hall of Famer, the likely MVP, a Rookie of the Year candidate and a former No. 1 pick. Vastly different to be sure.
Seahawks (11-5-1) at Falcons (11-5): Seattle-Now we get to see how good Atlanta really is. We start the Divisional Playoffs with what could possibly be the last game ever at the Georgia Dome. It's also a rematch of that Divisional round game a couple years ago when the Falcons were the No. 1 seed and beat the Seahawks. This was before Seattle went to back-to-back Super Bowls, though.
Anyway, we've got strength against strength in the Falcons offense vs. the Legion of Boom. But I think the real difference in this one is going to be Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense against Vic Beasley and the Atlanta defense. The other interesting thing here, of course, is that Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn used to be the Seahawks' defensive coordinator. And I'm not sure Quinn's current defense has enough to contain Seattle's offense. The Seahawks get deep into the playoffs every year for a reason, but rarely go on the road. Last year they did, and they lost in Charlotte. That's the only thing that gives me a sense of trepidation, but I still think the Seahawks win and go to another NFC Championship Game.
Texans (10-7) at Patriots (14-2): New England-This is expected to be a romp. The Patriots are one of the biggest Divisional Playoff favorites in recent memory. New England is back in its familiar position, hosting a Divisional Playoff game for the eighth consecutive year. And most people expect them to have another home game next week. With good reason. Because beating Tom Brady on the road is a much larger task for the Texans than playing at home against Connor Cook in his first career start. Especially since they got shut out by a Patriots team quarterbacked by Jacoby Brissett in Week 3, and we all know how much better New England is now.
If you believe all of these projections, you'd think the Texans have absolutely no chance and shouldn't even bother showing up. But that's not the case at all. Houston has an excellent defense, and New England has proven susceptible to defenses that didn't let Brady do whatever he wanted in the playoffs. After all, their two recent home playoff losses were to Jets and Ravens teams that were just as strong defensively as this Texans team. Besides, remember why the Patriots were the visiting team in the AFC Championship Game last year? That's because Brock Osweiler beat them in overtime in the snow in Denver. I'm not saying the Texans are going to win. But I do think they'll keep it a lot closer than people are giving them credit for.
Packers (11-6) at Cowboys (13-3): Dallas-Do we have another playoff classic between these two in store? This game was originally supposed to be running the anchor leg of the weekend, and it's obviously the most-anticipated of the four matchups. The winner will be the favorite next week in the NFC Championship Game, and most people agree that Green Bay is the one NFC team most capable of knocking off the Cowboys. Out of the their three potential opponents, the Packers were definitely the team Dallas wanted to see the least. Especially after that offensive performance against the Giants.
The second half of the Giants game was vintage Aaron Rodgers, and the Green Bay offense certainly seems to be firing on all cylinders. But for all the talk we've heard about the Packers, I don't think people are giving Dallas nearly enough credit. This is a completely different team than those Cowboys squads known for their playoff disappointments. Yes, they lost the last game of the season...when they didn't care at all. Maybe the loss and week off did enough to slow the Cowboys' momentum. Meanwhile, their challenge will be to slow the Packers' roll. I understand that's easier said than done, but the Cowboys didn't lose to a team outside their division all season for a reason. Dallas is the best team in the NFC. They'll prove it against the Packers.
Steelers (12-5) at Chiefs (12-4): Kansas City-It's convenient that this was NBC's game to begin with. Because for the first time ever, we've got a Sunday night playoff game. Seeing how much the NFL loves Sunday Night Football, don't be surprised if this winter storm in Kansas City ends up prompting a permanent change (which you know NBC would be all for). And this is actually the second Sunday night game of the season between the Steelers and Chiefs. They met in Pittsburgh in Week 4 when the Steelers absolutely crushed Kansas City.
So how is this game going to be different? Well, for starters, this one's in Kansas City. That, and the Chiefs are a much better team now than they were in early October. My Super Bowl pick is Dallas-Kansas City for a reason. This team is excellent on defense, Tyreek Hill is electric, and the offense just has to not screw up, which they don't. The Chiefs can beat the Patriots next week. Of course, that will require beating the Steelers first, and Pittsburgh comes in just as hot as Kansas City does. That game against the Dolphins was over quickly last week. But the Dolphins aren't the Chiefs. And Kansas City had a week off, and will be playing at home. This will be a much better game than the regular season matchup, and it's definitely worthy of a Sunday nighter. It'll be close, but the Chiefs will end up on top.
Last Week: 3-1
Postseason: 3-1
Overall: 170-88-2
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