NFL Wild Card Predictions
The pigskin playoffs have arrived, and unlike college football we actually have the pleasure of watching a tournament to determine a champion. The annual opening round bonanza is this weekend, so on with the prognostications…
Washington (10-6) @ Tampa Bay (11-5) Saturday, 4.30 on ABC
I’ve scratched my head all year trying to figure out how these two teams continue to win. The Redskins stole three games to start the season (Chicago 9-7, Dallas 14-13, and Seattle in OT 20-17), fell apart, and then played a series of losing teams to rip off five wins and make the playoffs. Mark Brunell hasn’t surpassed the 200 yard mark since November 13 (against the Buccaneers), and was a miserable 9-25 last week against a weak Eagles team. Tampa Bay beat only four teams with winning records, but they closed well, with Chris Simms looking stronger and the Cadillac fresh from his mid-season tune-up. Simms had his best game against Washington in week 10, with 279 yards, 3 TDs, and led the game winning drive in the final minute. Home field and the quarterback edge…
PICK: Tampa Bay
Jacksonville (12-4) @ New England (10-6) Saturday, 8.00 on ABC
Does anyone else find it utterly bizarre that Jacksonville has two more wins than the Patriots and has to travel to Foxboro? Apparently, 12 win seasons are rewarded by playing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions in their backyard. Nonetheless, the Jaguars haven’t defeated a winning team since October 16, but that win was against a reeling Pittsburgh team led by the incomparable Tommy Maddox. With Byron Leftwich injured, the Jags snuck by San Francisco (10-9), Cleveland (20-14), and Arizona (24-17). Now they must play on football’s new “frozen tundra,” against a quarterback who has never lost a game with a kickoff temperature under 40 degrees, and is perfect in the postseason. The Patriots haven’t lost a playoff game in Foxboro since 1978, and Leftwich will be playing for the first time in two months. New England is also coached by a strange fellow in a hooded sweatshirt who goes by Belichick. I’m going way out on a limb…
PICK: New England
Carolina (11-5) @ New York Giants (11-5) Sunday, 1.00 on FOX
These might be the two best teams in the NFC, and unfortunately they must meet in the first round because of Tampa Bay’s tiebreaker over Carolina. This will be the Giants’ tenth game at the Meadowlands this year, where they are an impressive 8-1. The Panthers have lost three of their last six, and DeShaun Foster averaged 52 yards on the ground in those defeats. In fact, Foster’s only two 100-yard games came against a porous Atlanta rush defense. Even with without linebacker Antonio Pierce, New York should still be able stop Foster, and force Jake Delhomme to beat them - those are words Panther fans never want to hear. Perhaps Tom Coughlin can also realize the way to stop Carolina’s passing game is to double-team Steve Smith; Carolina’s second leading receiver is senior-citizen Ricky Proehl, who finished with only 441 yards. On the other side of the ball, a steady balance of Eli Manning and Tiki Barber is too much for Julius Peppers to single-handedly stop. The Giants have home-field, the quarterback edge, the running back edge, the coaching edge, and the league’s vested interest…
PICK: New York
Pittsburgh (11-5) @ Cincinnati (11-5) Sunday 4.30 on CBS
They saved the best game for last. Willie Parker is coming off back-to-back 100-yard performances, and Jerome Bettis rumbled for three touchdowns last week. The Bengals rank 24th in rush defense efficiency according to football outsiders (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php) and have no answer for Pittsburgh on the ground. Their best hope is that Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson can outpace the Steelers and force Ben Roethlisberger to throw more than 25 times. In the first meeting between the teams, Big Ben threw only 14 times, and Pittsburgh won 27-13. He slung it 41 times in the rematch and the Bengals won 38-31. With that said, consider the following: Is this Pittsburgh team better than last year’s team? No. Is Cincinnati better than the Jets of 04? Absolutely. Pittsburgh narrowly edged the Jets a year ago at home. If my math is correct, the transitive property indicates Marvin Lewis’ club should be OK…
PICK: Cincinnati
Washington (10-6) @ Tampa Bay (11-5) Saturday, 4.30 on ABC
I’ve scratched my head all year trying to figure out how these two teams continue to win. The Redskins stole three games to start the season (Chicago 9-7, Dallas 14-13, and Seattle in OT 20-17), fell apart, and then played a series of losing teams to rip off five wins and make the playoffs. Mark Brunell hasn’t surpassed the 200 yard mark since November 13 (against the Buccaneers), and was a miserable 9-25 last week against a weak Eagles team. Tampa Bay beat only four teams with winning records, but they closed well, with Chris Simms looking stronger and the Cadillac fresh from his mid-season tune-up. Simms had his best game against Washington in week 10, with 279 yards, 3 TDs, and led the game winning drive in the final minute. Home field and the quarterback edge…
PICK: Tampa Bay
Jacksonville (12-4) @ New England (10-6) Saturday, 8.00 on ABC
Does anyone else find it utterly bizarre that Jacksonville has two more wins than the Patriots and has to travel to Foxboro? Apparently, 12 win seasons are rewarded by playing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions in their backyard. Nonetheless, the Jaguars haven’t defeated a winning team since October 16, but that win was against a reeling Pittsburgh team led by the incomparable Tommy Maddox. With Byron Leftwich injured, the Jags snuck by San Francisco (10-9), Cleveland (20-14), and Arizona (24-17). Now they must play on football’s new “frozen tundra,” against a quarterback who has never lost a game with a kickoff temperature under 40 degrees, and is perfect in the postseason. The Patriots haven’t lost a playoff game in Foxboro since 1978, and Leftwich will be playing for the first time in two months. New England is also coached by a strange fellow in a hooded sweatshirt who goes by Belichick. I’m going way out on a limb…
PICK: New England
Carolina (11-5) @ New York Giants (11-5) Sunday, 1.00 on FOX
These might be the two best teams in the NFC, and unfortunately they must meet in the first round because of Tampa Bay’s tiebreaker over Carolina. This will be the Giants’ tenth game at the Meadowlands this year, where they are an impressive 8-1. The Panthers have lost three of their last six, and DeShaun Foster averaged 52 yards on the ground in those defeats. In fact, Foster’s only two 100-yard games came against a porous Atlanta rush defense. Even with without linebacker Antonio Pierce, New York should still be able stop Foster, and force Jake Delhomme to beat them - those are words Panther fans never want to hear. Perhaps Tom Coughlin can also realize the way to stop Carolina’s passing game is to double-team Steve Smith; Carolina’s second leading receiver is senior-citizen Ricky Proehl, who finished with only 441 yards. On the other side of the ball, a steady balance of Eli Manning and Tiki Barber is too much for Julius Peppers to single-handedly stop. The Giants have home-field, the quarterback edge, the running back edge, the coaching edge, and the league’s vested interest…
PICK: New York
Pittsburgh (11-5) @ Cincinnati (11-5) Sunday 4.30 on CBS
They saved the best game for last. Willie Parker is coming off back-to-back 100-yard performances, and Jerome Bettis rumbled for three touchdowns last week. The Bengals rank 24th in rush defense efficiency according to football outsiders (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php) and have no answer for Pittsburgh on the ground. Their best hope is that Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson can outpace the Steelers and force Ben Roethlisberger to throw more than 25 times. In the first meeting between the teams, Big Ben threw only 14 times, and Pittsburgh won 27-13. He slung it 41 times in the rematch and the Bengals won 38-31. With that said, consider the following: Is this Pittsburgh team better than last year’s team? No. Is Cincinnati better than the Jets of 04? Absolutely. Pittsburgh narrowly edged the Jets a year ago at home. If my math is correct, the transitive property indicates Marvin Lewis’ club should be OK…
PICK: Cincinnati
posted by Ben Taylor | 5:50 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home