NFL 2013: Wild Card Predictions
If you are headed out to Philadelphia, Cincinnati or Green Bay this weekend, ask yourself this question before heading out the door, am I wearing as many layers as I possibly can?
If the answer is no, my advice would be to put as many clothes on as you possibly can, especially if you are on your way to Lambeau Field.
According to The Weather Channel, one of the coldest Arctic outbreaks in the past two decades will hit the Midwest this weekend. Wind chills could reach 50 to 60 degrees below zero in the Dakotas and Minnesota and it's supposed to be even colder on Monday.
And people wonder why the Bengals and Packers struggled to sellout.
I plan on watching all the games this weekend indoors and since the Packers, Colts and Bengals were able to sellout before the deadline, all of the games will be on local television.
It should be a great weekend of football despite the extreme cold and my picks for Wild Card Weekend are below.
Wild Card Picks (Home team in CAPS)
INDIANAPOLIS over Kansas City: Just two weeks ago, the Colts defeated the Chiefs, 23-7, at Arrowhead. One would assume a similar result this Saturday in Indianapolis, but I'm not so sure. Kansas City committed four turnovers in their first meeting and they were without Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston. Don't expect the Chiefs to commit four turnovers again and having a healthy Justin Houston along with Tamba Hali will put a lot of pressure on Andrew Luck. However, home teams went 153-103 during the regular season and the Colts were 6-2 when they played at Lucas Oil Stadium. I think it will be close, closer than it was when these two played two weeks ago, but I like the Colts to advance. Colts 27, Chiefs 17.
PHILADELPHIA over New Orleans: Offense will be aplenty in this one as two of the league's best offenses square off in the City of Brotherly Love. The Saints come in with the league's second best passing attack, while the Eagles lead the league in rushing. If this game was in New Orleans, I would take the Saints without a second thought. The bottom line is that the Saints are a different team on the road and the Eagles have won seven of their last eight, including their last four home games. High scoring game, but Philadelphia comes out on top. Eagles 38, Saints 34.
San Francisco over GREEN BAY: Weather forecast for Green Bay on Sunday, partly cloudy with a high of minus-5 and a low of minus-20. The National Weather Service has also stated that the wind chill could drop to 30 below. The coldest game on record was the Ice Bowl in 1967 between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers from Lambeau Field when the temperature dropped to minus-13 and the wind chill was a blistering 48 below. So, if you're one of the 80,750 people who decided to buy a ticket for the game, dress warm and good luck.
The Packers are use to cold weather and one can argue that the California based 49ers are not, but I'm still picking San Francisco. I just don't believe the Green Bay defense is good enough to stop San Francisco, especially without Clay Matthews. Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco offense put up 494-yards and 34 points when these two met in Week 1 and I expect a similar outcome on Sunday. 49ers 31, Packers 24.
BENGALS over Chargers: The Cincinnati Bengals have not won a playoff game since January 6, 1991. To put that into perspective, Bengals RB Giovani Bernard hadn't even been born yet. Neither had rookie safety Shawn Williams. I was just 28 days old on that January day in '91.
Will this finally be the year that the Bengals end the playoff drought? Yes and here's why.
First off, the Bengals are at home and they haven't lost a game at home all season. In their last five home games, Cincinnati has scored an average of 41.6 points/game and given up an average 17.6 points/game. That's absurd for a team in the NFL to have that much success at home.
Second, Andy Dalton plays better at home than he does on the road. Dalton has thrown for 2,069-yards, 20 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a QB rating of 98.4 when he played at Paul Brown Stadium this season. Away from PBS, he has thrown for 2,229-yards, 13 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and has a QB rating of 80.8.
It's no secret that the fate of the Bengals is these playoffs rests on the shoulders of their young quarterback. When Andy is on, the Bengals are the best team in football. Period. When he struggles, the Bengals struggle and usually lose -- see the losses to Cleveland, Miami and Baltimore.
Finally, Cincinnati arguably has the best roster in the NFL. They have a solid line on both sides of the ball, tremendous talent at the skill positions and the best front seven in the league -- and that's without Pro Bowl tackle Geno Atkins. I truly believe that the Cincinnati defense in the only defense in the AFC that stands a chance of stopping Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They just have to get there to prove it.
Boston Globe columnist Dan "Idiot" Shaughnessy suggests that Patriots fans root for the Bengals this weekend because Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis are, "Twin tomato cans ripe for the kicking." He claims that Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton are the least-equipped to beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs and they are just what the doctor ordered for the Patriots. In case Dan forgot, the Bengals beat the Patriots once already this season and I think they'll get a chance to beat them again next week after defeating the Chargers on Sunday. Bengals 35, Chargers 21. Who-Dey!
Last Week: 14-2
Overall: 162-94
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| Bitter cold weather will have something to say about the outcome of three of the four wild-card games. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) |
According to The Weather Channel, one of the coldest Arctic outbreaks in the past two decades will hit the Midwest this weekend. Wind chills could reach 50 to 60 degrees below zero in the Dakotas and Minnesota and it's supposed to be even colder on Monday.
And people wonder why the Bengals and Packers struggled to sellout.
I plan on watching all the games this weekend indoors and since the Packers, Colts and Bengals were able to sellout before the deadline, all of the games will be on local television.
It should be a great weekend of football despite the extreme cold and my picks for Wild Card Weekend are below.
Wild Card Picks (Home team in CAPS)
INDIANAPOLIS over Kansas City: Just two weeks ago, the Colts defeated the Chiefs, 23-7, at Arrowhead. One would assume a similar result this Saturday in Indianapolis, but I'm not so sure. Kansas City committed four turnovers in their first meeting and they were without Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston. Don't expect the Chiefs to commit four turnovers again and having a healthy Justin Houston along with Tamba Hali will put a lot of pressure on Andrew Luck. However, home teams went 153-103 during the regular season and the Colts were 6-2 when they played at Lucas Oil Stadium. I think it will be close, closer than it was when these two played two weeks ago, but I like the Colts to advance. Colts 27, Chiefs 17.
PHILADELPHIA over New Orleans: Offense will be aplenty in this one as two of the league's best offenses square off in the City of Brotherly Love. The Saints come in with the league's second best passing attack, while the Eagles lead the league in rushing. If this game was in New Orleans, I would take the Saints without a second thought. The bottom line is that the Saints are a different team on the road and the Eagles have won seven of their last eight, including their last four home games. High scoring game, but Philadelphia comes out on top. Eagles 38, Saints 34.
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| This is an example of what Green Bay fans will probably look like at the conclusion of the game Sunday night in Lambeau Field. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) |
The Packers are use to cold weather and one can argue that the California based 49ers are not, but I'm still picking San Francisco. I just don't believe the Green Bay defense is good enough to stop San Francisco, especially without Clay Matthews. Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco offense put up 494-yards and 34 points when these two met in Week 1 and I expect a similar outcome on Sunday. 49ers 31, Packers 24.
BENGALS over Chargers: The Cincinnati Bengals have not won a playoff game since January 6, 1991. To put that into perspective, Bengals RB Giovani Bernard hadn't even been born yet. Neither had rookie safety Shawn Williams. I was just 28 days old on that January day in '91.
Will this finally be the year that the Bengals end the playoff drought? Yes and here's why.
First off, the Bengals are at home and they haven't lost a game at home all season. In their last five home games, Cincinnati has scored an average of 41.6 points/game and given up an average 17.6 points/game. That's absurd for a team in the NFL to have that much success at home.
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| Andy Dalton will be trying to win his first career playoff game Sunday against the Chargers. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images) |
It's no secret that the fate of the Bengals is these playoffs rests on the shoulders of their young quarterback. When Andy is on, the Bengals are the best team in football. Period. When he struggles, the Bengals struggle and usually lose -- see the losses to Cleveland, Miami and Baltimore.
Finally, Cincinnati arguably has the best roster in the NFL. They have a solid line on both sides of the ball, tremendous talent at the skill positions and the best front seven in the league -- and that's without Pro Bowl tackle Geno Atkins. I truly believe that the Cincinnati defense in the only defense in the AFC that stands a chance of stopping Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They just have to get there to prove it.
Boston Globe columnist Dan "Idiot" Shaughnessy suggests that Patriots fans root for the Bengals this weekend because Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis are, "Twin tomato cans ripe for the kicking." He claims that Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton are the least-equipped to beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs and they are just what the doctor ordered for the Patriots. In case Dan forgot, the Bengals beat the Patriots once already this season and I think they'll get a chance to beat them again next week after defeating the Chargers on Sunday. Bengals 35, Chargers 21. Who-Dey!
Last Week: 14-2
Overall: 162-94
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