Divisional Round Picks
It should be a great weekend of Divisional Round football this weekend in part because all four games are rematches from earlier in the season.
Seattle defeated Atlanta 26-24, on October 16th in Seattle. New England destroyed Houston on September 22nd with Jacoby Brisett at quarterback, 27-0, while Tom Brady was still suspended. Pittsburgh blew out Kansas City 43-14, in Pittsburgh on October 2nd. And Dallas went up to Lambeau Field on October 16th and defeated Green Bay, 30-16.
Will the Falcons, Texans, Chiefs and Packers get revenge for their losses earlier this season or will history repeat itself? My predictions are below.
Divisional Round Picks (Home team in CAPS)
ATLANTA over Seattle (Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET, FOX): If this game was in Seattle and the Seahawks had safety Earl Thomas healthy, I'd probably take them in this one, but Thomas is out for the year and this game is being played in Atlanta. The Seahawks were just 3-4-1 on the road this season as opposed to being 7-1 at home. They're just a different team away from CenturyLink Field. Atlanta has scored 154 points in their last four games, granted that was against the Saints, Panthers, Rams and 49ers, but that's still a lot of points against NFL defenses. Now, I don't think the Falcons will put up 38 on the Seahawks, but if they get to 28, that'll be enough to get the win. Falcons in a close one.
NEW ENGLAND over Houston (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS): Houston already lost up in Foxborough earlier this season and Tom Brady didn't even play! Why would Saturday night be any different? The Texans turned the ball over three times in that game and QB Brock Osweiler was just 24 of 41 for 196-yards and he threw an interception. Now, the Houston defense has been playing well of late and finished the season as the number one ranked defense, so they have that going for them. I just don't see how they'll be able to get enough stops with Brady at quarterback to give their offense a chance. Houston only averages 17.3 points/game and that won't be enough to keep the Patriots from reaching the AFC Championship game.
Green Bay over DALLAS (Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET, FOX): Yes, the Green Bay Packers will defeat the number one seeded Dallas Cowboys, in Dallas, on Sunday. I know the Cowboys have been the best team all year, but when QB Aaron Rodgers is playing this well, it's so hard to pick against him. Now, the Packers defense is not very good, but if Rodgers and the Green Bay offense score 30+ points like they have in their last five games, the Cowboys are in trouble. The Packers are on a seven game-winning streak and Rodgers has thrown 19 TD and 0 INT in that stretch with Green Bay averaging 31.8 points/game. The Cowboys had 424-yards of offense in the first meeting with RB Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 157-yards, so it won't be an easy victory, but I do think the Packers will pull off the upset.
KANSAS CITY over Pittsburgh (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): In their first meeting this season, the Steelers jumped out to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter and eventually led 36-0 before the Chiefs were able to score in the fourth quarter. Ben Roethlisberger threw 5 TD passes and Le'Veon Bell rushed for 144-yards on just 18 carries. That was over three months ago and the Chiefs are a much better team now. Kansas City has gone 10-2 since that game and has been one of the hottest teams in the league. The weather doesn't look good for Sunday's game that was originally scheduled for 1:05 p.m ET, as freezing rain was expected at kickoff. So, the NFL has moved the game to 8:20 p.m. ET, in hopes that the weather will be better. Regardless of the weather, it'll be a close game and if the Chiefs defense can find a way to keep the Steelers under 24 points, I think they win this game.
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 167-93 (.642)
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| Only eight teams are still alive for Super Bowl LI. |
Will the Falcons, Texans, Chiefs and Packers get revenge for their losses earlier this season or will history repeat itself? My predictions are below.
Divisional Round Picks (Home team in CAPS)
ATLANTA over Seattle (Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET, FOX): If this game was in Seattle and the Seahawks had safety Earl Thomas healthy, I'd probably take them in this one, but Thomas is out for the year and this game is being played in Atlanta. The Seahawks were just 3-4-1 on the road this season as opposed to being 7-1 at home. They're just a different team away from CenturyLink Field. Atlanta has scored 154 points in their last four games, granted that was against the Saints, Panthers, Rams and 49ers, but that's still a lot of points against NFL defenses. Now, I don't think the Falcons will put up 38 on the Seahawks, but if they get to 28, that'll be enough to get the win. Falcons in a close one.
NEW ENGLAND over Houston (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS): Houston already lost up in Foxborough earlier this season and Tom Brady didn't even play! Why would Saturday night be any different? The Texans turned the ball over three times in that game and QB Brock Osweiler was just 24 of 41 for 196-yards and he threw an interception. Now, the Houston defense has been playing well of late and finished the season as the number one ranked defense, so they have that going for them. I just don't see how they'll be able to get enough stops with Brady at quarterback to give their offense a chance. Houston only averages 17.3 points/game and that won't be enough to keep the Patriots from reaching the AFC Championship game.
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| Terrific matchup Sunday afternoon with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers going up against rookie Dak Prescott in his first career playoff game. (AP Photo) |
KANSAS CITY over Pittsburgh (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): In their first meeting this season, the Steelers jumped out to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter and eventually led 36-0 before the Chiefs were able to score in the fourth quarter. Ben Roethlisberger threw 5 TD passes and Le'Veon Bell rushed for 144-yards on just 18 carries. That was over three months ago and the Chiefs are a much better team now. Kansas City has gone 10-2 since that game and has been one of the hottest teams in the league. The weather doesn't look good for Sunday's game that was originally scheduled for 1:05 p.m ET, as freezing rain was expected at kickoff. So, the NFL has moved the game to 8:20 p.m. ET, in hopes that the weather will be better. Regardless of the weather, it'll be a close game and if the Chiefs defense can find a way to keep the Steelers under 24 points, I think they win this game.
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 167-93 (.642)
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