NFL 2015: Wild Card Picks; Griffey Jr. HOF

The sweetest swing of all-time went into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Griffey received the highest voting percentage ever (99.3%).

Before we get into the NFL playoff games this weekend, I have to comment on Ken Griffey Jr. going into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown this week.

Growing up in Cincinnati, I was nine years old when the best player in the Major Leagues got traded to my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds. Granted, Griffey missed a lot of games due to numerous injuries as a member of the Reds, but he quickly become one of my favorite players when he joined the club on February 10, 2000.

I've watched a lot of baseball in my 25 years and no one has, or probably ever will have a better swing than Ken Griffey Jr. Watching Junior hit was a thing of beauty. Griffey along with fellow outfielder Adam Dunn, hit balls out of Great American Ballpark with ease and I fell in love with the game watching them smash home runs.

I can still remember to this day, Griffey hitting his 500th home run on Father's Day and giving his dad a hug behind the dugout in St. Louis. From then on, watching Griffey's home run counter out on the smoke stacks in right centerfield of Great American Ballpark continue to climb all the way to him hitting number 600 in Miami in 2008, was one of the greatest memories I have as a sports fan.

When you're a kid, there are guys you look up too and players have a significant impact in your love and appreciation for the game. For me, growing up in the '90's and early '00's, it was John Elway in football, Kobe Bryant in basketball and Ken Griffey Jr. in baseball. It's because of watching that sweet swing in Cincinnati for nine years that I fell in love with the game of baseball.

Griffey was tremendously gifted, from his first game as a teenager, to his last at 40 years old, he played the game the right way, with passion, class, a big smile and backwards hat. Griffey will forever be one of my favorite athletes and on top of that, he's a fellow man of Moeller. Archbishop Moeller High School, my alum mater here in Cincinnati, now has two MLB Hall of Famers, Barry Larkin '82 and Ken Griffey Jr. '87 -- only six other high schools in the country can say that and Moeller is the first outside of California.

Congratulations, Junior! You made me a baseball fan for life and for that I'm forever grateful.

Now on to my picks for Wild Card weekend in the NFL. Apologies for my playoff predictions last week, I got them wrong thanks to the Jets and Packers losing, but we should be in store for four terrific games this weekend.

Wild Card Picks (Home team in CAPS)

Kansas City over HOUSTON (Saturday, 4:20 p.m. ET, ESPN): If we go back to Week 7 this season, the Chiefs and Texans were a combined 3-9 and looking like they would have top ten draft picks come April. Fast-forward to Saturday and the Chiefs have won 10 straight and the Texans are 7-3 since October 25th. Kansas City has won with defense, good play from QB Alex Smith and a rushing attack of Charcanderick West and Spencer Ware filling in for the injured Jamaal Charles. Houston has done it with Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and T.J. Yates playing quarterback -- Ryan Mallett also played quarterback for Houston this season, but was let go on October 27th -- and a defense that is giving up 8.1 PPG in their seven wins since Week 7. Kansas City beat Houston, 27-20, in the first game of the 2015 season, but that was almost four months ago and you shouldn't pick the Chiefs just because they beat the Texans 16 weeks ago. I do, however, think history will repeat itself. Two tough defenses that won't give up very many points, which means a close game and I think a second win for the Chiefs in Houston. Chiefs 20, Texans 17.

Andy Dalton hurt his thumb trying to make this tackle against the Steelers
on December 13th and will be out for a fourth straight game on Saturday.
(Gary Landers/Associated Press)

CINCINNATI over Pittsburgh (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS): January 6, 1991. The date of the Cincinnati Bengals last playoff victory, 9,134 days ago come Saturday. 2015 looked to be the Bengals year, an 8-0 start to the season, QB Andy Dalton playing MVP caliber football, a talented and healthy roster that 1-53 may be the deepest in the NFL. Things changed though for the Bengals when they last played the Steelers on December 13th. Andy Dalton injured his right thumb trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception to the Steelers Stephon Tuitt. Dalton has missed the last three games and will be on the sidelines Saturday night. AJ McCarron has played alright filling in for Dalton and it will be on his shoulders to give the Bengals their first playoff win in over 25 years. The pressure shouldn't be on his shoulders alone, head coach Marvin Lewis and the rest of the team will share the pressure. It's no secret the Bengals struggle in the playoffs (0-6 under Marvin Lewis) and in primetime games (4-14 since Andy Dalton was drafted) and against the Steelers (8-19 under Lewis, including 1-4 in their last five meetings). So, as luck would have it, the Bengals have a playoff game, in primetime, against the Steelers, Saturday night. History is not on the Bengals side, but I still think the Bengals will win this game. Yes, they aren't the same team without Dalton, but Cincinnati stills has a more talented roster than Pittsburgh, a better defense than Pittsburgh and the game is at Paul Brown Stadium. This game sets up perfectly for the Bengals. They can erase all the doubts about winning in the playoffs, playing in primetime and beating the Steelers with a win Saturday night. AJ McCarron will play well and get support from his weapons on offense and a talented defense to win the first playoff game for the Bengals since '91. Bengals 24, Steelers 22.

Seattle over MINNESOTA (Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBC): Like Chiefs vs. Texans, the Seahawks and Vikings will meet for the second time this season in Minneapolis Sunday afternoon. The difference in this game will be the temperature. When Seattle traveled to Minneapolis on December 6th, it was 36 degrees and felt like 32 degrees given the wind chill. This Sunday, the Weather Channel is predicting a high temperature of 3 degrees with a low of minus-3 degrees. Accuweather.com is predicting a "RealFeel" for Sunday's game at minus-23 degrees. At least they're predicting mainly sunny skies Sunday afternoon, but still, dress warm if you're going to the game. As for my prediction, I like the Seahawks. Seattle destroyed the Vikings a month ago, 38-7, leading 35-0 with a minute left in the third quarter. Adrian Peterson ran for just 18 yards on eight carries in that game, so expect him to get the ball more on Sunday. The Vikings need a good game from Peterson if they are to win. Russell Wilson has been playing out of his mind the last seven weeks, throwing for 24 TD, 1 INT and posting a QB Rating of at least 123.7 in six of those seven games. The Vikings have a very good defense, but so does Seattle and they have the hottest quarterback in the league. Closer game than a month ago, but same result, a Seahawks win. Seahawks 27, Vikings 19.

Kirk Cousins had a breakout season in 2015 and has turned
into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
(Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)

WASHINGTON over Green Bay (Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET, FOX): Let's start with this: Quarterback A threw for 4,166 yards, 29 TD and had a QB Rating of 101.6 in 2015. Quarterback B threw for 3,821, 31 TD and had a QB Rating of 92.7 in 2015. If I were to tell you to guess which quarterback is Aaron Rodgers and which quarterback is Kirk Cousins, Rodgers has to be Quarterback A, right? Wrong. Kirk Cousins played like Aaron Rodgers this season, especially in Washington's last four games -- all wins. During the winning streak, Cousins threw for 1,160 yards, 12 TD, 1 INT and had an average QB Rating of 133.3 and that's with being taken out in the second quarter of last week's game in Dallas. Green Bay is just 4-6 in their last 10 games after starting the season 6-0 and one of those wins came on a Hail Mary on the final play in Detroit. Washington is 7-3 in their last 10 games and has been one of the league's hottest teams the past month. Washington has the momentum and a quarterback that is playing better than Aaron Rodgers. That equals a Redskins victory in my book. Redskins 31, Packers 23.

Last Week: 9-7
Regular Season Record: 154-102 (.602)