NFL Picks-Wild Card Weekend

Last Week: 11-5 Regular Season: 155-102

This weekend is the first round of the NFL playoffs. 32 teams have been cut down to 12. Before last season, I would have called this playoff round a waste of time, as the better teams have byes in this round of the playoffs. However, Pittsburgh blew that conventional wisdom to shreds, advancing from the sixth playoff seed in the AFC to win the Super Bowl. This year, Pittsburgh is sitting at home, but 12 teams retain hopes of spending the first week of February in sunny South Florida.

Saturday
AFC: Kansas City at Indianapolis: The Colts tripped over the roadkill known as the Houston Texans in Week 16, and slipped into the #3 seed in the AFC, placing them in a wild card game. They also get a bad matchup for their sorry run defense, as the Chiefs come in with stud workhorse RB Larry Johnson. The Colts come up big in this one, though, as the offense gets off to a quick start, and the Chiefs have to play from behind. Pick: Indy
NFC: Dallas at Seattle: The Cowboys are sliding downhill fast. Last week, they lost to the awful Detroit Lions. Dallas has lost three of the last four games, and were fortunate to win in Atlanta. Seattle hasn’t done much better, losing three in a row before closing out the season with a win against Tampa Bay. This game should be a scoring-fest, as the Seattle secondary is banged up, and the Dallas secondary has been bad in recent weeks. It doesn’t look good for the Cowboys. The one time this season I picked them to lose, Tony Romo brought them back against Carolina. I’m picking against them. I think Seattle is better than them at this point. Pick: Seattle
Sunday
AFC: New York Jets at New England: The Jets are this year’s surprise story, as first-year coach Eric Mangini has led them to a 10-6 record and a trip to the playoffs, where he faces his mentor, Bill Belichick. Belichick has three Super Bowl rings. The Pats show the Jets what a playoff team looks like. Pick: New England
NFC: New York Giants at Philadelphia: The Giants are the best of the 8-8 teams in the NFC, and get to head down the New Jersey Turnpike to meet the Eagles. The Eagles won bragging rights to the Molly Pitcher Service Area on the Turnpike in their last meeting, and now are playing for the right to talk smack for the northbound Joyce Kilmer Service Area. More importantly, the Eagles would like to make a trip to the Big Easy for the second round of the playoffs, against the Saints. That should happen with little problem. Philly is playing better than anyone in the NFC right now. Pick: Eagles