Wild Card Weekend Preview

After writing an extensive amount on this NFL season as promised, it’s finally time for the playoffs. Let’s get right into it.

Cardinals at Panthers (-5.5)

Gee, I wonder why this is the first game of the playoffs… You mean to tell me that Ryan Lindley versus a team with a losing record isn’t must-see TV?

The only thing I worry about in this game is that it is almost too obvious that the Panthers are going to win here. They have been the hot team as of late, while Arizona is trending in the opposite direction. But of course, all it takes is one game to change things in the playoffs.

Pick: ARI: 20, CAR: 23

Ravens at Steelers (-3.5)

The trendy team to bet on in the AFC versus the team that had two incredible road victories two years ago en route to their second Super Bowl. Le’Veon Bell is out, which means Roethlisberger will be throwing often against a porous Ravens secondary…or does it? Forecasts in Pittsburgh call for rain Saturday night nonstop during the game.

This feels like a low-scoring game despite the capabilities of both teams’ offenses and holes in their defenses. I think Pittsburgh gets just enough big plays to win, but I don’t feel good about this one.

Pick: BAL: 16, PIT: 20

Bengals at Colts (-4)

Andrew Luck gave us the best playoff game from last year. There’s a good chance that he has to be just as good in this one as he was in the end of that one. Yes, Indy beat Cincy badly early in the year, but this Colts defense has not looked nearly as good since that game.

Meanwhile, it’s impossible to know which Andy Dalton will show up in this big game, but I do like Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard against the Colts front seven which ideally would take the pressure off of Dalton. It scares me how much I like a team led by Dalton in the playoffs, but I think Cincy takes this one.

Pick: CIN: 28, IND: 17

Lions at Cowboys (-7)

The Detroit Lions haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since Week 2, and then the Packers in Week 3. Meanwhile, after what could have been a season ending loss on Thanksgiving, Dallas has strung together a nice run in December to take back the NFC East. Dallas seems to be firing on all cylinders right now, and I think that the only way this is close is if Calvin Johnson has one of those “Do I Have to Remind You How Elite I Am?”-type games.

Pick: DET: 25, DAL: 37

Enjoy Wild Card Weekend, everyone!

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