Wild Card Weekend picks

Last time (Week 17): 12-3
Season record: 81-37-1

So last week after the Damar Hamlin near-death experience shook the NFL universe, I wasn't exactly in the mood to make my Week 18 predictions.  Thankfully, Damar is out of the hospital and doing really, really well; which is better news than anything from any actual games being played.  What's more, the news kept getting better.  By Sunday afternoon, there were tweets and photos of Damar watching the Bills-Patriots game in his hospital room with his parents, as the Bills' Nyheim Hines ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown.  That gave everyone in Buffalo and every football fan everywhere a jolt of pure and cathartic elation that we needed more than any of us realized.  

And now we gear up for the playoffs, starting with two games tomorrow.  So let's make some picks!

Seattle at San Francisco--I think we're going to be reminded that this first weekend of the playoffs usually features lopsided scores that make us question why we were so happy about two extra games being added to this first round.  We will be annoyed, but it's still NFL football, and every game from here on out is an elimination game.  Oh and this will be the first blowout, with Boy Wonder Brock Purdy along with Deebo, McCaffrey, Warner and Bosa treating the Seahawks like roadkill.  Niners 38, Seahawks 14

LA Chargers at Jacksonville--It's refreshing to see the Titans miss the playoffs for a change, so that another AFC South team can attempt to not shit the bed in the first round.  Jags 22, Chargers 19

Miami at Buffalo--I feel for the Dolphins, I really do.  They snuck in as the 7-seed last Sunday, and their reward is to travel to Buffalo--in January-- to play a very talented Bills' team still feeding off the positive energy from Damar Hamlin's speedy recovery.  Oh with Skylar Thompson as their QB.  Yikes.  Bills 37, Dolphins 10

NY Giants at Minnesota--I'm a huge Giants fan, and this season has gone so much better than any of us expected.  But not only has Brian Daboll come in and made an instant impact, but he actually helped put a plan together to get the most out of QB Daniel Jones.  The Giants have exceeded expectations, and the Vikings keep hearing that they were 13-4 with a minus 3 point differential, which means they are a fraud.  I'd say 70% of pundits I've seen or heard are picking the G-men, which is terrifying to me. My heart says Giants but my brain says Vikings.  I hope I'm wrong.  Vikings 30, Giants 27

Baltimore at Cincinnati--It really sucks that Lamar Jackson is still hurt and we have to watch Tyler Huntley lead an otherwise solid playoff team against the defending AFC champs.  There will be no coin flip necessary for this one.  Bengals 27, Ravens 13

Dallas at Tampa Bay--Tom Brady was last seen rounding into postseason form by throwing three touchdown bombs to Mike Evans, lifting his team to a gaudy 8-9 record, good enough for the NFC South crown.  This *should* be a really competitive game, but the Cowboys have looked terrible the last two games, and Mike McCarthy is still their coach.  Bucs 23, Cowboys 20

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Divisional Round picks

Last week: 4-2 Season record: 85-39-1 Many people, including yours truly, consider this the best weekend in football.  We've weeded out the lesser playoff teams, and while there are only four games, the matchups feature the best teams in the NFL.  This is when some really good teams go home, and when four teams will be one win from the Super Bowl.  Yeah I know I'm stating the obvious, but I'm just really giddy--not because of the quality of the games, but because my New York Football Giants are still standing.  I did not pick them to win last week but was thrilled that they did.  Now they look to upset the 1-seed Eagles, which is very unlikely but after watching last week, not completely out of the question.  So you're saying there's a chance?  Yes I am.  Let's get to it...... Jacksonville at Kansas City --If anyone knows Andy Reid's coaching tendencies, it's Jags' coach Doug Pederson, who played for Reid and coached under him.  This Jags tea...
Read more

Week 17 picks

Last week: 12-4 Season record: 69-34-1 Things are getting interesting and exciting and, in some ways, absolutely riveting.  This is when the NFL is must-see TV, vying for playoff berths and positioning.  And at the moment, there are so many teams that are still alive for the postseason, it's even more intriguing.  So let's go..... Dallas at Tennessee --Did anyone else happen to get the license plate of the suck truck that blindsided the Titans over a month ago?  I didn't realize they had lost five in a row until literally just now.  Make that six.  Cowboys 41, Titans 17 Arizona at Atlanta --All this matchup makes we wanna do is yawn.  A lot.  Falcons 20, Cards 16 Chicago at Detroit --The Bears have an outside shot at the #1 overall pick, and of all teams it's the Lions that can help them with that.  Lions 31, Bears 23 Jacksonville at Houston --The division leaders in each South division have losing records at 7-8.  Which begs the qu...
Read more