Wild Card Weekend Kicks Off Saturday
The NFL playoffs have arrived and it is time to make our picks for the first round of playoffs. The Bills and Titans surprised everyone with their entries into the tournament, but as the old saying goes, once ya get in, anything is possible.
Titans (9-7) @ Chiefs (10-6): The Titans rode into the playoffs on a stingy defense even though Marcus Mariota and the Titans offense left a lot to be desired in the regular season. Too many times this year the Titans would settle for field goals, when they needed touchdowns. They will need to score on Saturday to have a chance against the Chiefs. Kansas City comes in well rested with Alex Smith coming off one of his best regular season's of his career. Expect a big day out of Travis Kelcee in the passing attack, and a solid day from running back Kareem Hunt.
This might be Titans head coach Mike Muarkey's last shot to prove he should still be the coach of this team. If the Titans offense again is lifeless look for Tennessee to go shopping for a new head coach. Josh McDaniels, the Adams family is on line one.
PICK: CHIEFS 27, TITANS 10.
Falcons (10-6) @ Rams (11-5): This is Atlanta's shot for redemption. They struggled all season to get their footing and thanks to a complete team effort last week against Carolina, the Dirty Birds are back in the tournament. It won't be easy have to win three road games in the playoffs in order to get back to the Super Bowl this year, but they may have enough in the tank to make things interesting. The Rams have not been to the playoffs since 2004 when they were still the St. Louis Rams. While Jared Goff had a great year, and coach Sean McVay has turned the team completely around, the key for the Rams Saturday night will be composure. They have to stay focused for 60 minutes against an angry Falcons team at home in front of the glitz and glamor of L.A. UPSET SPECIAL: FALCONS 28, RAMS 24.
Bills (9-7) @ Jaguars (10-6): Gotta admit, I don't like the way the Jaguars are coming into the playoffs. They have dropped their last two games and Blake Bortles has been an interception machine with five picks in the last two weeks. The Jaguars have to get back to who they are and that is running the football with Leonard Fournette, and attacking the Bills with their ferocious defense. In case you are wondering, Jacksonville was second only to Pittsburgh in sacks this year with 55.
As for the Bills, they come with a head of steam. Winners of three of their last four, they feel like a team of destiny right now with the way they got into the playoffs. While the Bills are not as good as the Jaguars, they are a live dog on the road. The Bills must get great play out of running back LeSean McCoy on Sunday and Tyrod Taylor has to avoid the big mistake in this one. Something about this Bills team. PICK: BILLS 20, JAGUARS 16.
Panthers (11-5) @ Saints (11-5): The only divisional match-up this weekend features an NFC South battle between Carolina and New Orleans. This is the third straight game in division for both of these two teams, who last met on December 3. In fact, the Saints have now played five of their last six games inside the division, including this week's playoff game.
The Saints have done very well against Carolina this year, sweeping them in the regular season, including holding Cam Newton to 350 yards passing and three interceptions in two games this season. In both games the Saints shut down the Panthers ground game, forcing Newton to make plays with both his legs and arm -- a formula of failure for the Panthers this year. Look for the Saints to continue to target Newton all day. Meanwhile, the Panthers defense did a nice job holding down Rookie of the Year candidate Alvin Kamara, but look for him to have an impact on this game for Drew Brees and company. I like the Saints at home. PICKS: SAINTS 34, PANTHERS 20.
Titans (9-7) @ Chiefs (10-6): The Titans rode into the playoffs on a stingy defense even though Marcus Mariota and the Titans offense left a lot to be desired in the regular season. Too many times this year the Titans would settle for field goals, when they needed touchdowns. They will need to score on Saturday to have a chance against the Chiefs. Kansas City comes in well rested with Alex Smith coming off one of his best regular season's of his career. Expect a big day out of Travis Kelcee in the passing attack, and a solid day from running back Kareem Hunt.This might be Titans head coach Mike Muarkey's last shot to prove he should still be the coach of this team. If the Titans offense again is lifeless look for Tennessee to go shopping for a new head coach. Josh McDaniels, the Adams family is on line one.
PICK: CHIEFS 27, TITANS 10.
Falcons (10-6) @ Rams (11-5): This is Atlanta's shot for redemption. They struggled all season to get their footing and thanks to a complete team effort last week against Carolina, the Dirty Birds are back in the tournament. It won't be easy have to win three road games in the playoffs in order to get back to the Super Bowl this year, but they may have enough in the tank to make things interesting. The Rams have not been to the playoffs since 2004 when they were still the St. Louis Rams. While Jared Goff had a great year, and coach Sean McVay has turned the team completely around, the key for the Rams Saturday night will be composure. They have to stay focused for 60 minutes against an angry Falcons team at home in front of the glitz and glamor of L.A. UPSET SPECIAL: FALCONS 28, RAMS 24.
Bills (9-7) @ Jaguars (10-6): Gotta admit, I don't like the way the Jaguars are coming into the playoffs. They have dropped their last two games and Blake Bortles has been an interception machine with five picks in the last two weeks. The Jaguars have to get back to who they are and that is running the football with Leonard Fournette, and attacking the Bills with their ferocious defense. In case you are wondering, Jacksonville was second only to Pittsburgh in sacks this year with 55.
Panthers (11-5) @ Saints (11-5): The only divisional match-up this weekend features an NFC South battle between Carolina and New Orleans. This is the third straight game in division for both of these two teams, who last met on December 3. In fact, the Saints have now played five of their last six games inside the division, including this week's playoff game.
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