NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
This one should be sloppy. Frankly, the Bengals lucked their way into the postseason, and the Texans haven’t looked like a playoff team in a while, thanks to a slew of key injuries. So it’s the battle of the rookie quarterbacks, and someone’s gotta win, so my money’s on the Bengals, if only because Dalton has played more consistently overall than Yates, who, along with his team, lost three straight heading into this game, including one to the abysmal Colts.
Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints
This one’s going to be a shootout for sure. The NFC games are just going to be more exciting, period. Great offenses will battle. But ultimately New Orleans will win, thanks to MVP contender Drew Brees and Detroit’s lack of discipline when things get heated. Expect Stafford to throw more than Brees, but penalties will hurt the Lions overall.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos
The Steelers are banged up bad. Big Ben will struggle. But he won’t struggle as bad as the overrated Tim Tebow, who hasn’t decidedly won against a challenging team all season. And, dare I say, he hasn’t experienced a defense like Pittsburgh. Expect a low-scoring game that Tebow won’t be able to fourth-quarter-miracle his way out of. Pardon the irony, but the Broncos haven’t got a prayer.
Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants
The Falcons’ defense is sharp, and the Giants’ is not. Having said that, New York has the momentum after embarrassing Romo in Jerryville, and they have Eli Manning, who is throwing like a veteran. This will be another red zone game, but ultimately I expect the boys in blue to wrap this one up early in the fourth quarter.
