NFL 2019 Wild Card Recap

Hello readers! Eight teams entered into Wild Card weekend and four escaped to move on to next weekend's Divisonal playoff game. The post will have an NFL 100 spotlight on the 1974 Divisional playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders, also known as "The Sea Of Hands," as well as a recap of the Wild Card games. Let's get to work!

NFL 100: A Spotlight

Very few playoff games in NFL history had hype. Such hype came as surprise to some, while such games had so much hype that they would be called "Super Bowl 8 1/2." One such game would would be forever be called "The Sea Of Hands." The Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins would meet in one of the greatest games in NFL history.

The two teams had known each other very well. In 1973, the Raiders won the regular season meeting 12-7, snapping Miami's 18-game winning streak dating back to the beginning of the 1972 season. The two teams would meet again for the AFC Championship game. The Dolphins would exact revenge on the Silver & Black, beating them 27-10 in a dominating effort. The Dolphins would win the Super Bowl that year.

The next year, the two teams wouldn't meet in the regular season but the two would meet in the AFC Divisional round. There was much hype to the game as the media felt that the two teams were the best in the AFC. The game would be dubbed "Super Bowl 8 1/2" since the winner of the game would likely win the Super Bowl that year. Should be noted that the Pittsburgh Steelers would face off against the Buffalo Bills that weekend as well.

While I won't discuss the game in detail, it should be noted that this game had six lead changes with one tie. The game ultimately came down to an 8-yard pass from Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler to Clarence Davis that would ultimately give the Raiders the lead and would be the game winning score. Stabler was falling down when he threw the ball to Davis. Clarence Davis had many Dolphins players near him with their hands eyeing for the ball, hence the name "Sea Of Hands."

In the end, the Raiders ended the Dolphins their two-year run as champions. Miami wouldn't reach the playoffs again until the 1978 season. They would lose Larry Czonka and Jim Kiick to the riches of the World Football League. They wouldn't make it back to the Super Bowl until the 1982 season.

For the Raiders, they would move on to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. It would be ultimately John Madden's praise for the Dolphins and Raiders that would cost them a chance to win. An inspired Steelers team would come into Oakland and beat the Raiders and would kick off their dynasty of the 1970s.

Wild Card Recap

Buffalo Bills 19, Houston Texans 22 (F/OT): TW: Bills; CV: Bills

Buffalo will have to wait for another year to get that first playoff win since 1995. Josh Allen threw for 264 yards with zero touchdowns. John Brown would complete a 16-yard pass to Josh Allen for a touchdown. Josh Allen would be the leading rusher as he gained 92 yards for the game. DeShaun Watson would earn his first playoff victory while throwing for 247 yards with a touchdown. Watson would be the leading rusher for the Texans with 55 yards with a touchdown. To be honest, both teams really didn't deserve to win but sadly someone has to end up winning. Houston will go on to play the Chiefs on Sunday.

All-time series: Texans lead 6-4

Tennessee Titans 20, New England 13: TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots

The Titans played better than the Patriots. There I said it. Ryan Tannehill finished the game with 72 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Derrick Henry finished the game with 182 yards with a touchdown. Former Patriot, Logan Ryan, would give the Titans the win off an interception from Tom Brady for a 9-yard return. Tom Brady would throw for 209 yards while throwing said interception. Sony Michel was the leading rusher for the Patriots as he gained 61 yards. Julian Edelman would get 12 yards rushing while scoring a rushing touchdown. As far as Tom Brady's future is concerned, I feel he'll come back, but I don't know if he can get another ring as the Patriots wide receiving corp outside of Edelman is not that great. The Mohammad Sanu Jr trade was somewhat of a dud. Hard to say. Titans move on to take on the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.

All-time series: Patriots lead 25-18-1

Minnesota Vikings 26, New Orleans Saints 20 (F/OT): TW: Saints; CV: Vikings

It was a surprise to some but not necessarily to me. Kirk Cousins threw the ball for 242 yards with a touchdown. That touchdown would ultimately be the game-winning score to Kyle Rudolph in overtime. Dalvin Cook returned to start and had a good game with 94 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Drew Brees threw for 208 yards with a touchdown while throwing an interception. Taysom Hill was the leading rusher for the Saints with 50 yards while Alvin Kamara ran for 21 yards with a touchdown in the game. Hard to say if this is the last chance for the Saints to get another ring but certainly you have to not try to play against the Vikings it seems. Minnesota moves on to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

All-time series: Vikings lead 23-12

Seattle Seahawks 17, Philadelphia Eagles 9: TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles

In his 16 seasons as pro, Josh McCown had not played in a playoff game, he would sadly not get the job done. Russell Wilson threw well in the game with 325 yards with a touchdown. He would also be the leading rusher for the Seahawks with 45 yards. Carson Wentz made his first playoff start in his career. He would ultimately leave the game with a concussion/head injury, with only 3 yards passing. Hardy veteran Josh McCown would take his place and put up 174 yards in the game. Miles Sanders ran the ball for 69 yards in the game. Sadly, Nick Foles couldn't quite save them this time. Seattle goes to Green Bay on Sunday.

All-time series: Seahawks lead 11-7

See you guys on Thursday/Friday for the Divisional picks!

-Tom

NFL 2018 Wild Card Picks + Preseason Prediction Results

Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is upon us. The regular season is over and the NFL's second season begins, the playoffs! The first week of the playoffs is the Wild Card round. In the column, I'll talk about the predictions that I made prior to Week 1, the winner between me and Cardinal Viking's pick 'em, and the my Wild Card picks. Let's get to work!

Preseason Prediction Results:

On the Week 1 Picks column, I did a prediction area on who would win the division, Super Bowl, various awards, etc. The awards part won't come til later in the playoffs but the rest of it, well did. This is what I had for division winners prior to Week 1:

AFC:
East: Patriots
North: Steelers
South: Texans
West: Raiders
Wild Card: Chiefs, Ravens

NFC:
East: Giants
North: Vikings
South: Saints
West: Rams
Wild Card: Packers, Cowboys

For the AFC I got the Patriots and Texans prediction correct for winning their respective divisions. The rest I either got wrong or that particular team is the division winner. The Ravens won the AFC North. The Chiefs won the AFC West. The Raiders and Steelers didn't even win their divisions. More on the Raiders later.

The NFC was much of the same story. I got the Saints and Rams predictions correct, the rest I got wrong. The Cowboys won the NFC East. The Bears won the NFC North. The Packers didn't even make it to the playoffs.

Now comes the part where I really have to kick myself in the groin for. Like really hard. This was my Super Bowl Prediction:

Super Bowl:
Unbiased: Raiders over Saints
Biased: Packers over Raiders

The Saints could possibly still make it to the big game but the rest will be at home watching it probably. I had stated my case for the Raiders over a while in the season. Let's just say it was a rough year. Here are my predictions for who wins the various awards:

MVP:
Derek Carr, Raiders

Coach of the Year:
Mike Zimmer, Vikings

Rookie of the Year:
Saquon Barkley, Giants

It is still possible for Saquon Barkley to get Rookie of the Year with the year he had. Hard to say for sure who could win MVP or Coach of The Year but I can't hold my breath for my picks. 

Pick 'em Results: 

After the final second was sounded, the final ball was packed away, or the last interview was given. There was the fun, bragging rights competition between me and my roommate, Cardinal Viking. The contest was held over the 17 weeks of the regular season. Here are the final results:

Records:

Tom (me)
2018:
Week 1: 10-5-1
Week 2: 6-9-1
Week 3: 8-8
Week 4: 12-3
Week 5: 6-9
Week 6: 10-5
Week 7: 10-4
Week 8: 11-3
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 7-7
Week 11: 8-5
Week 12: 11-4
Week 13: 10-6
Week 14: 7-9
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 11-5
Week 17: 12-4
Overall: 156-98-2

Cardinal Viking
2018:
Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 9-6-1
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 9-6
Week 5: 9-6
Week 6: 6-9
Week 7: 12-2
Week 8: 10-4
Week 9: 8-5
Week 10: 9-5
Week 11: 7-6
Week 12: 13-2
Week 13: 11-5
Week 14: 7-9
Week 15: 10-6
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 13-3
Overall: 156-98-2

Obviously, as you can see, there is a tie. In the event of a tie, it would possibly come down to who won week by week. Here's who won each week:

Tom: Week 1, Week 3, Week 4, Week 6, Week 8, Week 9, Week 11, Week 16
Cardinal Viking: Week 2, Week 5, Week 7, Week 10, Week 12, Week 13, Week 15, Week 17
Tie: Week 14

Not even a breakdown by a week could decide the winner. Perhaps us being tied is meant to be. Perhaps the football gods realized that we're both worthy opponents. Here's a comparison to previous years: 

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89

2018: 156-98-2

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

Wild Card Picks: 

Wild Card weekend begins at Houston, Texas and ends in Chicago, Illinois. There will be eight teams playing in four games during the two days. The NFL's broadcasting partners will televise a game during the weekend. ESPN will have the Colts-Texans game, FOX will show the Seahawks-Cowboys game, CBS will have the Chargers-Ravens game, and NBC will show the Eagles-Bears game to finish the weekend. I'll be more in-depth with my analysis since there are only four games and I have time on my hands. Let's get to the picks!

Indianapolis (10-6) @ Houston (11-5) (ESPN/ABC): TW: Colts; CV: Texans

The playoff opener showcases a pretty good game. At least on paper. The two games that the two teams played in the regular season were decided by exactly three points. The Texans won the first game 37-34 in OT at Indianapolis. The Colts won the 2nd game at Houston by the result of 24-21. The two teams are mirror images of each other. They love to throw the ball with their franchise quarterbacks, as well as run the ball, all the while playing great defense. I tend to think playoff experience will be a factor in the game as Andrew Luck has been in the playoffs quite a few times in his career. I like the Colts in the game as Andrew Luck could come up clutch in a big moment in the game. 

Seattle (10-6) @ Dallas (10-6) (FOX): TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys

When it comes to toss-up games, this one is definitely worthy of it. This game is a rematch of a Week 3 game where the Seahawks beat the Cowboys 24-13 in Seattle. The two teams are quite different than what they were 15 weeks ago. Both teams have great running backs that can easily get 50+ rushing yards. I feel it will greatly depend on which running back can get it done as both teams will be passing the ball a lot. I could use the playoff experience card on Russell Wilson as he does have a Super Bowl ring in his career. I like the Cowboys in the game as they do have a better defense by rank than the Seahawks do. I just hope I'm not wrong. 

LA Chargers (12-4) @ Baltimore (10-6) (CBS): TW: Ravens, CV: Chargers

It is a rematch between the two teams of a Week 16 matchup that the Ravens won 22-10 in Los Angeles. The game will be in Baltimore. I feel the Ravens will still win despite the opportunity that presents to the Chargers. The opportunity to get back at the Ravens again after seeing Lamar Jackson and the running game. The key matchup will be just that, the Ravens rush vs Chargers rush defense. If the other contains or exploits the opponent they have a shot to win. Certainly, playoff experience does play a factor for Philip Rivers but defense is usually the name of the game when it comes to playoffs. 

Philadephia (9-7) @ Chicago (12-4) (NBC): TW: Bears; CV: Bears

The last game of the Wild Card weekend features two teams that haven't faced each other this season. The defending champs were underdogs in last year's playoffs and they will be facing tougher odds to get back to the Super Bowl as Vegas has Chicago favored by 6.5 points. I can't really see the Eagles winning the game based on the Eagles running game and their defense. Those two things are what the Bears do well in. If the Eagles have any chance of winning, they must get better production out of their running game and get short defensive stops, especially stuffing Jordan Howard. It's a tough task but I'm going with the safer bet in the Bears. God, I cringe at picking 'Da Bears. 

There probably won't be a Wild Card recap but I'll still do a recap in the Divisional round pick 'em because why not. Look out for that later next week before the Divisional round games. Until then, have a great weekend and enjoy the games!

-Tom