NFL 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The regular season is over and the pretenders are at home watching while most of the contenders will be playing this weekend. The Wild Card playoffs are usually the weirder week of the playoff echelon of the NFL playoffs but they are still worthwhile to watch. In this post I'll do my picks to the Wild Card matchups and a look back at my picks for the 2012 Wild Card round from my wordpress days. Let's get to work! 

Wild Card Weekend Picks

Note: Game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

Seattle @ San Francisco (FOX; 4:30 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Seahawks beat the Rams and the 49ers beat the Cardinals last week. If this game was played 10 years ago, this game would be a big one. The Seahawks-49ers rivalry has simmered down a lot since then. Seattle isn't a great team but they do have a nice looking offense with a defense that is average at best. San Francisco is to me the scariest team in the NFC. They got everything going right for them. A running game that can beat you with multiple runners. A defense that is just as good. What I question is how well Brock Purdy can do in this game. Whether if the quarterback will have jitters playing in his first playoff game will remain to be seen. Despite his inexperience I think he'll do fine. It's not like he has a team that will back him up. I'll take the 49ers. 

LA Chargers @ Jacksonville (NBC; 8:15 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Chargers lost to the Broncos and the Jaguars beat the Titans last week. A rematch of a game where the Jaguars humiliated the Chargers at their home stadium. The 38-10 win for the Jaguars spelled doom for them as they would go on a 2-6 mark and then make a great run to get here. The Chargers had been an up and down team with a solid passing game but could use a boost from their running game. If Joey Bosa can come alive and cause havoc in the Jaguars passing game. I think the game will honestly come down to who can be the more aggressive and the team that gives away the ball the less amount of times. I'll take the Chargers. 

Miami @ Buffalo (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Dolphins beat the Jets and the Bills beat the Patriots last week. We likely won't get a Tagovailoa vs Allen matchup in the playoffs in this one. Tua Tagovailoa will be out for this game as he hasn't passed concussion protocol. I can't really blame Tua as he has had 2-3 concussions in a 3-4 month span. Skylar Thompson will get the start if Teddy Bridgewater isn't available. For Buffalo, they have their starter Josh Allen in good spirits and good health. While you can't truly count out the Dolphins in the matchup as it is the playoffs, anything can happen, I just don't see them hanging around. 

NY Giants @ Minnesota (FOX; 4:30 pm): TW: Giants; CV: Vikings
The Giants lost to the Eagles and the Vikings beat the Bears last week. A rematch of a Christmas Eve matchup. The Vikings needed to hit a field goal to win it at the end of regulation. If they let the Giants hang around, watch out as the same result might not happen. In the playoffs, the more aggressive team will put forth an effort that wants to put touchdowns instead of field goals will win I think. I think it'll be a different outcome than the previous matchup. 

Baltimore @ Cincinnati (NBC; 8:15 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
The Ravens lost to the Bengals and the Bengals beat the Ravens last week. It will come down to the health of Lamar Jackson. If he can go he has a decent shot of winning this game and end the Bengals hopes of a return to the Super Bowl. If he doesn't, he would have to lean more on their running game to carry the offense. You can't be one-dimensional in this day and age in football. Cincinnati seems to be the better team as they do have a good quarterback in Joe Burrow. A long as he stays upright, I think he'll guide the Bengals to a win. 

Dallas @ Tampa Bay (ABC/ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
The Cowboys lost to the Commanders and the Buccaneers lost to the Falcons last week. The wild card rounds finishes up with an interesting matchup on Monday night. Both teams come into this game with a rough game to end their regular season. Dallas had the opportunity to get some momentum into the postseason but they played a lackluster game. The offense went into hibernation and Dak Prescott wasn't spectacular. Tampa didn't look that great either against Atlanta but at least they're in it I suppose. Tom Brady hasn't looked that great all season and has had to utilize some luck and some defensive mishaps to get this far. For example, the Monday night comeback against New Orleans. I don't really trust either team but I can't go wrong with Tom Brady and company. 

NFL 2012 Wild Card Predictions: A look back

So I've briefly mentioned that I used to have a wordpress blog that I used to do for NFL pick'ems in 2012 through 2014. In the posts I was showing a rather amateur feel to it when I look back on it. The blogs themselves were fairly small in word count compared to these. I feel my word craft has improved since then. Let's take a look: 

Hello folks, it is the eve of one of the best parts of the year in the sports world: NFL playoffs. First week is full of some intriguing match ups now that the games that don't really matter turn to the games that do matter. Win or go home. Simple as that. I will also do the divisional predictions as well as the Super Bowl as well, just on a different column after the wild-card weekend is over. I know this could bite me in the ass early in the playoffs but at least I give out my opinion on it. Here we go:

Cincinnati @ Houston: Tale of two different seasons for these teams. Last season was the same matchup. Bengals haven't won a playoff game since I was 2-3 years old in 1990. Time is now right for them to end the drought and bring Marvin Lewis his first playoff win. I'll go with the Bengals.

Minnesota @ Green Bay: The second all-time playoff matchup between these two teams. Vikings won the first game back in 2005. Different cases for both teams. I still believe that Christian Ponder will not be the elite quarterback that people expect him to be. He's played well I will agree to a point, but taking my girl Samantha Steele away from me loses all respect for him. I have since ended my pursuit of the girl. She needs a brain. Go Pack Go.

Indianapolis @ Baltimore: A lot of people not believing in the Ravens in what could possibly be the great Ray Lewis' last game. I believe the Ravens will win it based on the fact that they're inspired by him and they will win it for Ray who deserves it. I'll go for the Ravens.

Seattle @ Washington: Obviously the best game of the wild-card weekend. RGIII vs Russell Wilson. Two of the best rookie QB's in the NFC. This game will easily be a high-scoring affair. I like Washington being them the home team and Seattle on the road hasn't been that great as it should. I like RGIII more than Wilson because I feel Robert Griffin has more speed in his legs and certainly more accurate as a passer. Also because I still won't get over the Fail Mary. Go Washington! Hail to the Redskins!

Seeing this now I kind of realize that I didn't discuss a lot of the Bengals-Texans game. Obviously the Bengals have since then ended that playoff drought. I feel the animosity towards Christian Ponder was that he stole my celebrity crush at the time, Samantha Steele (now Ponder). Obviously I'm a bit mature and over it. Safe to say the Ravens did win one for the "gipper" and carried Ray Lewis into his last season with a win against the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Interestingly enough that Seahawks-Redskins game was the game where Robert Griffin III suffered that horrific leg injury and was never the same after that. For some odd reason, I never did posts on that wordpress account past the Wild Card round. Darn shame too because that Ravens-Broncos divisional playoff game was one of the best games ever. 

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 166-103-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 157-112-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all after the Monday night game for the Wild card recap post! Enjoy the games and the rest of the week!

-Tom

NFL 2021 Super Wild Card Weekend Recap

 Hello everyone! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone yet again. The wild card round usually gives us disappointments but there were a few notable games that would come down to the wire. Such games like the Bengals earning their first playoff victory since January 1991, or . In this post I'll do a recap of the weekend's games in this post. Let's get to work!

Super Wild Card Weekend Recap

Las Vegas 19, Cincinnati 26: TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
Two teams that have long playoff droughts, the one with the longer one would win this one. Derek Carr would be used a lot in this one as he completed 29 of 54 passes for 310 yards with a touchdown pass to Zay Jones. He also threw an interception that would end up being the game decider. Josh Jacobs rushed for 83 yards on 13 carries with a 35-yard run being his longest in this game. One questionable call on the Raiders was a heinous roughing the passer penalty that would help give the Raiders a boost in offense that would help them drive down the field in the last drive for them. Joe Burrow was remarkable in this game as the passer threw 24 of 34 passes for 244 yards with two touchdown passes to Tyler Boyd and to CJ Uzomah. Both touchdowns would come in the first half. Joe Mixon rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries with a 10-yard run being his longest. Controversy ensued in this game as well for the Bengals. The 2nd quarter touchdown would have a blown whistle that was blown just as Joe Burrow threw the pass. By rule, that play would've been blown dead, it wouldn't have been a touchdown. Just a rough game for officiating altogether in this game. For the Raiders, their miracle season ends with the question of keeping head coach Rich Bisaccia or go with someone different. For the Bengals, they move on with the likelihood of going to Tennessee in the Divisional round. 

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

Next week:
Las Vegas: play blackjack or something
Cincinnati: Divisional @ Tennessee

New England 17, Buffalo 47: TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The result wasn't a surprise, the margin of victory was. Mac Jones was off by a bit in the first half, throwing two interceptions but would finish with two touchdown passes to Kendrick Bourne. He finished the game with 24 of 38 passes completed. Damien Harris would run for 30 yards on nine carries with a longest run of 14 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 27 yards on eight carries. How bad was this game for New England? The 27-3 halftime score was the worst in franchise history. The 47 points allowed was the worst playoff performance in franchise history. Josh Allen would exceed expectations in this game as he completed 21 of 25 passes for 308 yards for five touchdowns and had 66 yards rushing on six carries with a 26-yard run being his longest. Devin Singletary rushed for 81 yards on 16 carries with two touchdown runs. In the 102-year history of the NFL, no team had scored a touchdown in all of their drives, with no field goals or turned the ball over, on Saturday night, the Buffalo Bills did just that. The win is somewhat of a bittersweet one for the Bills mafia after being the Patriots doormat for over 20 years and to finally get that monkey off their backs. For the Patriots, their season ends but the experience gives them something to build on for the 2022 season. For the Bills, their win likely assures them a trip to Kansas City barring an upset. 

TW: 2-0; CV: 2-0

Next week:
New England: eat clam chowdah or something
Buffalo: Divisional @ Kansas City

Philadelphia 15, Tampa Bay 31: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
The game was more about the Eagles giving it to the Buccaneers. Jalen Hurts completed 23 of 43 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown pass to Kenneth Gainwell in the 4th quarter. He would also throw two horrible interceptions in this game. He would also rush for 39 yards on eight carries. Boston Scott would also get the longest rush in the game on a 34-yard run for a touchdown. Tom Brady was once again great as the 44-year old completed 29 of 37 passes for 271 yards with two touchdown passes. Tampa's running game would also score in this one as Keshawn Vaughn rushed for 53 yards with a touchdown and Giovanni Bernard rushed for 44 yards with a touchdown. The victory would come with a cost as right tackle Tristan Wirfs would leave the game with an ankle injury. For the Eagles their offseason will have questions as they have a decision to make at quarterback and need some help via the draft. Should be noted that the Eagles have draft picks to use. For the Buccaneers, they will get to hose the winner of the Cards-Rams game. 

TW: 3-0; CV: 3-0

Next week:
Philadelphia: eat a Philly cheese steak
Tampa Bay: Divisional vs LA Rams

San Francisco 23, Dallas 17: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
Holy shit no one wanted to win this game. Jimmy Garoppolo completed 15 of 25 passes for 172 yards with a duck of an interception in the 4th quarter. San Francisco's running game would carry their quarterback however. Elijah Mitchell rushed for 96 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. Deebo "The Man" Samuel rushed for 72 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. Dak Prescott completed 23 of 43 passes with 254 yards with a touchdown to Amari Cooper in the 2nd quarter. Prescott would also score a rushing touchdown in the 4th quarter with 27 yards rushing including the 17-yard run that would result in the touchdown. Ezekiel Elliot rushed for 31 yards on 12 carries. For the 49ers, they get to live for another day but they get to go to the Frozen Tundra that is Lambeau Field. They will need to play a better game from Jimmy Garoppolo as he literally nearly gave the Cowboys the win. For the Cowboys, it's the same old story. Mike McCarthy needs to go and Kellen Moore is probably going to get promoted to head coach maybe. Their players were undisciplined as penalties cost them in this game and gameplanning. With just two playoff wins since Super Bowl XXX they need to get their heads out of their asses. Jerry Jones needs to hire a General Manager and leave his ass alone and let the football operations happen. That's all you have to do. As for the referee interference, he had to respot the ball, the Cowboys literally tried to spot it. I'm glad they lost on bullshit referee calls. They earned it. 

TW: 4-0; CV: 4-0

San Francisco: Divisional @ Green Bay
Dallas: playoff losses are bigger in Texas, they'll probably go play golf. 

Pittsburgh 21, Kansas City 42: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
It was a somber end to the career of Ben Roethlsiberger. The former Miami University product would hit 29 of 44 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns to James Washington and Diontae Johnson. The touchdowns would come on in garbage time. Big Ben wouldn't look stellar in this one as he threw more passes that looked like ducks than anything. Najee Harris wouldn't be the big factor in the game as the rookie had 29 rushing yards on 12 carries but had an unfortunate fumble in the game. The other touchdown would come on a TJ Watt fumble recovery for a touchdown that would happen from a Cam Heyward forced fumble. The touchdown would give the Steelers a 7-0 lead. Patrick Mahomes would struggle for the first quarter in the game but would do Mahomes things. The passer completed 30 of 39 passes for 404 yards with five touchdowns and an interception that was grabbed by Cam Heyward. Travis Kelce would play quarterback in this game as he tossed a pass to Byron Pringle in the 4th quarter. One of the Mahomes touchdown passes would go to Nick Allegretti, the offensive guard. Kansas City's running game would have a better showing as Jerick McKinnon had 61 yards rushing on 12 carries. For the Steelers, its the end of Ben Roethlisberger's career and likely the end of general manager Kevin Colbert who will retire after this spring's draft. They need a lot of help on offense specifically on offensive line. For the Chiefs, they get to play host to the Bills in the divisional round. 

TW: 5-0; CV: 5-0

Next week:
Pittsburgh: eat some pierogis or watch a penguins game
Kansas City: Divisional vs Buffalo 

Arizona 11, LA Rams 34: TW: Rams; CV: Rams
Well Kyler Murray's playoff debut was not a pretty sight. Kyler Murray would look very meek in this game as the passer completed 19 of 34 passes for 137 yards with two interceptions. Arizona's running game would provide not a lot of help as Chase Edmonds rushed for 28 yards. James Conner got 19 rushing yards with a touchdown run being the Cardinals only offensive touchdown that would come in the 3rd quarter. Matthew Stafford would play manager in this game as the passer completed 13 of 17 passes for 202 yards with two touchdown passes to Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Stafford would also rush for 22 yards with a touchdown. Sony Michel rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries. Cam Akers rushed for 55 yards on 17 carries. For the Cardinals, another promising season that got off to a 7-0 start ends in a slow and painful end to the season. For the Rams, they get to take a trip to Tampa Bay to take on the defending champs. 

TW: 6-0; CV: 6-0

Next week:
Arizona: Support the Arizona Coyotes, they could use all the support they can get.
LA Rams: Divisional @ Tampa Bay

2021 Pick'em Records:

My record:

Week 1: 7-9
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 9-7
Week 5: 12-4
Week 6: 11-3
Week 7: 10-3
Week 8: 7-8
Week 9: 7-7
Week 10: 5-8-1
Week 11: 8-7
Week 12: 8-7
Week 13: 10-4
Week 14: 10-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 12-4
Week 17: 13-3
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 173-98-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-10
Week 2: 12-4
Week 3: 13-3
Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 12-2
Week 7: 10-3
Week 8: 7-8
Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 5-8-1
Week 11: 10-5
Week 12: 9-6
Week 13: 7-7
Week 14: 9-5
Week 15: 10-6
Week 16: 11-5
Week 17: 10-6
Week 18: 8-8

Total: 167-104-1

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

See you all on Wednesday or Thursday for the Divisional Round Picks post!

-Tom

NFL 2019 Wild Card Picks

Hello readers! The Wild Card Weekend starts on Saturday. Gone are the pretenders and here come the contenders. This post will have a recap of my predictions that I made back in September and how I fared (which I know isn't looking too well), an NFL 100 Spotlight on the broadcaster Pat Summerall, and my picks for the Wild Card games this weekend. Let's get to work!

Preseason Recap

Before the season started, I made a predictions post on how each team will fare. I also predicted the division winners and who would eventually win the Super Bowl, as well as award winners. I will leave the award winners until probably after the Super Bowl but I'd say most of them are way off (Baker Mayfield for MVP was a bit off I'd say). Here's how I did:

Arizona Cardinals: 4th in NFC West (Correct)
Atlanta Falcons: 3rd in NFC South (Incorrect, they did tie with Tampa though)
Baltimore Ravens: 3rd in AFC North (Incorrect, probably thought Lamar Jackson would have sophomore jinx I guess)
Buffalo Bills: 3rd in AFC East (Incorrect)
Carolina Panthers: 2nd in NFC South (Incorrect)
Chicago Bears: 2nd in NFC North (Incorrect)
Cincinnati Bengals: 4th in AFC North (Correct)
Cleveland Browns: 2nd in AFC North (Incorrect)
Dallas Cowboys: 1st in NFC East (Incorrect, close but no cigarette)
Denver Broncos: 4th in AFC West (Incorrect)
Detroit Lions: 4th in NFC North (Correct)
Green Bay Packers: 3rd in NFC North (Incorrect, ouch my own team)
Houston Texans: 2nd in AFC South (Incorrect)
Indianapolis Colts: 1st in AFC South (Incorrect)
Jacksonville Jaguars: 3rd in AFC South (Incorrect)
Kansas City Chiefs: 1st in AFC West (Correct)
Los Angeles Chargers: 2nd AFC West (Incorrect)
Los Angeles Rams: 1st in NFC West (Incorrect)
Miami Dolphins: 4th in AFC East (Correct)
Minnesota Vikings: 1st in NFC North (Incorrect)
New England Patriots: 1st in AFC East (Correct)
New Orleans Saints: 1st in NFC South (Correct)
New York Giants: 3rd in NFC East (Correct)
New York Jets: 2nd in AFC East (Correct)
Oakland Raiders: 3rd in AFC West (Correct)
Philadelphia Eagles: 2nd in NFC East (Incorrect)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 1st in AFC North (Incorrect)
San Francisco 49ers: 2nd in NFC West (Incorrect)
Seattle Seahawks: 3rd in NFC West (Incorrect)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4th in NFC South (Incorrect)
Tennessee Titans: 4th in AFC South (Incorrect, maybe I was drinking too much of the Mariota kool-aid)
Washington Redskins: 4th in NFC East (Correct)

Well out of the 32 teams, I got 10 right in predictions. Almost a 1/3 of them.

Playoff seedings

NFC:
1st: New Orleans Saints
2nd: Dallas Cowboys
3rd: Los Angeles Rams
4th: Minnesota Vikings
5th: Chicago Bears
6th: Carolina Panthers

Well as far as seeding, I missed all of them but I managed to get the Saints and the Vikings in the playoffs.

AFC:
1st: Kansas City Chiefs
2nd: New England Patriots
3rd: Pittsburgh Steelers
4th: Indianapolis Colts
5th: Los Angeles Chargers
6th: Cleveland Browns

Same thing for the AFC for seeding but I got only the Chiefs and Patriots right in making the playoffs. Should be noted that I still have the prediction of a Saints vs Patriots Super Bowl in play. I feel good about it.

NFL 100: A Spotlight

If you were born between 1960 and 1995 and watched an NFL game, you more than likely heard the voice of Pat Summerall. From playing football at an early age to his final call at Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002 his life was football.

Summerall was born in Lake City, Florida on May 10th, 1930. He would play at Columbia High School as a placekicker. As well as football, Summerall played tennis, baseball, and basketball. He would go to college at the University of Arkansas from 1949 to 1951 and played as a placekicker, defensive end and tight end for the Razorbacks.

In the 1952 NFL Draft, Summerall was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 4th Round, with the 45th pick. He would only play for the Lions in the preseason before getting an arm injury. He was traded to the Chicago Cardinals from 1953 to 1957. He would then play some of his well-known football with the New York Giants from 1958 to 1961. He would play in "The Greatest Game Ever Played" in the 1958 NFL Championship Game. In 1959 he was 30/30 in Point After Touchdowns and 20/29 in field goals.

Summerall retired after the 1961 season and would be hired by CBS to work as a color commentator for the network's NFL package. During the early years of his job, he was paired with Chris Schenkel to do Giants games (CBS had their own crews designated to a specific team). He was there for CBS postgame coverage for Super Bowl I. After 1968, he rose to be part of CBS #1 crew, pairing with either Ray Scott and Jack Buck.

After Ray Scott's retirement after Super Bowl VIII, Summerall would take over as the Play-by-Play commentator and would be paired with Tom Brookshier. Brookshier would work with Summerall with during the "This Week In Pro Football" during the late 1960's through the 1970's.

Pat Summerall's most famous broadcast partner would be John Madden. Madden was hired by CBS in 1981. The pairing would call five Super Bowls for CBS. The pairing worked well as both knew football and could explain it well to the average viewer. Summerall's minimalist approach and Madden's coaching knowledge made them one of the best partnerships in Sports TV history.

When FOX won the NFC package in 1994, the fledgling network recruited both Summerall and Madden to front their production. The pair would call three more Super Bowl's for FOX before retiring from broadcasting after Super Bowl XXXVI. Joe Buck would take over as FOX's NFL #1 play-by-play commentator, paired with Troy Aikman with Cris Collinsworth.

As well as calling football games for CBS, Summerall would call CBS coverage of the U.S. Open and the Masters. He brought with him his velvety voice and minimilistic approach to those assignments as well. His best work was truly with the National Football League. His voice was nearly recognizable. If he was covering a game, you knew the game held something important.

Pat Summerall would pass away on April 16th, 2013 due to a cardiac arrest. The Sports World mourned as he was truly "a great loss." He was 82 years old.

Wild Card Picks

Wild Card weekend will start in Houston, Texas and end in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There will be two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. ESPN and CBS will air the Saturday games while FOX and NBC will air the Sunday games. Here are the picks:

Buffalo Bills (10-6) @ Houston Texans (10-6) (ESPN/ABC): TW: Bills; CV: Bills

The Bills are entering as the 5th seed in the playoffs while the Texans are the AFC South winners as the 4th seed. Wild Card weekend isn't too kind for the Texans these last few years and if they don't win this game, head coach Bill O'Brien's future definitely is in jeopardy. I'm leaning towards the Bills because of their defense. If they can throw the Texans offense off a bit, they have a distinct advantage. Turnovers will be key to victory for Buffalo as they have a versatile running game with a quarterback to match. While Josh Allen's weapons aren't nearly as superb as DeShaun Watson's, clock management will be also huge too. The Texans are a 2.5 favorite which doesn't bode well for Vegas' confidence in the group. I can't trust the Texans to get a win. I have been wrong before with the Texans.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) @ New England Patriots (12-4) (CBS): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots

The Titans enter in the playoffs as the 6th seed and the Patriots won the AFC East along with the 3rd seed in the playoffs. One of the better match-ups in the weekend. Tennessee has shown that they can win with Ryan Tannehill as quarterback along with a great running back Derrick Henry. The Patriots have won with their strong defense and I feel they can easily make the Titans one-dimensional with them shutting down their running game and forcing Tannehill to beat them. Tom Brady hasn't played particularly well to standards but with the playoffs here, perhaps they can find new energy and win this one. I'd be generally surprise if the Titans win this game. 

Minnesota Vikings (10-6) @ New Orleans Saints (13-3) (FOX): TW: Saints; CV: Vikings

The Vikings are entering the playoffs as the 6th seed while the Saints won the NFC South as the 3rd seed. Minnesota is entering this postseason with a little chip on their shoulder. They have the underdog card as most experts felt that they wouldn't go far. My take is they have a very good defense and if they can get their offense going and cause havoc on the Saints defense. The key to the game is the health of Dalvin Cook and how well the Vikings can depend on running back Mike Boone if Cook is inactive. I like the Saints in the match-up but the Vikings could make this game a very interesting one. 

Seattle Seahawks (11-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) (NBC): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles

The Seahawks enter the playoffs as the 5th seed and the Eagles won the NFC East as the 4th seed. Keeping Russell Wilson upright will be huge as the Seahawks offensive line allowed 26 sacks in the previous seven games. Philadelphia got to Wilson six times. The Eagles will need Carson Wentz and the secondary to have a good day to have a chance to get a win as well. I feel with Marshawn Lynch on the team, they will have some inspiration to play well. The talent on paper for Seattle is there but momentum is not there for them as they lost two straight games. I feel safer with Philly if they can get to Wilson early and sack him or hit him. They have the blueprint to get him so why not Philly.

I'll see you guys on Monday for the Wild Card recap. I'll probably update the post with Cardinal Viking's picks as well. Enjoy the games!

-Tom

Update #1: added Cardinal Viking's picks

Update #2: Changed Bill Callahan to Bill O'Brien. Got the right first name but wrong head coach. Sorry Bill Callahan if you're reading this.