Saturday
Game: Arizona at Carolina
Pick: Carolina - It's really a shame Arizona has been so banged up this year, especially at quarterback. Of course, just about every team could play the what-if card, but it especially applies to the Cardinals, who would probably be the top seed in the NFC if Carson Palmer didn't get injured. Even though part of me feels sorry for Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals, though, it's hard for me to pick them on the road against the suddenly resurgent Carolina Panthers, who, after starting the season 3-8-1, finished the regular season off at 4-0, capped by a dominating road victory against Atlanta this past Sunday. Arizona's defense should be able to keep things relatively close, but I have a difficult time believing their offense will generate enough points to put them on top at game's end. I'll go with the Panthers at home by 6.
Result: Carolina 27 Arizona 16
Record: 1-0
Game: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Pick: Pittsburgh - In the teams' two meetings this year, the home team won by 20 in each. With Le'Veon Bell likely out for the Steelers in this contest, I doubt Pittsburgh will win by that margin. However, they have played much better at home than on the road this season, their defense has shown signs of improvement over the past couple of months, and Baltimore's offense has appeared to lose its identity over the past month. Given all this, so long as Baltimore doesn't suddenly find itself on offense again, I have to go with the Steelers at home. I'm taking Pittsburgh by a touchdown.
Result: Baltimore 30 Pittsburgh 17
Record: 1-1
Sunday
Game: Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Pick: Cincinnati - This was actually the most difficult game for me to pick this coming weekend. Cincinnati has been the epitome of inconsistency this year and against playoff-caliber teams, Indianapolis has been anything but impressive. Indy was 2-4 against playoff teams this year and 9-1 against everyone else. The Colts' defense has been very inconsistent, the running game has been non-existent, and Andrew Luck, after a great start to his year, struggled down the stretch. While Andy Dalton has a history of struggling in the playoffs, I still think Cincinnati has the better overall team, will be more motivated than every to prove themselves this postseason, and will find a way to pull off the road upset. I'll go with the Bengals by 4.
Result: Indianapolis 26 Cincinnati 10
Record: 1-2
Game: Detroit at Dallas
Pick: Dallas - This was the easiest of the four for me to pick. Dallas is peaking at the right time offensively and will be greatly aided by the absence of Ndamukong Suh on the line due to his suspension. On the other side of things, while Dallas has anything but a great defense, Matthew Stafford is 0-16 on the road against teams with a winning record. I have a hard time seeing him win his first such game in the first round of the playoffs against a hot Dallas Cowboys team. I'm going with Dallas by 10.
Result: Dallas 24 Detroit 20
Record: 2-2
Regular Season Record: 163-92-1 (.639)
Playoff Record: 2-2 (.500)
Overall Record: 165-94-1 (.638)
Game: Arizona at Carolina
Pick: Carolina - It's really a shame Arizona has been so banged up this year, especially at quarterback. Of course, just about every team could play the what-if card, but it especially applies to the Cardinals, who would probably be the top seed in the NFC if Carson Palmer didn't get injured. Even though part of me feels sorry for Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals, though, it's hard for me to pick them on the road against the suddenly resurgent Carolina Panthers, who, after starting the season 3-8-1, finished the regular season off at 4-0, capped by a dominating road victory against Atlanta this past Sunday. Arizona's defense should be able to keep things relatively close, but I have a difficult time believing their offense will generate enough points to put them on top at game's end. I'll go with the Panthers at home by 6.
Result: Carolina 27 Arizona 16
Record: 1-0
Game: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Pick: Pittsburgh - In the teams' two meetings this year, the home team won by 20 in each. With Le'Veon Bell likely out for the Steelers in this contest, I doubt Pittsburgh will win by that margin. However, they have played much better at home than on the road this season, their defense has shown signs of improvement over the past couple of months, and Baltimore's offense has appeared to lose its identity over the past month. Given all this, so long as Baltimore doesn't suddenly find itself on offense again, I have to go with the Steelers at home. I'm taking Pittsburgh by a touchdown.
Result: Baltimore 30 Pittsburgh 17
Record: 1-1
Sunday
Game: Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Pick: Cincinnati - This was actually the most difficult game for me to pick this coming weekend. Cincinnati has been the epitome of inconsistency this year and against playoff-caliber teams, Indianapolis has been anything but impressive. Indy was 2-4 against playoff teams this year and 9-1 against everyone else. The Colts' defense has been very inconsistent, the running game has been non-existent, and Andrew Luck, after a great start to his year, struggled down the stretch. While Andy Dalton has a history of struggling in the playoffs, I still think Cincinnati has the better overall team, will be more motivated than every to prove themselves this postseason, and will find a way to pull off the road upset. I'll go with the Bengals by 4.
Result: Indianapolis 26 Cincinnati 10
Record: 1-2
Game: Detroit at Dallas
Pick: Dallas - This was the easiest of the four for me to pick. Dallas is peaking at the right time offensively and will be greatly aided by the absence of Ndamukong Suh on the line due to his suspension. On the other side of things, while Dallas has anything but a great defense, Matthew Stafford is 0-16 on the road against teams with a winning record. I have a hard time seeing him win his first such game in the first round of the playoffs against a hot Dallas Cowboys team. I'm going with Dallas by 10.
Result: Dallas 24 Detroit 20
Record: 2-2
Regular Season Record: 163-92-1 (.639)
Playoff Record: 2-2 (.500)
Overall Record: 165-94-1 (.638)
Comments
Post a Comment