Wild Card Weekend will be tough to top, but I think we have some great
games headed our way this weekend. We have
a road favorite, a divisional rivalry, and lots of playoff experience in all
four games. Many people see the Broncos
as unbeatable at home this weekend, but the Chargers have already left Sports
Authority Field with a win once this year.
The Patriots look like a clear cut favorite, but the Colts have been one
of the best teams against top competition all season long. The Seahawks rocked the Saints at Century Link
Field in the regular season, but does that actually benefit the Saints? And finally, the 49ers head into Carolina as
slight favorites… and I think I agree with that! Here are my predictions for this weekend’s
slate of games.
New Orleans Saints (11-5) @
Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Saturday, 4:35 ET (Current Line, Seahawks -8)
At first glance, it seems pretty obvious that the Seahawks should win
this game. Let’s lay out the facts. The Seahawks looked incredible at Century
Link Field all season, especially against good competition. The Seahawks average margin of victory at home
this year was just over 15 points. They
defeated the Saints in Week 13 by 27 points, 34-7. They have possibly the most talented roster
in the league, with a pass defense that has silenced opposing quarterbacks (including
Drew Brees) all season long. However,
the Seahawks showed their weaknesses to the rest of the league when they lost
to the Cardinals at home in Week 16, 17-10.
The Seahawks’ offense was exposed against the Cardinals. Palmer gave Wilson and the Seattle offense
plenty of chances, by turning the ball over numerous times; however, the
Seahawks were unable to capitalize on these opportunities. So, if
New Orleans wants to defeat Seattle, they are going to have to do it on
defense. The Saints will have trouble
scoring; just about every team that comes into Seattle does. However, I believe
that having played at Century Link once this season definitely benefits the Saints. They know exactly what they are walking into,
and Brees knows exactly how many audible signals he will be able to communicate
to his teammates at the line (none). If the Saints’ defense steps up, this game
could be a lot closer than people expect.
The spread says -8, but my mind is telling me that anything could happen! What to do, what to do?!
Prediction: The
Saints are trailing 24-17, with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Brees and the Saints are driving, until an
errant throw ends up in the hands of Earl Thomas. The Seahawks hold on, 24-17.
Indianapolis Colts (11-5) @ New
England Patriots (12-4)
Saturday, 8:15 ET (Current Line, Patriots -7)
Our second Saturday game showcases another heavy home favorite in the
New England Patriots. The Patriots, even
with a depleted roster, managed 12 wins over the regular season. New England looked like a top team in the AFC
all season, even though they had to squeak out some wins in a few close
games. The Patriots are a team that
simply knows how to win. The Colts bring
an intimidating opponent, though. No
team has beaten more top competition than Indianapolis this season. They have showed an impressive resilience all
year, but I have a feeling a meeting with the AFC’s number 2 seed in Foxborough
may ultimately prove to be too much. I
know I’ll be rooting for the Colts, but that most likely will not help.
Prediction: The Patriots jump
out to a 24-0 lead in the first half.
Andrew Luck and the Colts fight back, but the Patriots know better than
to let a large lead evaporate. Patriots
cruise by the Colts, 34-20
San Francisco 49ers (12-4) @
Carolina Panthers (12-4)
Sunday, 1:05 ET (Current Line, 49ers -1)
This should be a fun game. I
think a lot of people still don’t know what to think of the Panthers. Since losing three of their first four games,
the Panthers quietly turned their season around, and became one of the toughest
teams in the NFL. The Panthers have shown
what they can do against top competition, beating the Niners at Candlestick and
winning against the Patriots and Saints at home. The Panthers are a well rounded team, with a
confident Cam Newton at the helm. When
the Panthers are winning, Cam looks good.
And when Cam looks good… well, you know.
Anyways, I, like many other people, see a great team in the Niners. I expect another grudge match, just like the
10-9 game we saw in Week 10. This one
should come down to the last possession.
Prediction: The Niners are in
another defensive battle this week. They
jump out to the early 6-0 lead, as the Panthers shake off the rust of the bye
week. The Panthers come back to take the
lead. The Niners, down 13-9 in the 4th
quarter, score a touchdown on a 37 yard Kaepernick run, with 2:37 left on the
clock. San Francisco’s defense forces a
turnover on downs, and the Niners win, 16-13.
San Diego Chargers (9-7) @
Denver Broncos (13-3)
Sunday, 4:40 ET (Current Line, Broncos -9.5)
The Broncos may be favored by 9.5 points, but this one is a toss-up for
me. Like I said in an earlier post,
rivalry matchups in the playoffs are almost impossible to call. Are the Broncos the far superior team? Of course.
I don’t think there are even many Charger fans who would argue with
that. Do the Chargers have a great
chance of defeating the Broncos for the second time in Denver this Sunday? I have to say yes to that, too. So, like any good analyst, I have stated that
either the Broncos will win because they are better, or the Chargers will win
for reasons that I cannot explain. This
is an intelligent prediction. I cannot
be wrong. I really do not want to see
the Chargers win, but my gut is telling me that they will. Do I possess the required cojones to make the
upset call? Charger fans are on the edge
of their seat, waiting for my prediction…
Prediction: The Chargers
dominate the first half, and lead 24-10 going into halftime. However, Peyton Manning comes out and does
Peyton Manning things in the second half.
Manning leads the Broncos on a great comeback, but ultimately comes up
short when Rivers scores a TD on a QB sneak to seal it. Chargers win 34-31.
Seahawks, Patriots, 49ers, Chargers.
Those are my predictions; however, not the results that I will be hoping
for. I will be rooting for the Saints,
Colts, 49ers, and Broncos this weekend.
So, hopefully my predictions are wrong, especially my last pick. I can’t believe I picked the Chargers. I really hope I am wrong about that. Maybe there was a little something inside of
me that knew if I picked against the Chargers again, they would win again. Hopefully I have cursed them this time. I hate seeing those stupid “#BoltUp” statuses
on my Facebook newsfeed. Anyways, the
two games I am really looking forward to watching are in the NFC. I think the Saints are going to give the
Seahawks a great battle in Seattle, expect a close one there. And the 49ers and Panthers should produce a great
defensive game, something that is hard to come by in today’s offense-happy
league. Enjoy this weekend of
football! I know I will. I’ll be back to pick up the pieces of my
awful predictions on Tuesday.
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