The Divisional Round is upon us, and we have four great matchups headed our way. This time all the home teams are the favorites, which should make sense, considering they had the four best records in the NFL this season. Let’s see if homefield advantage holds true in this round of the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) @ New England Patriots (12-4)
Saturday, 4:35 PM ET (Current Line, Patriots -4.5)
It’s time for the Chiefs to prove just how good they are. This will be Kansas City’s toughest matchup yet. If the Chiefs are looking for any positives heading into this game, they will have to point to New England’s inexplicable loss to Miami to finish off the regular season. On the flip side, the Patriots will be happy to know that Brady’s second favorite target, Julian Edelman will be returning for this playoff game. Edelman missed the last seven games of the season, and it has clearly hurt Brady. Brady loves his slot receivers and tight ends, so I expect the Patriot offense to be humming on Saturday, when his two favorite targets are back on the field together.
Still, you can never count out a team that has won 11 straight games. The Chiefs have to be the most confident team in the NFL now, and a lot of experts like them as their pick to win the AFC. You could argue that Kansas City and New England are the two best teams in the AFC right now. So, whoever wins this game should be confident heading into the Conference Championship round.
Prediction: The Chiefs get out to the early 10-0 lead before Brady and the offense turn it on. Brady throws for 3 second half touchdowns, as Kansas City watches their lead quickly evaporate. Patriots win, 24-13.
Green Bay Packers (10-6) @ Arizona Cardinals (13-3)
Saturday, 8:15 PM ET (Current Line, Cardinals -7.0)
Two of the most potent offense, led by two of the top quarterbacks in the league square off in what should be a great matchup. A few weeks ago, Arizona would have been my clear cut pick to win the Super Bowl. However, after getting blown out by Seattle in Week 17, my confidence in Arizona has been shaken. Maybe I shouldn’t put too much stock in that game though. Divisional games can be hard to predict, and one bad game should not define a team. Of course, this bad defeat is the last thing anyone remembers about Arizona from this season, so it is hard to ignore. However, if you stretch your memory just one week further back in time, you will also remember how Arizona absolutely decimated Green Bay in Phoenix, 38-8. The Packers will be confident heading into Saturday after a convincing win in Washington, but they have to be concerned about how badly they were beat by Arizona in the regular season. So, which veteran quarterback do you trust more, Palmer or Rodgers?
Prediction: The offenses put on a show in this one, and at halftime, the score is 21-21. The second half is back and forth the whole way. The Cardinals take the lead with less than two minutes left on a Cantazaro field goal. An Aaron Rodgers interception on the ensuing possession seals the victory for Arizona. Cardinals win, 34-31.
Seattle Seahawks (10-6) @ Carolina Panthers (15-1)
Sunday, 1:05 PM ET (Current Line, Panthers -2.5)
The Seahawks and Panthers face off in a rematch of their game from Week 6, where the Panthers won in Seattle, 27-23. That game was a long time ago though, so it is hard to put a lot of stock in it. Seattle has been one of the best teams in the league during the second half of the season. Their aforementioned win against the Cardinals in Week 17 was a major statement game for the Seahawks. However, Seattle was lucky to escape from the cold of Minnesota last week with a win. Now, they head to hostile Charlotte with a bit of momentum on their side. The Seahawks seem primed to make their third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl, but the top team in the NFL currently stands in their way.
Cam Newton has never made it past the divisional round of the playoffs, but he will look to change that on Sunday, as the Panthers will be slight favorites against Seattle. Newton has brought a relaxed, winning attitude to his regular season games this season. Will we see the same type of Cam Newton during the playoffs? Only time will tell. Their first playoff test will not be an easy one, as the NFC’s sixth seed seem determined to prove that they are once again the best team in the NFL.
Prediction: Marshawn returns (hopefully he actually does this time) with a vengeance. Beast Mode powers the Seattle running game on their way to a halftime lead. However, Cam Newton leads the Panthers on a second half comeback, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with less than 1 minute remaining in the game. The Carolina defense holds, as the Panthers win, 23-20.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) @ Denver Broncos (12-4)
Sunday, 4:40 PM ET (Current Line, Broncos -7.0)
Things are not looking good for the Steelers. The reason Pittsburgh’s offense is so potent is because they can beat you in so many ways. Sure, Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Normally, this can be countered if your team has one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. However, when playing the Steelers, this is not good enough. Behind Brown are Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton. So, let’s say you happen to be the only team in the league that has two great cornerbacks (Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr.). Guess what? Now Markus Wheaton is going to burn your secondary. This offense has so many weapons. So, how significant is the injury to Brown? Very. This receiving corps is a three-headed monster, and we just removed its most powerful head. Throw in the fact that Roethlisbeger’s throwing shoulder is not 100%, and the Steelers are suddenly in even more trouble. Landry Jones has not proven to be a useful backup in Roethlisberger’s absence this season. If Roethlisberger can’t play, I’m not sure the Steelers will be able to move the ball. Denver won’t have to worry about the deep threat with Brown out, and the quarterback situation is volatile at the moment.
On the other side of the ball, we have to wonder what kind of production we can expect out of Peyton Manning. This will be Manning's last chance to win another Super Bowl. So, will we see a desperate veteran looking for his final chance at success? Or will we see the calm, cool, collected Manning that we have gotten to know over his long, illustrious, legendary career? It's hard to imagine that we will see the true Manning of old, but with this defense, a decent impersonation may be enough.
Prediction: This game is a defensive battle all the way. Denver goes into halftime leading 7-0, thanks to a pick-six. The offenses continue to struggle, but Denver gets a little boost from the running game to pull away in the fourth quarter. Denver wins, 23-0.
Four games. Four predictions. Four home teams. Four favorites. Were these the boldest predictions I ever made? No. But hey, sometimes I think the favorites will actually win. And that is how I feel about all four games this week. Enjoy this weekend of games!
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