NFL Picks: Wild Card Round and Playoff Preview

Photo courtesy of Sporting News

So, I didn't do preseason predictions this year. I meant to, and thanks to poor planning and the obviously hectic nature of my first few weeks in college, I was left with not enough time to complete thorough projections for every team in the league. Based on my general thoughts from summer, some of this season's results have been surprising, such as the Panthers morphing into a powerhouse with no thanks owed to their receiving corps, Peyton Manning becoming a shell of a shell of his former self, Green Bay's descent to complete and utter mortality, and Kirk You Like That Cousins's ascent to glory. Still, I was right about quite a few things, such as Arizona being a very good team, the Pats obviously continuing their run of dominance in the AFC, and the Vikings taking quite a few people by surprise.

Of course, all this reflection can only mean one thing: it's playoff time. One of the best months of the year is ahead, which will culminate in the crowning of a new Super Bowl Champion at Levi's Stadium. This season has been pretty weird overall, especially considering that Brian Hoyer, A.J. McCarron, and the aforementioned Cousins are starting home games this weekend. Despite this, my picks have not suffered, going 128-120-7 on the season. Of course, the one issue with that is that there are 256 games in a season, yet I've only accounted for 255. Small error that I don't quite have the time to deal with right now because I'm flying back to campus soon, but I will fix. Either way, this was a lot better than my dismal record from last season.

After my picks for this week, I'll continue with my predictions for the rest of the postseason. Let's get on with the show!

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.



Chiefs (-3) over TEXANS.

The Chiefs are the hottest team in the NFL, seeing as they just reeled off ten straight wins to propel themselves into the playoffs. They went from a 1-5 team on the verge of their season suffering a cruel death, to a sexy pick by some smart people to possibly challenge the Patriots in the AFC playoffs. I'm one of those people. I'm all in on these Chiefs, led by their rejuvenated defense, and their sudden discovery of a legitimate passing game.

The Texans on the other hand, are a pretty dangerous team in their own right. Despite playing like trash to begin the year, to the point that I continued to bash them week after week as they stayed alive in the AFC South race because no one else wanted to win the division, they can cause the Chiefs, or any team in the playoffs trouble. J.J. Watt's presence on defense continues to be an underrated force, and DeAndre Hopkins is easily one of the best receivers in the league, and impossible to cover for four quarters. Playing at home, they're going to be a tough out.

But by 7:30, they will be out.

Chiefs 21, Texans 17.

BENGALS (+1.5) over Steelers.

Injuries on both sides will affect the gameplans of these teams heavily. Without Andy Dalton, the Bengals will rely on a more run heavy attack than usual, as well as having the receivers run shorter routes to protect A.J. McCarron, only in his fourth career start.

On the Pittsburgh sideline, the loss of DeAngelo Williams will prove to be important, but possibly not deadly. The well balanced attack boasted by the Steelers all year will not be as prevalent with Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman in the backfield.

Both teams can stay afloat without Dalton or Williams, but the real story here is on defense. Pittsburgh's defense, to be blunt, isn't very good. The days of the Steel Curtain are long gone, and this team has a much different identity. Cincy, on the other hand, has a strong defense that will give Roethlisberger and Co. lots of trouble.

Most importantly, McCarron isn't that bad. He can be a highly effective game manager, even when facing off against a high powered offense. The Bengals are equipped with more than enough weapons for someone like him to match the Steelers' scoring.

Bengals 30, Steelers 27

Seahawks (-4) over VIKINGS.

Plain and simple, the Seahawks are a much better version of the Vikings. These two teams are built similarly, with a great running game, an athletic quarterback who is capable of making big throws when needed, and of course, defense. Despite Marshawn Lynch being ruled out of this game, the problem for Minnesota lies in the fact that Russell Wilson is light years better than Teddy Bridgewater. Wilson's scrambling ability extends plays well beyond their expiration, and leads to positive gains on broken plays. Bridgewater tries to do this, but just isn't as skilled. Seattle's going to minimize Peterson's impact, as much as any team actually can, and force the Vikings the win the game in the air. I believe in Teddy, but not that much.

Seahawks 31, Vikings 17.

WASHINGTON YOU LIKE THATS (-1) over Packers.

You like that?

The power of Kirk Cousins should be enough of an explanation, but if that's not enough, add in the fact that the Packers are simply not the same team this year. Their offense has been shockingly mediocre, and their defense hasn't played incredibly well. They backed their way into the postseason thanks to the Lions melting down and a ridiculous Hail Mary play that would be completed 1 out of 1,000 tries.

Washington on the other hand, thanks in part to their famous rallying cry, has been playing very well recently as they almost coasted to an NFC East title in December. 

Washington 24, Packers 20

Based on these results, here are my picks for the rest of the playoffs 

Divisional Round

PATRIOTS over Bengals. 

Chiefs over BRONCOS. 

PANTHERS over Seahawks. 

CARDINALS over Washington Professional Football Team. 

Championship Round 

Chiefs over PATRIOTS. 

Cardinals over PANTHERS. 

Super Bowl 

Cardinals over Chiefs. 

Enjoy round one, folks. 

Last Week: 8-8

Season: 128-120-7

NFL Preview Extravaganza 2014: NFC North

Photo courtesy of Barron Network 

This is one of the most intriguing divisions in football, because all four teams have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. The NFC as a whole is very competitive conference, so attrition will cause some of these teams to have a worse record than they deserve. Overall, this will be the best division in the game according to my predictions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today

Green Bay Packers
2013 Record: 8-7-1
Yards Per Game: 400.2 (3rd in the NFL)
Points Per Game: 26.1 (tied-8th in the NFL)
Yards Per Game Allowed: 372.2 (25th in the NFL)
Points Per Game Allowed: 26.8 (tied-24th in the NFL)

The Packers made two free agent signings this offseason, as they continued their long-standing strategy of not worrying too much about using their cap space in free agency, and rather building their roster through the draft.

Even without Aaron Rodgers for most of eight games, the Packers wound up winning the division. That had more to do with the Lions and Bears failing down the stretch, but it also shows that the Pack were decent enough to stay afloat while Rodgers was out.

The offense could possibly be the best in the NFL, because obviously, Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers, and should most likely have both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb healthy for the majority of the season. Jarrett Boykin looked good out of the slot last year, even with the revolving door of Seneca Wallace, Matt Flynn, and Scott Tolzien throwing him the ball.

The running back should be very good as Eddie Lacy will be even better in his second year in the league. He should be one of the best running backs in the NFL this season, especially behind an offensive line that's pretty good, as I expect to see the Packers commit to the running game more often.

One of those free agent signings was Julius Peppers, a contract that I didn't really like at the time, but we'll see how he plays this season. B.J. Raji is wildly overrated, and I'm not so sure how much the Packers will miss him on the interior of their line.

The rest of the defense has a chance to be great, given that Clay Matthews is healthy, which is never a guarantee. Nick Perry, Brad Jones, and A.J. Hawk are decent linebackers next to Matthews, and the secondary is awesome. HaHa Clinton-Dix joins Morgan Burnett, Casey Hayward, Tramon Williams, and Sam Shields in what will be one of the better defensive backfields in the game.

All in all, the Packers are primed and ready for another very good season, and should be one of the early favorites to win it all.

32 in 32: Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

Read the introduction here

Read the Rams preview here

Cleveland Browns tomorrow

2011 Record: 3-13

Key Acquisitions: John Carlson, Lex Hilliard, Jerome Simpson, Devin Aromashodu
Key Departures: Ryan Longwell

The offense is terrible, the defense is okay, but not very good. This team is terrible. It's going to hurt just talking about them. Say hello to the future Los Angeles Vikings!

Offense
Christian Ponder is bad. When he was drafted, I felt it was a gigantic reach, and he sure showed that last season. He throws a lot of interceptions and he absorbs a lot of hits. Usually, that's a product of the offensive line, but for him, it's because he holds the ball way too long. The weirdest part of this is that his backup, Joe Webb has showed that he's actually pretty good. The bits and pieces that I've seen of him show that he is most likely better than Ponder. This is a lost cause, good luck with that Minnesota.

Adrian Peterson is coming off of an injury, and while I expect him to recover, there's a possibility that he will be a diminished version of himself. If he's anything less than purely amazing, this team's offense is going to be unwatchable.

The wide receivers aren't very good either. Percy Harvin is not a #1 receiver. He's best out of the slot, and he's going to get the defensive attention of a #1 target. He's going to be rendered ineffective by the double teams. Behind him, they have Michael Jenkins, Jerome Simpson, and Devin Aromashodu. Jenkins is decent, and Simpson can flip over guys. That's going to be cringe-worthy.

GM Rick Spielman decided to give John Carlson a 5 year/$25 million contract. That's just stupid. He was considered average, on the Seahawks. If anyone is less than great on the Seahawks, they're not worth a contract. The Vikings lost Visanthe Shiancoe to free agency, and Carlson is their starting TE this year. Yeah.

Phil Loadholt and Matt Kalil are very good offensive tackles. Other than that, nothing of note of this offensive line.

Defense
The defensive line is still really good because of Jared Allen and Kevin Williams. Williams is a space eater and attracts attention from opposing lines. Allen will get after the QB like he always has. He's still overrated, but he's very good. If he gets double teamed, and Williams is getting double teamed, then the rest of these guys have free lanes to attack, and that's going to be a killer in the pass rush or whenever the ball is run right up the middle. Expect opposing offenses to try quick passes and a lot of outside runs against this team.

Chad Greenway is the only good linebacker here. Let's just move on.

Chris Carr and Antoine Winfield are both okay cornerbacks. Blah.

Special Teams
Good punter in Chris Kluwe. No Ryan Longwell this year so get ready for Blair Walsh. Chris Carr is a really fast guy, so he could be a dangerous returner.

1-15, 4th in AFC North

*NOTE* I've never in my life predicted a team to be this bad. They could go 0-16 and it wouldn't at all surprise me.