NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks

The playoffs are here, so without adieu...

NFC Wild Card Round

Saturday 1:40 AM PST on FOX: 6 Los Angeles Rams vs 3 Seattle Seahawks (-4.5)

Storyline to watch: Who is playing at QB for the Rams? John Wolford started last week and the status of Jared Goff remains in question. I don’t think Goff is a great QB, but I think Sean McVay would prefer the former Cal QB under center as opposed to the former AAF standout in Wolford.

X-Factor(s): WR DK Metcalf. In the two matchups against the Rams this season, DK put up rather forgettable stat lines. If the Seahawks want to win, they’ll need DK to avoid

a dud like he put up in Week 10 vs Jalen Ramsey.

Score: 27-20 Seahawks. I expect this to be battle to the end between these NFC West foes, but I’m gonna lean with Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Even with Jared Goff, I have my doubts about how well the Rams offense can produce. The Seahawks defense isn’t the best in the league like Jamal “Blitz Boy” Adams claimed it is, but the unit has steadily improved as the season has gone on. The Rams defense has been able to stifle Russell Wilson, but I believe Russ can make enough plays to win.

Saturday 5:15 PM PST on NBC: 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs 4 Washington Football Team (+8.5)

Storyline to watch: Similar to the game above, questions at the QB spot remain for the Washington Football Team. Despite playing in Week 17, Ron Rivera has indicated that Alex Smith is dealing with mobility issues. That means the unheralded Taylor Heinicke may take some snaps at QB, so Coach Rivera will be asking a lot about the former Old Dominion Monarch.

X-Factor(s): DE Chase Young (and the WFT pass rush). Chase Young asked for Tom Brady, and Tom Brady he will receive! Brady is looking to bounce back from a forgettable performance last year vs Tennessee in the playoffs. While Brady has had relative success in Tampa Bay, he has struggled against the blitz at times. Chase Young needs to be in the backfield early and often if Washington wants to take down TB.

Score: 30-23 Buccaneers. I am very tempted to take the Football Team for several reasons. I hate Tom Brady, love the Alex Smith story, so on and so forth, but I don’t see it happening. With instability and uncertainty at QB, it hards to imagine the WFT offense having heaps of success against Todd Bowles’ formidable defensive unit. The WFT defense will make some plays to harass Tom Brady, but Tom Terrific has too many weapons to be totally neutralized. As a fan, I will be rooting for the nameless men of Washington, but picking from an unbiased perspective, I have to go with Tampa Bay.

Sunday 1:40 PM PST on CBS: 7 Chicago Bears vs 2 New Orleans Saints (-9)

Storyline to watch: What will we get from Alvin Kamara? Kamara looks to be available for Sunday’s game, but he likely will miss most of (if not all of) practice through the week. Kamara is a dynamic playmaker and he should continue to be that guy on Sunday, but it is worth paying attention to.

X-Factor(s): QB Mitch Trubisky. There has been a lot of QB talk, but they’re the guys that make the show go on. Mitch has shown some promise this season, but he’ll have to put together a solid four quarters of football for the Bears to advance. The former #2 overall draft pick has had a disappointing career thus far, but a big playoff game performance could do wonders for his future.

Score: 34-17 Saints. Following my explanation that Trubisky has to perform well, I will say that I do not think he will be able to perform well! The Saints defense is talented and surely will force Mitch into tough situations. The Bears defense may be able to slow down Kamara, Brees, and co., but I don’t see them generating enough offense to succeed.

AFC Wild Card Round

Saturday 10:05 AM PST on CBS: 7 Indianapolis Colts (+6.5) vs 2 Buffalo Bills

Storyline to watch: The Bills have reached the playoffs now 3 of the previous 4 years, but have failed to win a playoff game since 1995. With a potent offense and gritty defense, Bills fans are itching for that elusive victory.

X-Factor(s): RB Jonathan Taylor. This rookie season for the ex-Wisconsin Badger has had some down moments, but J.T. is coming off a monster performance of 250+ yards and 2 TDs in Week 17. A strong running game for Indy is integral if they want a chance to advance.

Score: 27-24 Bills. Another case of picking a team I do not like, but it has to be done. Josh Allen has proved the skeptics wrong (although I’ll never like the guy) by putting forth an MVP-caliber season with new target Stefan Diggs at his disposal. The Colts play hard-nosed defense and can take advantage of Allen’s occasional miscues, so this game is gonna be predicated on the Colts offense. Phillip Rivers controls the ball and Jonathan Taylor has success? Colts win. In the end, the Bills may be the hottest team in football and it will take a near-perfect effort from Indy to pull it out. It is doable, but I won’t pull the trigger on the upset.

Sunday 10:05 AM PST on ABC: 5 Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) vs 4 Tennessee Titans

Storyline to watch: This matchup is a rematch of one of last year’s AFC Divisional games. I recall seeing clips of Derrick Henry stiff arm Earl Thomas into submission as I was at Winter Formal… and I’m sure the Ravens haven’t forgot. In the regular season rematch, Derrick Henry walked it off with a long TD run, can Baltimore finally return the favor?

X-Factor(s): OC Greg Roman. The Titans bode a suspect pass defense and middle of the pack rush defense, so the way that Greg Roman attacks them is important. The Ravens ground and pound, but will Roman dial up some deep bombs against a piss poor aerial defense? The personnel needs to execute, but the play calling needs to be on point.

Score: 31-26 Ravens. The Ravens were reeling and looking at an uphill battle following a shorthanded loss to Pittsburgh in Week 13. Since? The Ravens have been firing on all cylinders, dominating on offense and making plays all around. The Titans have been mildly inconsistent all season. Tannehill to AJ Brown, as well as the dream killer Derrick Henry, pose legit threats, but the Titans haven’t earned my trust. This should be a fun game, but I’m gonna ere with Lamar Jackson breaking the “can’t win in the postseason” narrative and capturing a W.

Sunday 5:15 PM PST on NBC: 6 Cleveland Browns (+4.5) vs 3 Pittsburgh Steelers

Storyline to watch: Although the Garrett-Rudolph debacle has simmered, this remains an intense rivalry. There isn’t a lot of love between these two teams, and with the Browns returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, expect a fiery matchup on the gridiron. Also to be noted, the Browns remain plagued by COVID-19 and will be without HC Kevin Stefanski and several other team members.

X-Factor(s): QB Baker Mayfield. The ground and pound duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are typically the focal point of the Cleveland offense, but the Steelers are capable of slowing them down. Against a well-rounded and ferocious defense, the outspoken Heisman winning, former 1st overall pick, commercial star has to deliver a great performance. Against the Steelers in their first matchup, Mayfield threw for 119 yards and threw 2 INTs. That type of performance will send the Browns back to their usual couch spot for the postseason.

Score: 28-27 Browns. This is a gut-feeling, one that may end up being ill-advised due to the Browns being affected by COVID. However, the Steelers have been shaky after their 11-0 start. Baker Mayfield is no sure thing, but neither is Big Ben at this point. Without a respectable run game, the Steelers offense is incredibly one-dimensional and stoppable. It’s hard to put my faith in Baker Mayfield, but my gut is telling me that Cleveland will make good of their first playoff appearance in over a decade and give Browns faithful a triumphant victory!