NFL: Wild Card Round Predictions
- Michael Pate
- Jan 3, 2018
- 5 min read
As an entertaining week 17 of football comes to an end, we look towards the first round match-ups of this NFL postseason. There are usually a few key factors that each person predicting this games will look at. These include the quarterback, the coach, and maybe someone will try to get cute and talk about turnovers and defense. This is an easy crutch to lean on. Who would ever bet against an MVP super bowl champion quarterback and HoF coach? Well, if this were the case every year then Tom Brady would have 15 Super Bowl rings. We also wouldn’t see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win XXXVII and the Baltimore Ravens win three Super Bowls this century. Even Peyton Manning was a shell of his former 5 time MVP award winning self his last super bowl ring, two years ago.
I have a feeling this will be one of those years. These playoffs include five quarterbacks making their first start in the postseason. We also have two quarterbacks that were backups going into the start of the season. The Steelers and Patriots are the HEAVY favorites to reach the AFC championship (see the super bowl MVP quarterbacks and HoF coaches description above), but SPOILER ALERT: It won’t happen! The NFC playoffs are going to be a little more tricky to predict for most, especially with Carson Wentz going down for the Eagles. If our formula from above gives any indicator it would seem like the Saints would be a trendy pick. Without further adieu, let’s talk about the Wild Card bitches!
Titans at Chiefs
The Chiefs got off to the hottest start of any team at the beginning of the season. The chiefs were 5-0, including wins over both conferences #1 seed. Alex Smith was making throws he hadn’t made his entire career and seemed to finally shed the backhanded compliment of “game manager.” Then they came crashing down to earth. The chiefs would lose six of their next seven games including horrible losses to the Jets and Giants respectively. They have won their last four games heading into the postseason.
The Titans were pretty much what everyone expected to be this season. A nine or eight win team that has a chance to win a weak division. With only three pro bowlers (including a punter) the Titans roster does not jump off the screen. They do have perhaps the second best 1-2 punch at running back in football with Derrick Henry and Demarco Murray. However, these two players style does not really compliment each other as they are both a similar style power back.
The chiefs have been one the most up and down teams all year. However, they are a 10 win team and at home for this game. Chiefs win a close one in the fourth quarter on the back of likely AFC ROY Kareem Hunt .
Titans 20 Chiefs 24
Falcons at Rams
No one. Let me repeat that NO ONE saw this coming from the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams were coming off of a four win season and were in a division where the Cardinals and Seahawks looked like serious contenders. Their first overall pick Jared Goff was looking more like a bust as each week went on. Insert Sean McVay. The 31 year old kid from good ole Dayton, Ohio and Miami University graduate (love and honor,) and the Rams at one point in the season looked like the most complete team in football. Sean McVay spent the previous three seasons as the Washington Redskins offensive coordinator, and is probably most responsible for Kirk Cousins collecting over 40 million dollars the previous two seasons. No one saw it coming, but it's true. The Rams are legit contenders this postseason.
Side note: With Case Keenum and Jared Goff having success this season, how bad was Jeff Fisher in developing quarterbacks?
On the surface, the Falcons may have the most talented roster in football. Pro bowlers at Quarterback, running back, and wide receiver are something that only a handful of teams enjoy. The Falcons were bound to have a hangover this season and it showed. The departure of Kyle Shanahan also had a huge impact on this team. This is a team that just never felt like they reached their full potential. It doesn’t help they played in the toughest division in football this year. They did show a lot of resolve by winning a must win game against the Carolina Panthers to end the season and could get hot and make a run.
The Rams made a risky signing in 35-year-old offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth that has at least payed off for the 2017 season. Todd Gurley was the best offensive football player in the NFL this year and will run for over 100 yards and score a couple of touchdowns. Aaron Donald will cause havoc in the Falcons backfield all day and get to Matt Ryan at least twice. Rams run away with it.
Falcons 21 Rams 34
Bills at Jaguars
There can’t be a more unpredictable playoff matchup than this one, right? Thanks to Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals the Bills have broken their 18 year playoff drought. This Bills team could have easily given up when they made a controversial decision to bench Tyrod Taylor in favor of Nathan Peterman for one game in the middle of the season. The Bills were in the thick of the playoff hunt and Peterman would throw five interceptions during the game. The decision still makes no sense, but this coaching staff did not lose the locker room, and by some miracle, they find themselves in the playoffs.
This is the easiest matchup to predict. The Jaguars are simply the better team. The Seattle Seahawks have had the best secondary in football for about five years. That title now belongs to the Jaguars by a landslide. Led by Jalen Ramsey, this defense is second in the league in points, yards and turnovers. Rookie running back Leonard Fournette has been as good as advertised, and when healthy has a chance to become the most dominant back in the league.
The Bills are perhaps the best story going into this postseason, but it will not be enough. This defense will force three turnovers in a convincing win for Jacksonville.
Bills 14 Jaguars 31
Panthers at Saints
The Saints have the best backfield in the NFL with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Oh yeah, this is also a team that had Adrian Peterson in their backfield to begin the season. This forces defense to put down more defenders in the box. The Panthers have one of the better run defenses in football, only allowing 88 rushing yards a game. Drew Brees has finally enjoyed the luxury of a running game and has not been forced to throw the ball over fifty times a game.
The Panthers formula is simple and it is a formula that most teams try to emulate: control the ball and stop the run. Carolina is a top 5 team in both categories, large in part, because they have a physical freak, Cam Newton, that not only passed for 22 touchdowns and 3,000 yards, BUT IS 22nd IN THE LEAGUE IN RUSHING. That means he is rushing for more yards than 10 starting teams running back. The league has never seen anything like Cam Newton and he is the big “X” factor in this match-up.
The Saints won both previous matchups, which ultimately led them to the division title. Cam Newton posted the lowest QBR of his career and the Saints have statistically the second best offense in football and haven’t lost a home game since week 2. Logic says the saints will win. So naturally I am taking the Panthers in the upset.
Panthers 20 Saints 17
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