Steelers will play Bengals in AFC wild card game

The defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks’ record will indicate that it hasn’t been as strong a season as years past, but quarterback Russell Wilson is having the best season of his career.

Cincinnati slowly eased Burfict back into the fold when he first returned for the November 1 game at Pittsburgh, but his impact was immediately noticeable. The Seahawks (10-6 SU, 8-7-1 ATS) went 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven games, salvaging a season that was heading the wrong direction.

Seahawks are 5.5-point favorites over the Vikings. Seattle has an answer for anything Minnesota wants to do. “That is what we expect out of these games”.

The Bengals have downplayed the hatred of the Steelers that came up in interviews before the last matchup, and Burfict has successfully avoided the media. “I must make this line at least a field goal higher to find the balance of action”.

Lastly, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers travel to Washington to take on Kirk Cousins and the Redskins.

The Redskins are rolling on offense, while the Packers are struggling. Pittsburgh, the 6 seed, will take on the Bengals, the 3 seed, Saturday January 9th at 8:15pm. “The Packers are making the last minute of their games very exciting, but not coming away with W’s”, Avello said. Lester said these two teams seem made for each other in the opening round. Indeed, the Steelers, Chiefs and Packers all have done it.

My prediction is that the Steelers will beat the Bengals 28 to 24 and advance in the AFC Playoffs. Roethlisberger have a three-interception day and running back Le’Veon Bell was lost for the season in a single play. With Roethlisberger and the NFL’s best wide receiver in Brown, Pittsburgh is capable of scoring 40 points in any given game.

In the AFC, both Denver (No. 1) and New England (No. 2) get a bye. Steelers linebacker Vince Williams then threatened Burfict on Twitter, and the two went at it during warmups before the December 13 game in Cincinnati, causing a fracas between the teams. Pittsburgh moves on to the divisional round, and this time Cincinnati can’t put the blame on Andy Dalton. While they have some questionable losses this year, they are an extremely risky team going into the playoffs. Avello said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Dalton at some point. I’ll probably be wrong, but I’m not the only one! “I think we’re going to ride this wave”.

The Teams: The Steelers needed some help to get into the playoffs, and they got it, and the Bengals have faded a bit from being a possible Super Bowl contender earlier in the year to a team chugging along slowly with a backup quarterback. “I suspect the house needs the Bengals at kickoff”. Meanwhile the second season of the National Football League officially begins with Wild Card Weekend.

Following a Pro Bowl season in 2013, Burfict spent most of a year ago trying to recover from head, neck and knee injuries and eventually needed offseason microfracture surgery to fix his left knee. The Pats handled the Texans, 27-6, in Houston last month on Sunday Night Football. The rematch is Saturday. If only one road team wins, the Broncos would face that victor, either the Chiefs or Steelers.

Advertisement

Keep that in mind as you check out the games. Bengals S Reggie Nelson finished tied with Kansas City rookie CB Marcus Peters for the league lead with eight interceptions.3.