It makes it exciting to match up with them a few times during the season.
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While these are the complete 2016 National Football League wild card playoff picks and predictions from the experts at CBS Sports, things can always change throughout the week. Both games were physical battles until the end.
The smallest home dogs are the Washington Redskins, who actually opened as 1.5-point chalk for the contest but have subsequently been bet down to 1-point underdogs at the sportsbooks. If only one road team wins, the Broncos would face that victor, either the Chiefs or Steelers. I expect game time temperatures of -5F (-20C), a wind chill of -30 (-34C) to -35F (-37C).
Despite their differences in style and consistency, this matchup presents a similar approach in statistical profiles. The Texans have just one-wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Congratulations, Houston, on winning the worst division in the AFC, but of the Texans’ nine victories, only their 10-6 win over Cincinnati came against an opponent that finished with a winning record. Everyone but me. I’ve told you all week that this is the game that will stun the pundits, that they overvalue the Redskins and they undervalue the Packers. The opening Saturday game is usually scheduled for the less attractive game on the slate, but this one should be hard-fought and full of strategy, with the Chiefs coming out on top. This inter-division playoff game between two rivals is perhaps the most anticipated of the weekend, which is why it gets prime-time billing.
Eddie Lacy – RB – $4500 – Running back is probably the hardest position of the week as a lot of the playoff teams have a RBBC (running back by committee) – meaning they have two guys who split the carries, or even three backs in some cases.
The Bengals were on the rise in 2005 when they hosted the Steelers in the wild-card round.
Why- This game could easily go either way. QB A.J. McCarron will once again be the starter for the Bengals as Andy Dalton recovers from his surgically-repaired thumb.
If the Bengals had Dalton, this would be a different story. If nothing major happens, the Seahawks, Packers, Bengals, and Chiefs are the expert picks to advance to the next round of the National Football League playoffs. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has a 101.0 passer rating in the postseason, but the two-time MVP hasn’t thrown for more than two scores in a career-high eight straight games. Houston is pretty good at causing mistakes.
Counting past numbers, the odds are stacked against the home team. Head coach Marv Lewis is 0-6 in the post-season and stand-in quarterback AJ McCarron is making his playoff debut- that hardly instils confidence.
The ESPN DEPORTES team includes Alvaro Martin (play-by-play), SUPER BOWL champion kicker Raul Allegre (analyst) and reporter John Sutcliffe. Take the ‘Hawks. They’re ascendant. This is why I’m calling the upset.
This game is a return trip for the Chiefs who defeated the Texans, 27-20, in the season opener at Houston. But the Chiefs defense is really good, too.
I don’t think the Epithets are very good. Also, it has been well documented that west coast teams suffer when playing in the 1 ET time slot, so it’s important to also consider this variable.
This is, by far, the toughest matchup to predict in this round, with the betting line representing this level of uncertainty.
In a rare departure from the norm, both AFC Wild Card games are on Sunday while both NFC games are on Sunday.
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The Redskins haven’t played the Packers since 2013, when they lost 38-20 as a 7.5-point road underdog. While it can be assumed that the victor of this game is only here to then be destroyed by either the Panthers or Cardinals, reaching the Divisional Round would still be a huge positive for the winning franchise. He led Cincy to wins over San Francisco and Baltimore, teams that didn’t make the playoffs. The Redskins are playing some of the best football of any team in the playoff picture and should be able to beat Green Bay at FedEx Field in Landover. The Vikings are at home, which should make their chances a bit better against an wonderful Seahawks offense, but they will need to establish their running game early in order to beat Seattle. That Hasselbeck was in part joking with some former Packers teammates didn’t help soothe the Seahawks’ pain when Green Bay cornerback Al Harris stepped in front of a Hasselbeck pass intended for Alex Bannister and returned it 52 yards for the winning touchdown.
