The Seattle Seahawks have a long road ahead of them, literally. The Texans are fortunate to be in the playoffs at 9-7 running through a awful division and only beating one playoff team along the way.
Advertisement
The Chiefs and Texans have both had very similar roads to the postseason. After that game, the Chiefs lost five straight, but turned it around and won their last ten games. Dalton and Cincinnati won in Pittsburgh earlier this season, but the Bengals lost at home to the Steelers when Dalton broke his thumb and left the game early.
Houston is the only team in the playoffs not to reach a Super Bowl, but the team has only been around since 2002. Both teams win the game on defense.
The Kansas City defense will be a tough match-up for a Houston offense which has gone through four different quarterbacks this season. But the Texans still limited those divisional foes to a grand total of 22 points and allowed an average of just under 221 yards in that span – lowest in the NFL.
Expect the Bengals to triumph in this AFC North clash.
One of the Chiefs’ secret weapons is their special teams unit, which John Dixon at Arrowhead Pride pointed out has been stout over the last three seasons and especially in 2015. The other eight games were against Pittsburgh (21st), Detroit (18th), San Diego twice (20th), Buffalo (19th), Oakland twice (22nd), and Cleveland (27th).
We’ve seen wild card teams make it to the Super Bowl before. The idea of a No. 6 seed upsetting a No. 3 isn’t a foreign concept by any means. The Giants won as a No. 5 seed. Ben Roethlisberger, on the other hand, can put up flashy enough numbers to win the game. After watching the Redskins offense the past few weeks I’m really liking what Kirk Cousins has done and I really like the players around him.
There have been 17 such games played since 2005. He’d certainly have less pressure to win if Dalton doesn’t play. This is not a very good way to start the playoffs and The Packers just do not look like a good team right now.
Prediction: A noisy crowd at FedEx Field will be the factor that rattles Rodgers. The Seahawks were great in their final eight games. In A.J. McCarron’s three starts the team has zero points, a win over the 49ers (0), a narrow loss at Denver (+1) and a narrow win against the Ravens (-1). That usually is the main challenge against Seattle’s offense, but Marshawn Lynch’s status is uncertain after he sat out the last seven games (abdominal surgery). Minnesota’s only had two quality wins, over the Chiefs and Packers, but their calling card came in only having one bad loss, the season opener to the 49ers. However, the root of the team’s success is the defense. They have been up and down all year.
The Vikings are tied with the Chiefs for the second-youngest team in the playoffs and only trail the Texans.
If that becomes the reality, the Seattle defense should easily be able to shut down Teddy Bridgewater and Minnesota’s passing game. The Seahawks also hammered the Vikings, 38-7, in week 13 in Minneapolis. Seahawks 31, Panthers 28.
The last game of the weekend is perhaps the most interesting game and my game of the week.
The Redskins are coming off a four-win season and struggled to find stability at the quarterback position before this season. Coach Jay Gruden, who many believed should have been fired at the beginning of the season, looks like a genius.
Season record: 11-5, second in NFC West. The teams are more evenly matched. And the defense has been solid throughout the year as well.
Aaron Rodgers is 6-5 straight-up and against-the-spread in the postseason. After Jordy Nelson tore his ACL, Jones stepped in and contributed in a huge way.
Advertisement
Green Bay have had problems offensively. To protect from those outside rushers – and make up for a lack of depth on the o-line – Green Bay will use plenty of two-tight end sets as well as a fullback to give Rodgers time. The Redskins are at home, which gives them a 58 percent chance.
