Official NFL Wildcard picks + brief write-ups Here is my way to help contribute to this Forum.
1) NYJ @ CIN
CIN: Ochocinco banged up. Unconfirmed reports that QB Palmer is playing hurt, thus the notable drop in production the 2nd half of this season. O has sputtered like Tiger Wood's car when Erin was swinging that 3-iron a la Ryan Howard. Entire team has lost momentum and it can't be that easy to "turn on the heat" on a dime. Has covered once in last 7 - 8 games. Not a good sign.
NYJ: Yes they are the "back-door" team thanks to the Colts. Yes they are starting a rookie QB. Yes they also lost players on IR. Yes their coach is a total windbag and is also a rookie. Yes they have a great D, and a great run game.
Pick: NYJ
PHI @ DAL
PHI: Can't play much worse that they did last week. They DO have the most big plays over 25 yards in the NFL, over 30+ each. But PHI is not nowhere near where they need to be defensively. The D unit has regressed this year. Losses have taken it's toll.
DAL: D is playing much better, and their pass rush is improving, containing at the same time that they are forcing opposing QB's into early releases. Their O seems to be able to handle PHI's blitzing packages, and QB Romo seems to be able to get away when he needs to. The run game has also picked up.
Pick: DAL
Sunday Playoff games:
BAL @ NE
NE: Has key injury w/ loss of WR Welker. This loss might be the dagger in the heart of an already shaky O, as QB Brady's "injuries" might be for real after spending the last three out of four years on the Injury list every week. RB Maroney might be hurt too. The D lacks consistent pass rush, and Belichick is probably regretting letting DE Seymour go to the Black Hole. Yes the D is getting a few players back, but their opponent this week has a monster rush attack, and how effective are there returning faces going to be? WR Moss is not having a great year, and is showing signs of folding, and we have seen this in his past. Too many Q's here.
BAL: Not as good as they were three years ago, and their D has slowly regressed in each of the last three years. However, their O seems to improve each year, especially their running game. Their runners, Ray Rice, McGahee, and McClain are arguably the best three-RB tandem in all of the NFL. I watched the early season game between these two teams, and the Ravens could have won that game. They rushed ONLY 17 attempts, something that I am sure OC cameron will change this time.
Pick: BAL
GB @ ARZ
To me, this is the toughest game to handicap.
GB: Red Hot team, aka the Hot Road DOG syndrome working here. O Line has improved. D has also improved despite key injuries to Kampmann & Harris. GB is again the YOUNGEST team in the NFL, but this youth is not necessarily a positive now. O is great w/ QB Rodgers developing nicely. However, this is Rodgers' first playoff game. Now some bad here: GB has had an easier schedule, easier than the Cardinals. Some strange calls from Coaching staffs, a la the PIT game that they should have won. Pass rush, whilst improved, is inconsistent.
ARZ: The most inconsistent team in the postseason. Not a good home team. WR Boldin probably out, and DB Cromartie-D is probably a no-go too.
Hoevever, upon further digging I see:
1) QB Warner will play more than one quarter. This does not bode well for GB's suspect pass D.
2) They do have a formidable pass rush that will be the key in this game: GB's glaring weakness is keeping Rodgers upright. While GB's O Line has done much better the latter half of the season, it can be argued that GB merely "masked" the weakness by game-planning w/ Rodgers' timing throws.
3) The ARZ Wideouts are beasts, especially Fitzgerald. He needs to be accounted for on each play. Yes GB has great receivers too, but ARZ has better even without Boldin.
4) RB Wells could be the X factor too.
This game has the looks of a GB victory, but can't always judge a book by it's cover:
Pick: ARZ
Good luck to everyone and have fun!
IMSM
They got spanked on national TV last week, like the Eagles and Bengals too, and should want to reverse this.
