Went perfect in the wild card round, picking each of the four games correctly. That ran my record to 176-83-1 on the season. I'll be hoping for a less successful week this time around, you'll soon see why.
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
Getting past division rival Pittsburgh at Heinz Field got the Ravens another playoff trip to Gillette Stadium. These two have met in Foxboro in postseason play three times in very recent memory; the Ravens have taken two of the three. That's big because you know they won't be intimidated. IMO this sometimes plays a factor for teams when they play New England. Although Joe Flacco would seem to be at a disadvantage going head to head with the QB who plays for New England (I won't mention his name since I hate him), his best games of late have come in the playoffs. As I alluded to above, there will be some picks I hope to be incorrect about this week. This is the first of those. I'm begrudgingly not picking Baltimore, but I'm hoping they win and wouldn't be flat out shocked by it.
My Call: Patriots 24, Ravens 21
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
At times it was sloppy as hell, but the Carolina Panthers advanced past the Arizona Cardinals and will have essentially nothing to lose as they travel to Seattle to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Seahawks. Why do I say this? Well, you've got nobody expecting them to win this game. They're a team that was under .500 in the regular season (but did win their division) and looked quite bad at times at home against the Cardinals a week ago. Plus in spite of losing two games to Seattle the last two years, the games have been close. It was 12-7 last season, 13-9 earlier this season. Those games were in Charlotte, though. There's a bit of a difference between that and a trip to the Pacific Northwest. I actually think the Panthers will keep this one closer than most people expect for some time, but they don't have the offense to pull it off and there will only be so much the defense will be able to do before Marshawn Lynch or Russell Wilson (or both) come up with a big offensive play that gets Seattle the separation they need for a second straight trip to the NFC Championship Game.
My Call: Seahawks 21, Panthers 10
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
Some people will say the Cowboys caught some breaks against Detroit via the officials and should not be in this game. Actually, I should say a lot of people have said that over the past week or so. None of that matters though, they're in the divisional round and face the unenviable task of trying to beat the Packers at Lambeau Field. One big question mark surrounding this game is how healthy is Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers? He has a slight tear in a calf muscle that was already strained, so it's tough to say how well the best QB in the NFL will be moving around out there. Some good news for Rodgers and the Pack is one thing the Cowboys haven't done that well this season is get a ton of pressure on opposing QBs. Their 28 sacks as a team ranks them ahead of only San Diego, Atlanta, Oakland and Cincinnati. What do those teams have in common? Three of them missed the playoffs and the one that did make it was easily handled a week ago. My guess is this will be a very, very good football game. It's one I'm looking forward to. Sorry Cowboys, but if you guys can't get pressure on Rodgers even if he's less than 100 percent, I don't think you guys will win. Prove to me you guys can do that. Three sacks against Matthew Stafford last week was a solid start, but I'm not a full believer just yet. Hence this pick (I wouldn't mind being wrong here either, though)...
My Call: Packers 28, Cowboys 27
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
Okay, last NFL playoff game of the week to predict. Indianapolis won themselves a trip to the Mile High City with a convincing 26-10 win in the first round over the Cincinnati Bengals. Obviously with these two teams, you get Peyton Manning not only facing his old team, but he also gets to face the man (Andrew Luck) who has taken over the reigns in Indianapolis in his place. You can't say this hasn't worked out for both franchises. The Broncos have been in Super Bowl contention since Manning signed with them (though it'll be a disappointment for him and the organization if they don't *win* a Super Bowl together) while Indy has themselves a terrific young QB who reminds me of a young Aaron Rodgers and who they'll have for the next 10+ years. Anyway, in regards to this game, although I again hope to be wrong, I don't think the Colts are quite ready to win this one. They're lacking a running back that will put fear into the heart of the Denver defense and also lacking solid pass protection on the right side. Plus they don't really have that one guy who you'd think will be putting constant pressure in the face of Peyton Manning, either. I think the Colts will get there in the Andrew Luck era for sure, they'll win at least one Super Bowl (and perhaps more), but not this year. But if you guys want to prove me wrong, go for it!
My Call: Broncos 35, Colts 27
