Here we are, we've reached what many people call the best football weekend of the year... the divisional playoffs! Except for the Pats/Texans snoozefest, we've got a slate of potentially awesome games coming up this weekend... unfortunately I'll only be able to see the Sunday ones, but that's ok.
HERE WE GO!
GAME OF THE WEEK - Sunday at 1:05 PM EST - Pittsburgh Steelers (12-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (12-4), KC by 1.5 - I think this has the potential to be a Game of the Year caliber game, OR a snoozefest, but given the kind of ball these two teams play and how they match up, I'm going to say the former. It'll be awesome watching this Chiefs pass defense against the Steelers pass offense. The key to the game is going to be, as will be a common theme all weekend, ball control. The Steelers could potentially hammer away at the Chiefs, but if the Chiefs can keep their defense rested, they could grind out a tough, close victory. Going to be a really entertaining and interesting game that could go either way, so in what's basically a tossup for me, I'm giving the Chiefs the homefield and bye week edge. Chiefs 27, Steelers 24
Saturday at 4:35 PM EST - Seattle Seahawks (11-5-1) at Atlanta Falcons (11-5), ATL by 4.5 - This was the best game of the 2012-2013 playoffs and went right down to the wire. Looking forward to seeing these two teams match up again. The Seahawks have looked like shells of their former selves for much of this season, but it'd be foolish to write them off given the talent they still have on that defense. But in the Russell Wilson era, the Seahawks are undefeated at home in the postseason, but winless on the road in the postseason. They simply have a tough time traveling. The noise in the Georgia Dome is going to be deafening, and that Falcons offense has proven nearly impossible to stop. If anyone's up to the task it's Seattle, but that's assuming they don't lay a big egg on the road yet again. Given the way these two teams have looked, I have to give the edge to Atlanta. Falcons 30, Seahawks 24
Saturday at 8:15 PM EST - Houston Texans (10-7) at New England Patriots (14-2), NE by 16 - This game is an absolute joke, and it is so incredibly shitty that the Raiders lost Derek Carr, otherwise we would be seeing KC/OAK and PIT/NE this round!!! Ughhhhh, what could have been. But now, all the Patriots have to do is show up and they'll win by at least three scores. Patriots 41, Texans 13
Sunday at 4:40 PM EST - Green Bay Packers (11-6) at Dallas Cowboys (13-3), DAL by 4.5 - This has to be the most anticipated game of the week for the majority of viewers, given the two markets and the history of these two teams, as well as the matchup. You gotta figure the Packers are the absolute last team the Cowboys wanted to see, even after the Giants. The Packers are the hottest team in the NFL, and Aaron Rodgers is playing about as well as a QB can possibly play in their last nine games. The key, again, is going to be ball control. If the Packers are able to stop the running game, they're going to win. It's as simple as that. That's much easier said than done against Zeke and this incredible offensive line, so it becomes all about how much the Packers defense is able to slow down the Cowboys. The Cowboys' pass defense is nowhere near as good as the Giants. So even if they temporarily hold Aaron to a slow start, as we saw against the Giants, that's only good enough for so long before he eventually figures shit out and starts throwing all over the field. I think the Packers match up against the Cowboys better than they do against the Giants from an offensive standpoint, and with Aaron Rodgers playing at an otherworldly level, I like their chances to be the only upset of the week. UPSET! - Packers 34, Cowboys 27
