Well, the NFL Playoffs get underway this Saturday, January 7, so I've got to make some predictions. Let's just say we're going to get a very exciting Super Bowl. I will go through each game, give a score and a reasoning behind it, and finish with a conclusion.
AFC Wild Cards
(6) Miami Dolphins at (3) Pittsburgh Steelers: Steelers win, 30-13
I don't see this game being that close. The Steeler's 3 B's (Bell, Brown, Big Ben) are well-rested and Miami is missing it's starting quarterback. The Dolphins defense might keep this game close for a while but the Steelers pull away in the end.
(5) Oakland Raiders at (4) Houston Texans: Texans win, 20-12
It's such a shame Derek Carr got hurt. And the Texans are more of a defensive team, so this should be a low-scoring contest, meaning it could be close all the way to the end. Houston's defense comes up with the big stop and wins it.
NFC Wild Cards
(6) Detroit Lions at (3) Seattle Seahawks: Seahawks win, 26-24
Both teams come into this game rather cold. The Lions have lost 3 straight and the Hawks have lost 2 of 4, and their two wins came against the Rams and 49ers. But this should be a hard-fought and entertaining contest. I expect the Hawks to even trail at some point, but I'm calling Steven Hauschka to redeem himself a bit this year and kick a game-winning field goal. Hawks move on, barely.
(5) New York Giants at (4) Green Bay Packers: Packers win, 24-16
These two have met a bit in the playoffs (and at Lambeau Field, too) and it seems like the Giants always come out on top. Not this time. Green Bay is arguably the hottest team in the NFL. Even in the frigid temperatures Green Bay will manufacture offense, probably using Ty Montgomery quite a bit. Giants get a shot to tie it but come up short.
AFC Divisional Games
(4) Houston Texans at (1) New England Patriots: Patriots win, 28-9
This shouldn't be that close of a contest. The well-rested Patriots should take care of business. Better QB's than Tom Savage have struggled mightily against the Pats in January. Maybe the Pats don't light up the scoreboard but I can't see the Houston offense having much succcess at cold Foxborough.
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Kansas City Chiefs: Steelers win, 28-27
In what may be the most potentially exciting game of the playoff season, the Steelers win a thriller just barely over the Chiefs. I know, the Chiefs are at home, but I feel the Steelers are one of the few (if not the only) teams that can pull it off. The Steelers get a TD in the final seconds and Chris Boswell kicks the most exciting PAT in NFL history so far.
NFC Divisional Games
(4) Green Bay Packers at (1) Dallas Cowboys: Packers win, 31-26
My what a matchup this could be. The Packers would be riding a seven game winning streak while the Cowboys once won 10 in a row this year. I like the Packers based on experience. Prescott, Elliott and company get a shot to win in the final minutes but come up short.
(3) Seattle Seahawks at (2) Atlanta Falcons: Seahawks win, 27-24
You may think the Falcons want revenge for the game the Hawks won earlier in the year (and they kind got gypped on with the no call on Sherman for pass interference). But it's more the Hawks wanting to prove that it wasn't a fluke and they deserved to win. In a strange twist of fate, the Falcons drive and get in position for a game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime, but Falcons kicker Matt Bryant misses it.
AFC Championship Game
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers at (1) New England Patriots: Patriots win, 27-23
The Steelers have the talent to pull it off but don't get it done. It's just too much to ask a team to go and beat a 2 and a 1 seed on the road in back to back weeks. Patriots D steps up and helps them get to Super Bowl LI.
NFC Championship Game
(4) Green Bay Packers at (3) Seattle Seahawks: Packers win, 34-24
I cannot remember the last time a championship game was at the home of a 3 seed (or lower) but I'm calling it this year. In a rematch of the 2014 NFC Championship Game, the Pack comes out on top. Wilson and company try too little too late and the Packers pad on to their lead in the final minutes.
Super Bowl LI
New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers: Packers win, 30-28
Twenty years after Super Bowl XXXI, the same two teams meet for LI. In Super Bowl XXXI we had Bledsoe vs. Favre, and in this game we have the guys that replaced them: Brady and Rodgers. I have been calling for this Super Bowl to happen for YEARS and it finally does. I'm not exactly sure how it goes down, whether Gostowski misses a potential game-winning field goal (Haha Tom, can't always rely on your kicker) or if Green Bay gets a game winning score, but the Pack do indeed come out on top.
Remember when Aaron Rodgers said the Packers could run the table? Little do we know he meant in the playoffs too. Rodgers wins NFL and Super Bowl MVP in the same year. As a Seahawk fan, getting to the NFC Championship game would be enough for me. I just want to see us compete. And in this scenario, we certainly do.
