What a Wild Card Weekend. It didn’t quite go as I had thought, but it was exciting none-the-less. There was a little bit of everything. We had upsets, we had drama and we even had a quarterback throw his first playoff touchdown to himself. There was definitely disappointment. I was truly hoping the Billsmafia would get a second round of tailgating, but it’s just not meant to be. I missed on three of four picks this past week. Let’s discuss.
Where I went wrong
It’s probably for the best
The Billsmafia isn’t getting a second round of tailgating, but it’s probably for the best. The likelihood of someone dying would have increased 30% per round, as the Bills would have continued to advance through the playoffs. It’s simple science. Tyrod Taylor showed the world that he will one day, very soon, make a great backup quarterback. The Bills have a playoff ready team and will need to make that change, if they want to have any hope of capitalizing on the current roster.
The Rams are not the greatest show on turf, yet
The Rams will have to wait another season to regain the title, “Greatest Show on Turf.” The Rams rested their stars in Week 17, and it proved to be deadly. The team wasn’t firing on all cylinders. While the Falcons picked them apart. The Falcons showed that they still had some fight in them, and grounded the Rams young squad. I expect the Rams to be Super Bowl favourite next season with a new found chip on their shoulder.
The damn Chiefs
I thought I was done with this. I thought the Chiefs were finally a team that I could pick with conviction. Apparently I was mistaken. Marcus Mariota threw his first career playoff touchdown to himself. That’s how bad this was. The Chiefs have now gone 1-3 in the playoffs under Andy Reid. And their answer is to openly admit that they will be looking to trade Alex Smith in the off-season. Alex Smith isn’t the problem, it’s Andy Reid is. If the Chiefs want any chance of winning a Super Bowl, they should hire someone else and quickly.
Related: Is Jon Gruden worth $100M, or is he stealing money from a struggling franchise?
Don’s Picks | Divisional Playoffs
Regular Season Record: 157-98
Playoff Record: 1-3
Falcons vs. Eagles
Titans vs. Patriots
Jaguars vs. Steelers
Saints vs. Vikings
Games to Watch
Falcons vs. Eagles
I’m taking Atlanta for the mere fact that Carson Wentz won’t be playing in this game. My pick would be much different if that were the case. I’ve written an article already on why Nick Foles is not the answer for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons showed that they were still a team to be contested with last week. I think the Falcons come into Philadelphia and walk over this Eagles squad.
Titans vs. Patriots
Tennessee will not do to the Patriots what they did to the Chiefs. Bill Belichick’s teams are far too well coached for that to happen. The Titans shouldn’t have even made the playoffs, let alone advance this far. Mistakes will be what cost the Titans from winning this game, or even being competitive. This won’t be close. The Patriots will give the Titans a good ole fashioned bully beatdown.
Jaguars vs. Steelers
I know what happened in the first game and I promise you that won’t happen again. If the Jaguars had a better showing against the Bills I might be singing a different tune, but they didn’t. They barely beat a Buffalo squad in desperate need of a quarterback. Big Ben isn’t Tyrod Taylor and he isn’t going to make the same mistakes he made in their first outing. I think it will be semi-competitive, but the Steelers give the fans a win at home.
Saints vs. Vikings
I love everything about this game. This will be a game of precision vs. grit. Drew Brees is surgeon on the field and Case Keenum is an underdog quarterback, looking to bring an underdog franchise to playoff glory. In games that I think will ultimately come down to a quarterback duel I like to pick the surgeon. But I don’t think this game will be decided by their quarterbacks. This game will be decided by a full-team effort and when forced to pick between a precision team and a team with grit, you always have to go with the gritty team. I think Minnesota finds a way to win a closely fought battle.
Related: Tiger-Cats confirm an offer has been made to Johnny Manziel
Think I’m full of shit
Prove it
Send me your picks, your thoughts, or whatever nonsense floats around inside that head of yours and tag me in it: @dschram34. Or go to the “Submit your shit” page of the website, and give us your thoughts on this weeks matchups. If it’s legitimate, I promise you Dean will post it.
See you in the comments section.