NFL Picks 2015: Wild Card round

Ok, it’s been 17 weeks and the riffraff has been eliminated. It’s down to 12. And this week’s wild card round has four solid, interesting games on the slate. Tony won the regular season pick segment. Can he keep it up in the playoffs?

Here’s who we think wins this weekend:

Maggio’s Take: There’s not a game here I’m not excited to watch for various reasons. Even the teams that “snuck” in based on poor divisions find themselves in very winnable spots based on momentum (Washington) or opponent’s style of play (Houston). The Bengals being in one-and-done territory again thanks to Andy Dalton’s injury makes that matchup a must-watch, while arguably the league’s hottest team (Seattle) has to go on the road for a sub-zero game against a Vikings squad that’s turned things around since the Seahawks put them in their place in early December. It’s going to be a fun weekend of football.

Tony’s Take: Which intrigues me: Bengals/Steelers – I read an interesting stat a bit ago—the Pittsburgh Steelers (who eked into the playoffs by finishing 4-1 down the stretch, with their own embarrassing loss to the Ravens) haven’t faced a team’s starting quarterback for a full game since November 29^th, when they lost to the Seahawks. The Steelers are most likely facing another backup this week in AJ McCarron, who came in to throw for 280 yards against them after Andy Dalton broke his thumb making a tackle on an interception. McCarron has played ok during his three starts, including a victory over those Ravens a week after the Steelers lost. While all four games have some intrigue (Vikings revenge in the cold, Texans facing the hottest team in the NFL with a carousel of starting QBs, Packers possibly losing in the first round again), for some reason, this divisional matchup is the one that intrigues me the most.

Andy’s Take: I agree with Anthony. This is a hugely interesting weekend of football. Can Kansas City keep the momentum it’s built up over a 10-game win streak against one of the league’s hottest teams? Can Cincy overcome the loss of Andy Dalton – or does it actually help them advance? Will one of the big pre-season favorites in Green Bay overcome its second-half-of-the-season struggles against Washington, the team sent to the playoffs by the league’s weakest division? But the game I’m most intrigued by is the sub-zero temperature game between two of the leagues stronger defenses in Minnesota and Seattle. The Seahawks started slow and came on strong at the end of the season. The Vikings took a thumping from Seattle at home just a month ago. Which team blocks out the cold and plays well enough to advance – the playoff-tested Seahawks or the upstart Vikings? Should be a good weekend.

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