The NFL playoffs kick off this weekend with a great slate of wild card games that have set the course for the rest of the playoffs in recent years. This year features seven returning teams and five new teams who did not make the playoffs last year. (Six out of the twelve teams in the field were predicted in the previous article) The wild card match ups are as follows:
Cardinals at Panthers: Saturday 4:35 PM
Ravens at Steelers: Saturday 8:15 PM
Bengals at Colts 1:05 PM
Lions at Cowboys 4:40 PM
All these games could go either way. Here is what we had to say about each match up.
Cardinals vs Panthers: This game pits the 11-5 Cardinals vs the NFC South division champion Panthers. The Panthers finished 7-8-1 in the weakest division in the league behind a injury plagued season of Cam Newton and the emergence of rookie Kelvin Benjamin. They have won four straight games behind a strong defensive effort and a balanced offense. The Cardinals have a dangerous secondary and solid receivers to aid Drew Stanton or Ryan Lindley (whoever ends up starting) injuries to starters on both sides of the ball have plagued them down the stretch but Arizona prides itself in keeping game scores low and managing the ball.
James: Panthers 19-16:
Joe: Cardinals 21 - 14
Ravens at Steelers: This AFC North rivalry is renewed in the Saturday night match up. Baltimore won the first game this year in Week 2 26-6, but Pittsburgh won 43-23 in Week 9. The Steelers won the division crown and finished the season on a four game win streak. The offense has been firing on all cylinders behind an impressive campaign of Ben Roethelsberger who connected with star receiver Brown 129 times for 1698 yards and thirteen touchdowns. Also, running back LeVeon Bell had a stellar sophomore campaign rushing for 1361 yards and eight touchdowns. He is questionable for Saturday's game at the moment.The Ravens come behind a stout run defense who will get Haloti Ngata as his suspension is complete. Despite the Ray Rice suspension, the run attack has been strong as Justin Forsett and Bernard Pierce have split time and rushed for over 1600 yards. Joe Flacco has what he would consider a down year, and slowed down towards the end of the season. Despite saying this, Flacco has played well in the playoffs including an impressive Super Bowl run two years ago.
James: Steelers 35-31
Joe: Steelers 28 -24
Bengals at Colts: This AFC match up is a good one. Andrew Luck is coming off an exceptional regular season in which he threw for 4761 yards and 40 TDs leading the Colts to a 11-5 season and their third straight playoff birth. Th Bengals are also in the playoffs for their third straight season after a 10-5-1 campaign. The Bengals running is among the best in the league featuring Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard who combined for over 1800 yards on the ground. Naturally, Andy Dalton put up less than he usually has due to the increased rush attack, but the pass game is still a force to be reckoned with. AJ Green and Mohammed Sanu are both great receivers who will have to work against a seasoned Colts secondary. Both teams have built the reputation of great regular season teams but fall short in the postseason, so it will be interesting to see how the quarterbacks perform in this pivotal wildcard game.
James: Colts 42-24
Joe: Colts 24-21
Lions at Cowboys: This game features two of this year's biggest surprise stories. The Cowboys, after finishing 8-8 the past three seasons, won the NFC East with a 12-4 record as well as an unblemished road record. DeMarco Murray had a breakout year leading the league in rushing with 1845 yards. Tony Romo has had another solid year throwing for 34 touchdowns due in large part to diverse group of talented receivers and the leagues best offensive line. Dallas' offense looks as good as ever coming into the game vs the Lions formidable defensive front. The Lions lead the league in opposing rush yards per game and look to bottle up Murray. Matthew Stafford had another great year alongside Calvin Johnson as well as newly acquired Golden Tate. Not much was expected out of either of these teams and due to both teams having sub par secondaries and similar strengths, look for this game to be a true shootout.
James: Cowboys 28-24
Joe: Lions 35-24
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