We're now at the 2nd week of the playoffs in the National Football League. What could come out of the games this weekend could potentially lead to some very entertaining and intriguing matchups. Could we see another Brady vs. Manning in the AFC title game? Could the Steelers and Chiefs play spoilers? Can Seattle reach the NFC title game for the 3rd straight year? Are the Cardinals and Panthers for real? We will have these questions answered by the time this weekend comes to an end. Its time for the divisional round of the playoffs! Here's what were looking at this weekend. Lets start with the Saturday games!
First up, the Wild Card Winning Kansas City Chiefs head to Gillette Stadium to take on the AFC East Champions the New England Patriots. New England comes into the game with a 12-4 record, good enough to win the AFC East for the 7th straight year. New England has also earned a first round bye for the 6th straight year. Since the turn of the century in 2000, New England has missed the playoffs only three times. The Patriots are trying to get back to the Super Bowl for the 2nd year in a row, as they are the defending world champions. New England is 28-18 all time in post season play. As for Kansas City, they are coming off beating the Houston Texans 30-0 in the Wild Card Game last weekend. This is the 2nd time in three years they have made the playoffs, and the first time they have won a playoff game since 1993. Kansas City is now 9-15 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the first ever meeting between the two teams in the post season. The last time these two teams faced each other, back in September of 2014, Smith and the offense hung 41 points on New England in a blowout that led some to question the validity of Tom Brady as a starter.
Picks
Solly: New England Patriots
Steve: New England Patriots
Danny: New England Patriots
Next up, we have the NFC matchup as the Wild Card Winning Green Bay Packers travel to University of Phoenix Stadium to take on the NFC West Champions the Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay comes into this one after pulling off a comeback win on the road last week, beating the Washington Redskins 38-15. This game marks the 4th time in the last 7 years that the Packers will play in the divisional round. Green Bay is looking to win in this round for the first time since their Super Bowl year in 2010. Lifetime, the Packers are now 33-20 in the playoffs. As for the Arizona Cardinals, they come in with a 13-3 record, which was good enough to help them win the NFC West for the first time since 2009. This marks the 2nd year in a row that Arizona is a playoff team, but the Cards haven't won a playoff game since 2009. Arizona looks to get out of the Divisional Round for the first time since 2008. Arizona is 6-8 lifetime in the post season. These two teams have met twice before in the playoffs, Green Bay won their meeting in 1982, while Arizona came away with the win in 2009. During their one meeting this year in the regular season, Arizona beat the tar out of the Packers 38-8 back on December 27th.
Picks:
Solly: Green Bay Packers
Steve: Arizona Cardinals
Danny: Arizona Cardinals
Now for the Sunday games. First up its the Wild Card winners the Seattle Seahawks heading to Bank of America Stadium to take on the NFC South Champions the Carolina Panthers. Carolina was the best team in the NFL during the regular season, winning the South with a 15-1 record, the best regular season the team has ever had. This marks the 3rd year in a row that the Panthers have won their division. Carolina hasn't made it out of the divisional round since 2005. All time, the Panthers are 7-6 in postseason play. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are coming off a nail biting 10-9 win on the road against the Vikings in Minnesota last week. Seattle, with a win, will make it back to the NFC Championship game for the 3rd year in a row. Seattle now has an 16-13 all time record in the playoffs. These two teams have met twice before in the post season, with Seattle having won both previous meetings, 2005 and 2015. Carolina took their only regular season meeting this year, a 27-23 victory in Seattle back on October 18th.
Picks
Solly: Carolina Panthers
Steve: Carolina Panthers
Danny: Seattle Seahawks
Last but not least, the Wild Card Winning Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to take on the AFC West Champions the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh comes in after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 18-16 in the Wild Card Game last week. This marks the first time since 2010 that the Steelers are playing in the divisional round. Pittsburgh is now 35-22 lifetime in the post season. As for the Broncos, they finished the year 12-4 for the 2nd year in a row, and now have won the AFC West for the 5th straight season. Denver is looking to get a win in the playoffs for the first time since going to the Super Bowl two years ago. The Broncos are 20-19 lifetime in post season play. These two teams have met seven times before in the playoffs, with Denver having won four of those seven games. The last playoff meeting came in 2011, a 29-23 Denver win (Tebow to Thomas for 80 yards in Overtime). During the regular season, Pittsburgh beat the Broncos 34-27 back on December 10th in Pittsburgh.
Picks:
Solly: Denver Broncos
Steve: Denver Broncos
Danny: Denver Broncos
No comments:
Post a Comment