Wild-card Weekend Predictions

Well, the NFL playoffs are upon us.  It's been a tough year for me being a Packers fan, but I will certainly enjoy being an objective observer of the NFL playoffs.  For those of you who don't follow football, I pity you.  You are missing out.

Also, for those of you who only like college football, the NFL actually has a playoff system to determine its champion.  That means the top teams in the league play each other in a single-elimination tournament until 1 team remains.  It is an amazing concept and I hope it catches on some day in college football.

Anyway, on to this weekend's games and my predictions(*):

Cardinals vs. Falcons:  The Falcons have the better record, but the Cardinals are at home.  The Cardinals have a really bad defense and a really good passing offense.  The Falcons can run the ball and have a rookie QB (Matt Ryan).  I'm going with the team that can run the ball.  Falcons 31, Cardinals 24.

Chargers vs. Colts:  Two of the league's hottest teams meet in this match-up.  The Colts have won 9 straight games, while the Chargers won their last 4 games of the year to get into the playoffs.  The Colts are solid on both sides of the ball, while the Chargers are weak on defense and explosive (yet inconsistent) on offense.  I'm going with Peyton Manning's acting ability and the Colts.  Colts 27, Chargers 20.

Dolphins vs. Ravens:  The Dolphins are one of the surprise teams this year, making it to the playoffs after going 1-15 this year.  Despite a solid defense and a good running attack, I don't see them defeating the Ravens who boasts the league's 2nd-best defense and a great rushing attack.  Also, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis scares me.  Ravens 24, Dolphins 10.

Vikings vs. Eagles:  Could I possibly predict all 4 away teams to win on wild-card weekend?  That would be....well, wild.  The Vikings have been an enigma all year, while the Eagles realized they were a good team the last month of the season.  This game will come down to who will be able to run the ball (both defenses are solid against the run).  Adrian Peterson is too good to not have a big game.  I'm going with the home Vikings.  Vikings 27, Eagles 24.

*Historically, my predictions have not been accurate.  Please do not use any content displayed here as insight for wagering on the games.