Getting to Wild Card Weekend is one thing. Advancing in the NFL Playoffs is another. I see double-digit wins for the Chiefs, Rams, and Jaguars.
I finished the regular season with a 9-7 record in Week 17. That adds up to a cumulative mark of 157-99 (.613) for the 2017 NFL season. Considering how up-and-down the league was this year, I’ll take it.
Now it’s time to plot the course for the 12 teams lucky enough to still be on the path to Super Bowl LII. Here are my picks. (Note: team seedings are in parentheses.)
Saturday’s Games
(4) Kansas City 31, (5) Tennessee 20: I’m a big believer in playoff experience and the Chiefs have more of it. They also have home-field advantage. Are those definitive reasons to go with KC in this game? Hardly. The Arrowhead Stadium crowd hasn’t been enough to pull the Chiefs through some shocking postseason home losses. Having said that, the Titans were way too inconsistent this year for me to believe they can pull off a win. Kansas City had its own midseason slump, but it righted the ship just in time.
(3) Los Angeles Rams 34, (6) Atlanta 17: When I looked at the Falcons’ first injury report of the week–and saw Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman on it–this game became a rather easy pick. Yeah, the Falcons came through the tough gauntlet that the NFC South Division provided this year. Three of its four teams made the playoffs. But the Rams’ offense is too multi-faceted and way too dynamic to fall short in this game.
Sunday’s Games
(3) Jacksonville 27, (6) Buffalo 10: An image will forever live in the minds of Buffalo faithful. It’s the sight of Cincinnati receiver Tyler Boyd dissecting the Baltimore defense and putting the Bills into the playoffs for the first time since 1999. But, for now, that memory will have to do. Jacksonville’s defense is simply too aggressive and dominating for Tyrod Taylor to get much accomplished offensively in this game.
(4) New Orleans 30, (5) Carolina 26: It’s no surprise that this game is the last of the four on Wild Card Weekend. The finale could well be the best of the bunch. And while these two NFC South Division teams know each other well, I think the Saints have an edge. Why? New Orleans brings defense and a running game to the game. That said, I still think Cam Newton will make enough big plays to keep it close.
