Where did the NFL Season go? It is that time of the year when the best football is played both in college and pro. No more dealing with the likes of Lions, Bengals, and Bears. The Wild Card round starts on Saturday and all four road teams opened up as favorites in the sports books. Unheard of, but since then, the spreads have given way to two home teams. So what does that mean for you? Take a gander at what to expect this weekend and adjust teams accordingly.
Falcons at Cardinals
I'll start my preview of this game with a bit of trivia. Did you know that Atlanta is one of only 5 capital cities (and surrounding towns) with all four major sports teams? Can you name the other four? Boston, St. Paul, Phoenix, and Denver. All of those metropolitan areas have seen a championship since 1995, the last time the Atlanta had a parade (Atlanta Braves).
The Cardinals play a few miles outside of Phoenix but Phoenix was blessed with an amazing Diamondbacks World Series in 2001. The Cardinals can't even sell out their stadium this weekend for their first home playoff game in Arizona. Talk abut economic problems.
The Falcons are 2-6 in the playoffs when the score 20 or fewer points and 4-2 when scoring 21+. This year the Falcons averaged over 24 ppg while scoring less than 21 points five times (1-4). Meanwhile the Cardinals give up near 27 ppg and hope that their offense can keep up.
There is a good reason why the Falcons are favored in this game. Not only is Matt Ryan looking like a veteran but Michael Turner has been the best free agent pick up of the year. The Cardinals limped into the playoffs, losing 2 of their last 3 games while giving up over 34 ppg. Without a strong home atmosphere there should be no problem for the Birds from the East.
Expect Michael Turner to have a great game. Edgerin James is the starter for the Cardinals and he is a shell of his former self. That means more 3 and outs for Arizona and expect Atlanta to eat up the clock and keep Kurt Warner's possibilities limited.
As for the game, the road teams will start 1-1 this weekend as the Falcons take care of business winning 27-17.
Colts at Chargers
I am exasperated at the fact that the Colts are not favored. They have won 9 games in a row and Peyton Manning was just named MVP. The Chargers made it in an 8-8 team thanks to the Broncos collapse. 8-8 teams are just 2-7 in the first round of the playoffs. So what am I missing here? The Colts have Bob Sanders back to help solidify the defense and the Chargers will most likely be without Antonio Gates.
Sure the Chargers beat the Colts last year in the playoffs but the Colts won earlier this year in San Diego 23-20. In that win, Peyton Manning threw the ball 44 times, completing 32 of them. Expect the same thing this game as Peyton Manning will have a superb outing. 300+ yards in the air is almost a guarantee.
I don't see this game being much of a contest on Saturday night. Colts will likely score on their first few possessions putting it away early and winning 37-23.
Ravens at Dolphins
I've gone back and forth on this game. Joe Flacco and the Ravens' Defense or Chad Pennington and the Wildcat Offense? The Ravens are favored on this game but what can you expect from either team? There are questions on both sides of the ball. Do you trust the rookie quarterback or do you go with the two-time comeback player of the year? Is the Wildcat offense still legit or are the Ravens good enough to stop it?
Earlier this year these two teams met up with Baltimore winning 27-13. Willis McGahee had over 100 yards rushing for the second consecutive game against the Dolphins. Chad Pennington threw for his third highest yardage total for the entire season against the Ravens' Defense. The Dolphins' rushing game was held down as the Ravens were coming off a 31-3 thrashing from the Colts and on the brink of going 2-4 to start the year.
So maybe there was some extra motivation for the Ravens who are now 1-5 in Miami their last six visits, but is that Motivation still there after an easy 27-7 victory last week versus the Jaguars.
Not many people give the Dolphins' Defense enough credit though. The Dolphins allowed just over 100 yards rushing per game this season while allowing less than 20 ppg while in comparison the Ravens allow just over 80 yards rushing and a bit over 15 ppg.
The X-factor will be the wide receivers. A sunny day in Miami with the temperature hitting near 80 degrees means that Pennington will air it out, away from Ed Reed. I think that there will be a lot of short screen passes to balance out the Wildcat offense. The Ravens shut down the offense last time so the Dolphins will switch their plans. But the same applies to Joe Flacco on the other side. I think the Ravens have better receivers to work with and ultimately win because of it. It'll be close but the Ravens win 21-20.
Eagles at Vikings
The Eagles come in winning 4 of their last 5 including an ravishing victory versus Dallas last week. McNabb and Westbrook are getting equal opportunities keeping the opposing defense on their toes.
The Vikings meanwhile have had a back n forth season within their own house. First it was Tavaris Jackson then Gus Ferotte, now it is Jackson again at quarterback and he is looking good, completing 64% of his passes since being reinstated while throwing for eight touchdowns and just one interception. The Vikings also have the NFL's leading rusher in Adrian Peterson.
So when you look at this game closer you can see why the Eagles are barely favored. The Vikings have a solid run defense giving up less than 77 ypg. And before you crown Adrian Peterson as the best running back in this game, note that he is nursing a sore ankle and has meat hooks instead of hands, fumbling 9 times this year.
So who is going to have a great game? How about Kevin Curtis? In games in which the Eagles don't lose Curtis catches close to five balls a game, in comparison to just two balls in losses. McNabb has nine TDs and just one INT his last five games. Curtis will go under the radar for most of the game until he catches his first touchdown. I think this game will be more exciting than people are expecting but the Eagles win 30-29 giving the road teams the clean sweep.
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