2018 NFL Wild Card Preview

I had a mediocre performance in the finale of the 2017 Pigskin Pick 'Em, which was enough to get me to .500, but not enough to overcome Adam catching fire to win the contest. Kudos to him. And now, my attention turns to the NFL playoffs.

It's weird following a playoff that doesn't have my Packers in them, something that hasn't happened since I was a sophomore in college. I'm old.

But even with them not in, we've still got 11 exciting games on tap, and I want to make sure I get a look at them all. I'll go a little more in depth than we did for the Pigskin Pick 'Em contest, but come the Super Bowl I'm hoping Adam and I will have our usual prop bets thing again.

In the meantime, here's a look at the four games coming up this weekend.


Saturday Afternoon

(5) Tennessee Titans @ (4) Kanas City Chiefs

Photo by Denny Medley (USA TODAY Sports)

I had the Chiefs pegged perfectly in terms of record, but had them as a Wild Card. Instead they went on that early tear, including winning the opener in New England before running into a bit of a wall as the season went on. Still, this is a fairly experienced ten win team that's been here before and has home field advantage. They're going up against a Titans squad that I also had nailed down perfectly, albeit down a seed, that played fairly well in its finale, but overall was kind of meh for much of the year. They're a good running team but leave a lot to be desired on the defensive side of the ball, as well as at quarterback, as Marcus Mariota didn't have the best season. This is a Chiefs defense though that is susceptible to the run, which may help Mariota out. This is a tough one, because Andy Reid turns into a mediocre coach in January, but I think the talent level is enough that he at least gets one playoff win this year.

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Titans 24

Saturday Night

(6) Atlanta Falcons @ (3) Los Angeles Rams

Photo by Rick Scuteri (AP)

The defending NFC champs managed to make it back into the playoffs and get a resurgent Rams team in the opening round. The Falcons' offense isn't quite as explosive as it was last season but they've built up a pretty good defense this season that did well against the run, okay against the pass, and finished in the top 25 percent of scoring defenses in the league. They'll have their hands full against Sean McVay's charges who led the league in scoring. I wrote off Jared Goff before the season, but I was wrong and he's really come along in his sophomore year, while Todd Gurley had over 2000 all purpose yards. The Rams are susceptible to the run, though Devonta Freeman is dealing with a knee injury. Even so, between him and Coleman, this game looks like it will turn into a shootout, and in the playoffs as a general rule, you'll want to go with the defense over the offense.

Prediction: Falcons 38, Rams 35

Sunday, Early Afternoon

(6) Buffalo Bills @ (3) Jacksonville Jaguars

Photo by Charlie Crowhurst (Gerry Images)

Buffalo needed a late miracle from Andy Dalton this past Sunday to hand the Ravens the loss that propelled the Bills to their first playoff bid since I was in fifth grade. They've had some weirdness going on this year at quarterback, as Tyrod Taylor played all right, yet was lifted as the starter a couple times for Nathan Peterman, who wasn't very good. Their biggest weapon in LeSean McCoy is also questionable for Sunday's game, which would be a huge loss for a team that will need all hands on deck. The Jaguars finished second in yards and points allowed, notched a ton of quarterback sacks this year, and picked up a ton of takeaways. If McCoy is good to go, the Jags are a little weak against the run, which could give the Bills a chance. But the Jaguars also led the league in rushing thanks to rookie Leonard Fournette, and Blake Bortles has been serviceable this season. Ultimately, I don't think this one will be close.

Prediction: Jaguars 28, Bills 10

Sunday, Late Afternoon

(5) Carolina Panthers @ (4) New Orleans Saints

Photo by Derick E. Hingle (USA TODAY Sports)

This one ought to be fun. New Orleans won the division with an elite offense, only this year's was more so propelled by the ground game than it was by the passing game. Drew Brees only threw for 4334 yards this year, but he didn't need to throw for more when he had the two headed monster of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the latter of whom is pretty much a slam dunk for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Their defense took a major step forward from past years though, too, finishing tenth in scoring and forced a fair number of takeaways. They're going up against a good Panthers team that is really good defending against the run and will likely force Brees to beat them through the air. Their offense has been really good this year as well, though Cam Newton has been a little inconsistent. They'll need to get more from their ground game than they have for much of the season, and Cam needs to play well. It'll be a good one, but with the game being played in New Orleans, I'll take home field in this one.

Prediction: Saints 24, Panthers 17