2017 Wild Card Weekend Predix

Written by Sam DeCoste

Playoffs? Yes, it's playoff time! No more talking about the winless Browns, or the uninspiring Lions, or the Ezekiel Elliott-less Dallas Cowboys. Only the best teams remain. Here in Wild Card Weekend, there are plenty of new faces, and plenty of exciting games to pay attention to. If the fairytale Buffalo Bills don't get you excited, then you ought to love the showdown in Los Angeles on Saturday night, between the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams. So enough talk, it's time for playoff football! Let's predict the games!

My overall record last week: 9-7

Lock of the Week record: 14-3

note: Lock of the Week is over until the 2018 regular season

My overall regular season record: 174-82 (67.9% winning percentage)

Titans @ Chiefs

Most neutrals did not want to see Tennessee in the playoffs. Welp. They have a tough test in front of them. Kansas City has the fifth best offense in the league, picking up 375 yards per game, and they score 26 points per game. If the Chiefs play their way, which is run the ball well, hit Tyreek Hill for a 50 yard touchdown, and play opportunistic defense, the Chiefs walk over the Titans, because the Titans don't have the power to play from behind. Also, don't be surprised if this is Mike Mularkey's final game. For as lofty expectations as there were for this Titans squad, they rank 19th in scoring offense, and 23rd in total offense. Marcus Mariota has taken a significant step back this season while they have not been able to run the ball effectively over the course of sixteen weeks. The Chiefs have the best matchup of Wild Card Weekend.

Prediction: TEN 13, KC 24

Falcons @ Rams

What a blockbuster football game this is promising to be. You have the Falcons, who've been there, done that, and are coming off of the greatest Super Bowl devastation in history, facing the upstart Rams under the youngest coach in NFL history, Sean McVay. Now I've heard pundits who favor Atlanta in this game because of their experience, which the Rams lack. Now that's great, but why should we believe that the Falcons are going to hit the ground running on offense, which they haven't all season? Matt Ryan has regressed, and the offense is not using Devontae Freeman, or Tevin Coleman, or Julio Jones, or Mohamed Sanu the ways they did when they went to the Super Bowl. This is the Rams' game to lose, because the Falcons have yet to hit their stride, and who says they just turn on the switch when it matters? Now the Rams better be sure to get their mojo back on offense because the 49ers handled them last week. But Todd Gurley didn't play. Bad news, Atlanta, Todd Gurley is playing.

Prediction: ATL 20, LAR 23

Bills @ Jaguars

These teams have waited a combined 27 years for a postseason appearance. Now two of the longest playoff droughts in the league are over, and they square off against each other in the first round. The big story is if LeSean McCoy plays, because he is a true X-Factor. He gives the Bills a complete different dimension. He accounts for 33% of the Bills' offense this season, ranking 4th in the league in rushing and first on the Bills in catches. The Bills will need him this week, because the Jaguars feast on teams like Buffalo. The Jaguars are second in total defense, only allowing 286 yards per game, while Buffalo are 29th (!!) in total offense. The Bills are one-dimensional, predictable, and uninspiring without McCoy. However, the same can be said about Blake Bortles. He has had his best season as a pro, throwing for 3,687 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. But the past few weeks, he has turned the ball over and the defense has been exposed. As long as Blake Bortles does not turn the ball over in the game, they will be able to run the ball and the defense will shut down Buffalo. But I will say this, I really believe the team that scores first will win. Neither team is equipped to come from behind, because their quarterbacks have not been able to will their respective teams over the hump much at all in their careers.

Prediction: BUF 6, JAX 23

Panthers @ Saints

For the third time this season, the Panthers and Saints square off. The Saints won both the previous meetings, winning by a margin of 65-34. They are absolutely the better team. They have a Hall of Fame quarterback under center as well as the most dynamic one-two punch in the league: Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. The Saints are fifth in the league in rushing offense, running for over 120 yards per game, and they've been able to do it against Carolina this season. And their defense has a great matchup against Cam Newton. He's thrown five interceptions in his last four games, including three against Atlanta in a big game last week. He collapsed. His quarterback rating was 31. That's not good enough. For the Panthers to advance, Cam Newton needs to carry the team, and win through the air. But he has not done that all season. Cam, what have you done for us lately? Well, he can run the ball. Great. The Saints will redefine the word "sweep" and beat the Panthers for the third time this season, and advance to the next round.

Prediction: CAR 10, NO 27

Picture credit: https://bloggingdirty.com/2017/01/07/2016-atlanta-falcons-review-best-players/