“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well."
Thanks Mark Twain for creating a mantra that has justified my procrastination throughout my entire life. I was going to make picks yesterday, but with a few hours to go before the kickoff of the divisional round, here we go...
Saturday, January 11, 2014
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
4:15 pm
Good news for the Saints - last week they showed they can win on the road in the postseason. Bad news for the Saints - the Seattle Seahawks are a MUCH better team than the Philadelphia Eagles. I get that whole "avenging a blowout loss" thing as a cry for regular season revenge, but there are too many things working against the Saints - Russell Wilson, the Seahawks defense, the 12th man, rain in Seattle, Marshawn Lynch...
The Colston versus Sherman will be a good one to watch, and Saints still have Drew Brees. But, I don't think they can do it on the road. The Seahawks are just too good at home.
Prediction: Seattle 27 - Saints 20
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
8:15 pm
Up and coming versus already there. That's the way I feel about this Andrew Luck versus Tom Brady matchup. Luck got his first playoff win in comeback fashion last week, and Brady has a boatland of playoff wins. The Patriots, who never really have a Great Running Game, have a great running game this year, and this is a great complement to Brady. The key to the game is - how much pressure can the Colts defense put on Brady? Then, can Luck protect the ball, not turn it over, and not force anything? I think that the Patriots are too banged up, even with Brady, to win. The Colts over the Patriots are my upset of this round.
Prediction: Colts 23 - Patriots 20
Sunday, January 12, 2014
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers
1:05 pm
Even though the Panthers are the higher seed, the 49ers are the favorite. The thing that I like about this game is that both teams are very similar. They both have young, mobile quarterbacks with comparable numbers all season. Their run game and pass defense are both ranked at the top of the league. This was evident in the 10-9 regular season contest where the Panthers pulled out a win in San Francisco. I expect another close one this time around. After going back and forth and forth and back, I decided that the 49ers will win this game, simply because they are the more experienced team who was one missed call away from a Super Bowl last year.
Prediction: 49ers 17 - Panthers 13
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
4:40 pm
No shock here, the Broncos are heavily favored at home versus the Chargers, and for good reason: Peyton Manning. The Chargers are one of those teams that got hot at the right time, and went into the playoffs as one of the league's hottest teams. The interesting part of this was that the Chargers handed the Broncos their only home loss. The Broncos will win this game. I don't have any more analysis.
Prediction: Broncos 35 - Chargers - 24
