
Wild Card Weekend




Divisional Round




Conference Championships


Super Bowl LIII

Welcome to my Divisional Round Picks. In the Wild Card Round, I went 3-1. Who will come out on top this week in order to fight for Super Bowl qualification next week? Read below and comment with your thoughts.
(6) Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles (1)
Saturday: 4:35 PM EST on NBC
Eagles, 37, Falcons, 30
Even with QB Carson Wentz injured, I see Philly winning this one. The Falcons offense is pretty good, but even with Nick Foles at QB, it’s hard to top the Eagles offense. The Falcons defensive front could get on Foles’ nerves, but Foles and the Philly offense will overcome it. However, Foles has not been great under pressure, unlike Wentz. But the tough Eagles defense will have Falcons QB Matt Ryan under a lot of pressure himself, and he will struggle under pressure, failing to repeat last year’s deep playoff run.
(5) Tennessee Titans @ New England Patriots (1)
Saturday: 8:15 PM EST on CBS
Patriots, 31, Titans, 23
QB Tom Brady will lead the Pats to victory here with the help of TE Rob Gronkowski and receivers Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola, who will dominate against the young Titans secondary. Gronk will seem unbeatable to this young but strong Tennessee defense. In his first game against the Pats since his rookie year, QB Marcus Mariota will also have a tough time, especially against the strong Pats secondary. He will toss just 1 TD.
However, RB Derrick Henry will get on New England’s nerves in his first game against them. This speedy running back is just too much for the Pats front seven, even with veteran LB James Harrison. I do see New England coming out on top in the end after offensive dominance and excellent coverage of Titans QB Marcus Mariota.
(3) Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers (2)
Sunday: 1:05 PM EST on CBS
Jaguars, 27, Steelers, 23
In my opinion, Jacksonville will be the only road team that wins this week. Although QB Blake Bortles might have a difficult time against the Steelers D, the Jaguars secondary was able to pick off QB Ben Roethlisberger 5 times last time these two franchises played. Plus, between his calf and his illness, WR Antonio Brown will not be 100% for this game whether he plays or not.
Big Ben will experience deja vu against a dominant Jags defense without his favorite target. The Jags young group of receivers will also thrive as long as Bortles can get the ball to them, which I think will happen for at least parts of the game. Jags win in a close thriller.
(4) New Orleans Saints @ Minnesota Vikings (2)
Sunday: 4:40 PM EST on FOX
Vikings, 37, Saints, 33
In a high scoring rematch of the 2017 season’s first Monday Night game, the Vikes will come out on top, led by rising QB Case Keenum and young receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. WR Brandon Coleman is out for the Saints as well as G Andrus Peat, causing the Saints offense to be slightly less powerful than usual. Only slightly though. The Saints defense will still be great as well, but the Vikings dominant receivers will intimidate the young secondary and the Saints will allow Keenum to toss multiple TDs as Minnesota wins.
That’s all for my picks this week. Stay tuned for a more in-depth Patriots-Titans preview coming soon.
The Super Bowl is almost here. The snacks are ready and the Pats and Falcons are about to face off in a great game. So, it’s time to look a little bit deeper. Who will win the big game on Sunday? Keep reading to find out what I think!
Here’s my video preview for the big game:
I also have an iMovie trailer, check it out!
Okay, that gave you a brief preview, but it’s time to go deeper. This may be one of the greatest Super Bowls ever. Either team has a shot to win.
The Patriots are four time champions looking for a fifth. One thing that will come to their advantage is their depth. They have so many options on offense, and rotate the defense very frequently. Tom Brady is on fire, and the defense is first in scoring defense and has the power to slow down and overwhelm Matt Ryan.
If the Pats win, Brady will be known as the G.O.A.T, and Bill Belichick will be known as the greatest head coach ever. I think things are looking good for the Pats. I really think that the Patriots were meant to win this season.
Matt Ryan is trying to win the Falcons their first Super Bowl, and I think he has a good chance. The Falcons have an awesome QB-RB-WR combo. The Falcons don’t have the best defense, but Matt Ryan and his offense have had an MVP caliber season. The Falcons may not have the awesome past of the Patriots, but they can overwhelm a defense, and they actually looked really good this season. I think they have a legitimate chance.
Typically, I just predict the score. But it’s the Super Bowl, so I went a little deeper. I simulated the entire game based on my basic score prediction. Below are the final score and stat predictions I came up with.
I think the Patriots will win by a touchdown. The Falcons just don’t have the depth to cover the Pats offense. Their defense is terrible in the red zone and will let the Pats score on them. Although Brady will do strongly and throw for 2 TDs, I think we will also see a Patriots rushing touchdown. Both these teams went from having a desperate running game to an amazing backfield. The Falcons will also score at least 1 rushing TD.
However, this is number one offense (Falcons) against number one defense (Patriots). Who won the last match-up like that? The Broncos did, they had the number one defense. Defense wins games, and the Pats defense will pressure Matt Ryan well, and the whole Falcons offense will be messed up by it. The Falcons have only faced three really good defenses this year, the Seahawks (twice), Broncos and Chiefs. They went 2-2 in those match-ups, one of their wins at home. In the Super Bowl, it’s a neutral match-up, and unlike those other teams, the Patriots have amazing offense. They also have depth that Atlanta lacks. So, after a grand effort by both teams, I see the Patriots edging this one out.
Tom Brady, 34/54, 348 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks
LeGarrette Blount, 17 rush, 76 yards, TD
Dion Lewis, 6 rush, 28 yards
James White: 7 rush, 24 yards
Julian Edelman, 8/11, 96 yards
Malcolm Mitchell, 6/14, 68 yards, TD
Martellus Bennett, 8/8, 66 yards, TD
Chris Hogan, 6/10, 65 yards
Danny Amendola, 3 /4, 30 yards
Michael Floyd, 2/ 3, 19 yards
Dion Lewis, 1/1, 4 yards
Matt Lengel, 0/1, 0 yards
Matt Ryan, 31/50, 314 yards, TD, 1 INT, 4 sacks
Devonta Freeman, 23 rush, 113 yards, TD
Tevin Coleman, 10 rush, 41 yards
Patrick DiMarco, 1 rush, 2 yards
Julio Jones, 13/22, 139 yards
Mohamed Sanu, 8/11, 68 yards, TD
Austin Hooper, 6/6, 62 yards
Taylor Gabriel, 4/10, 45 yards
Levine Toilolo, 0/1, 0 yards
The Super Bowl is almost here. The food is ready (hopefully). The game is recorded, and my Super Bowl Sunday is planned. All that’s left is the wait. Are you ready for the Big Game?
The Patriots have continued to thrive since the second half began. Sure, they’ve had some flaws. The defense has been worrying me lately. They dropped a home game to Seattle because of it. Their offense had looked a little bit different, more under pressure than usual. They haven’t been throwing to guys like Martellus Bennett. Most of the passes are now going to Julian Edelman and emerging receiver Malcolm Mitchell. Mitchell has been a main factor in the Pats receiving game since the bye. Dion Lewis is now back, creating some depth in the run game, which they’re using to their advantage.
In Week 10 however, Gronk took a serious hit in the head. We later found out that he also took a hit to the lung. He was looking ready to go in Week 13, but doctors found that he had a herniated disc, and needed back surgery. He was out for the season, placed on IR. Last week against the Rams, the Patriots showed that their new offense was still a scoring offense, and that their run game could help contribute to that. The Patriots won the game 26-10. It was a clinic. The Pats shut them out 17-0 in the 1st half, and continued a long streak of wins in a row at home when leading at halftime, despite being outscored in the 2nd half as the Rams attempted at a comeback. With Tavon Austin, they might have had two TDs, but this was a good game. It gives me higher hopes about this Monday night’s game. It gives me higher hopes for the remainder of the year. If the Pats want that home field advantage bad enough, they’ll go out there, win 3 or 4 games, and work hard and do their job through all 4.
Playing Around With The Playoff Machine
There are a lot of what if’s when it comes to the playoffs. Lots of scenarios. Well, by making my best predictions I could of the next 4 weeks, I simulated what in my opinion, is the most likely playoff scenario. The question is, who’s in, and who’s out?
Who’s In
Denver Broncos; 8-4, Projection: 11-5
This Denver offense has been terrible. But they’re 8-4 with one of the best defenses in the league. Their remaining schedule is at the Titans, vs. the Patriots, at the Chiefs and vs. the Raiders. Personally, I think those games are winnable, if they produce on offense. They should win some, and lose some. I think they should come out victorious in at least two. Derek Carr usually struggles against Denver, and the Patriots haven’t won in Denver in a while. They will probably beat two of the three match-ups besides the tough one in KC. That looks like a one way ticket to playoff town.
Pittsburgh Steelers; 7-5; Projection: 9-7
Sure, the Steelers don’t have the greatest remaining schedule. It is okay though, and their only division competitor, the Ravens, have a very tough remaining schedule, so it will be tough for them to match up to Pittsburgh in these last 4 weeks, as Pittsburgh should navigate their schedule decently.
Houston Texans; 6-6; Projection; 9-7
A friend of mine said that he thinks the Texans aren’t winning another game this year. I don’t think so. They are 6-6, but they have an easy remaining schedule. The Colts, Jaguars, Bengals and Titans remain. The Titans could pose a challenge, but I think the Texans will pull a big upset over the Colts this week. Brock Osweiler will lead them to the top of their division, despite a potential loss in Tennessee to tighten the race. By that point it will already be too late. The Texans will have clinched their weak division.
Atlanta Falcons; 7-5; Projection: 10-6
I have been giving the Falcons hate all year, but honestly, let’s face the facts. Their remaining schedule is against the Rams, Niners, Panthers and Saints, some of the worst NFC teams. They should win at least two or three of those games. That should be enough to get past Tampa Bay, who still has a game against Dallas, and can’t count on sweeping New Orleans or Carolina. The Falcons have safer match-ups. They play the 49ers, and the Rams! So they’ve earned themselves a playoff spot, as long as they take advantage of these easily winnable games.
Washington Redskins; 6-5-1; Projection: 9-6-1
The Redskins have what would’ve looked like a tough schedule to end the year, if Carolina and Philly hadn’t completely flopped since. The Giants could also lose to Washington at home. The Redskins can produce on offense, and have a great defense now. I could see them taking advantage of that and squeezing into the playoffs last-minute.
Detroit Lions; 8-4; Projection: 10-6
The Lions have themselves a secure spot as long as they win an easy match-up against the Bears this week, and can beat the Packers. Beating the Packers doesn’t seem like as big a challenge to them as it would’ve in Week 1. It’s a home game, and the Lions are 5-1 at home this year. They also face a now problematic Packers team that isn’t going to be as tough to face. The Lions should win the NFC North and grab their playoff spot.
Who’s Out
Buffalo Bills; 6-6; Projection: 10-6
The Bills are only 6-6 for a reason. They have only played 5 home games so far. The rest of their schedule looks somewhat easy. The issue is, they’ve already gotten themselves out of contention by losing 6 games early on and they have tough competition for the wild card with in the AFC. They aren’t beating the Pats out in the division, and they aren’t beating out Oakland and Denver in a tough wild card race.
Baltimore Ravens; 7-5; Projection: 8-8
Like I said before, the Ravens have a really tough schedule for the rest of this year, and with that, it will be hard to beat out a powerful Steelers offensive team for a division title. Although the Bengals are out of it, they have been really good lately and could bring losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh at home. Baltimore also goes to Pittsburgh, so they’re at a disadvantage.
Green Bay Packers; 6-6; Projection: 9-7
Originally I thought the Packers could still have a shot at the playoffs, and I thought that these struggles were a fluke, but, boy, I was so wrong. The Packers are at the point where they need to win all their remaining games to get to the playoffs. It’s going to be tough for them to get in. They’re not the same team. I think if they can grab a win this week at home, all they need to get
Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 7-5; Projection: 9-7
The Buccaneers have been on fire since their bye, but the remaining schedule could be tough. I’d be shocked if they can beat the Cowboys in Dallas, the team with an 11 game win streak. They also have three divisional games left, one on the road in New Orleans. It’s not just some tough games for them, as their schedule isn’t too bad overall, it’s that the Falcons have one of the easiest remaining schedules.
Minnesota Vikings; 6-6; Projection: 8-8
Minnesota now finds themselves in a tough division. The Lions are flying, and the Packers are still decent, so it’ll be tough for them to get in, especially with the Giants feeling good in that 5th seed. The mediocre schedule doesn’t help, all the teams they face aren’t terrible, and both their road games could go either way. The way their offense has been doing isn’t promising, despite bad D. I think that the Jaguars will even outscore them this week.
Miami Dolphins; 7-5; Projection: 8-8
The Dolphins did look impressive during their winning streak. But that’s over. They got annihilated last week, knocking them out of their system. They now face a tough remaining schedule, with no current momentum. They could continue to collapse and get annihilated, and after the loss, I don’t think the playoffs is happening for them.
Have different thoughts? Comment your thoughts, or send me your Playoff Machine or Playoff Predictor simulations.