The Doc's Wild Card Picks
Fortunately, a very
disappointing season (at least for me and my picks) has come to an end.
A winning percentage of under 53% does not pay the bills. I'm hoping
that with the postseason comes a new outlook and, more impotantly, new
luck. Of course, three of the first round games are repeated matchups
from last week, which hopefully, will get the playoffs going in the
right direction.
Picks appear in bold.
New York Jets (+3) at
Cincinnati
As you can see, I certainly learned my lesson from last week. Even
though there's a question about the Bengals' motivations last week, with
Cris Collinsworth of NBC saying that the Bengals were very open about
not wanting to play Houston in the playoffs, I think the problem is
deeper than that. The Jets gashed Cincinnati's defense for over 250
yards rushing with most of the damage coming from Brad Smith out of the
Wildcat formation. I think New York will extend that package and allow
Smith to throw as well. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if
Mark Sanchez threw fewer than 15 passes in his first playoff start,
especially with cold weather and snow predicted for Saturday. And no,
the return of Cedric Benson will not make enough of a difference.
Philadelphia at Dallas
(-3.5)
I don't believe in the whole "it's difficult to beat the same team
three times in a season" theory. In fact, I think it's usually a sign
that one team has a distinct advantage, whether physical or mental, over
another. Physically, the way the Cowboys can get after the quarterback,
it's imperative that the Eagles run the ball. Unfortunately for
Philadelphia, that's not their forte. Mentally, last week was very
important for both teams, and yet Dallas was the only team to show up. I
know that recent history suggests that I'm not making a wise pick, but I
just get the feeling that the talent of the Cowboys is finally reaching
its potential. It helps that they're as confident in January as I've
ever seen them.
Baltimore at New
England (-3.5)
In the only game that's not a repeat from week 17, I take one of the
most sacred rules of postseason betting into account: never, ever, ever,
go against a quarterback with the last name Brady. In other words, I
don't have a long-winded explanation that details statistics or game
plans or anything else. Instead, I'll just tell you that I'm going with
the best leader in all of sports from the past decade.
Green Bay (+2) at
Arizona
Other than San Diego, I don't think there's another team in the league
playing as well as the Packers right now. Offensively, Aaron Rodgers is
in complete control of a unit that can beat you on the ground or through
the air, and badly. Defensively, Dom Capers has taken advantage of a
personnel package that allows him to be very aggressive. In many
regards, this team reminds me of how the Saints were playing at the
beginning of the season. Conversely, the Cardinals haven't played
consistently well since Thanksgiving, and it looks like both Anquan
Boldin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will miss this game with
injuries.
Last Week:
8-8
Season: 133-120-3
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