Playoff Picks Week 1: Rookie QB's Gone Wild

Playoffs???  Playoffs?

So the regular season has wound all the way down and the creme has risen to the top of the churn bucket that is the NFL.  Wild Card weekend features a marquee matchup of two rookie quarterbacks in Andy Dalton for the Bengals and TJ Yates for the Texans.  So here come the picks!

Game 1: Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

I'm gonna go with the Bengals in this matchup.  I'm really hoping that Dalton can pull through for Cincy in this game, I'm not really too excited about this game and chances are neither team has much of a chance going further than this game so it'll be interesting to see how hard either team fights for this one.  It's the Texans' first playoff appearance in their 11 year run in the NFL so congrats to their stout defense but I'm not sure 3rd stringer Yates will be able to lead the Houston offense on any sort of memorable run in these playoffs.




Game 2:  Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints

Former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees looked pretty strong this season, throwing for over 5,400 yards and leading his Saints to a 13-3 record.  The Lions on the other hand have a big time QB of their own in Matthew Stafford who also put on an aerial showcase with over 5,000 yards himself.  The Superdome can be a dangerous place for visitors though, New Orleans is 8-0 at home this season including a 31-17 win over the Lions.






Game 3:  Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos

Tim Tebow's Broncos have limped into the playoffs losing their final three games of the season, but something makes me think their gonna pull this off.  I'm expecting a low scoring affair as Steelers' QB Big Ben Roethlisberger nurses general soreness and Rashard Mendenhall out for the season with knee problems.  Should be a close one and I'm hoping for a little Tebow magic in Mile High Sunday afternoon.







Game 4: Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants

The Giants took home the NFC East but I'm not 100% sure they can handle Matt Ryan and the Falcons this weekend.  The Falcons are hoping to repeat their playoff success of last season and I think they will be able to pull it off in New Jersey.  Eli Manning and the Giants are coming off back to back wins including eliminating the Cowboys in week 17; Atlanta also won last weekend at the Tampa Bay Bucs so both teams are looking to build off their end of season momentum, I'm laying it on the Falcons hard nosed D-fence and the vet Ryan to take the Falcons into the second round.







Recap:  I like the Bengals over the Texans in the battle of rookie QBs; Saints over the Lions in the Superdome; Tebow and the Broncos over Big Ben and the limping Steelers in a low scoring affair, and the Falcons winning on the road at the Giants.  Overall should be an interesting weekend of games and an interesting preamble to the battles to come in the next few weeks.