Now
that the 2015 NFL season is in the books, let me pose this question: has there
been a more wonky season in recent memory? Due to injury, fourteen teams
required the services of a backup quarterback for a minimal to significant
amount of time. Fans were lucky enough to see the skills of Matt Cassel, Kellen
Moore, Brandon Weeden, Mark Sanchez, Blaine Gabbert, Case Keenum, Jimmy
Clausen, EJ Manuel, Brock Osweiler, Matt Schaub, AJ McCarron, Johnny Manziel,
Austin Davis, Landry Jones, Michael Vick, T.J. Yates, Matt Hasselbeck, Charlie
Whitehurst, Josh Freeman, Ryan Lindley and Zach Mettenberger (Yikes!). Minnesota Vikings
running back Adrian Peterson won the rushing title with 1485 yards, the lowest
total to win the award since LaDainian Tomlinson's 1474 yards in 2007. As
always, some teams surprised, but most disappointed (Indianapolis Colts,
Baltimore Ravens, the NFC East).
The
ripple effect of the injury bug was felt everywhere. Did you win your fantasy
league with Blake Bortles as your quarterback? It wouldn't be a total shock. As
an example, in one league I began the season with Marshawn Lynch and Carlos
Hyde as my starting running backs, and ended up riding a volatile and
unpredictable T.J. Yeldon/Spencer Ware/Alfred Morris/Matt Jones/Danny
Woodhead/Cameron Artis-Payne cocktail mix during the playoffs. In another
league I drafted the same Carlos Hyde along with Le'Veon Bell and Matt Forte as
running backs. You can only imagine how well I did in that league. The bottom
line is if you wasted a top pick on Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray or Andrew Luck,
I can sympathize with your pain.
The
playoffs however are a model of consistency, with eight of the twelve
qualifying teams making a repeat appearance from last year, but not without
some new brewing questions going into the postseason. Can the Patriots stick it
to the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell and win back to back Super Bowls?
Will there be a quarterback controversy in Denver? Can Marvin Lewis and
Cincinnati finally win a playoff game? With three home teams going in as underdogs this weekend, almost anything can happen. All will be revealed over the course of the next month as we make our way towards the Super Bowl in Santa Clara,
but for now it’s time to break down a wide open Wild-Card weekend.
HOME
TEAM IN CAPS
Kansas
City Chiefs (-3) over HOUSTON TEXANS
Are
there two playoff teams that have a more similar story? The Texans started out
2-5, including a 27-20 loss to Kansas City in Week 1, and looked like the worst
team in the atrocity that is the AFC South. Their defense finally came to life
to lift them to the division title. The Chiefs began the season 1-5 before
rattling off ten straight wins to come within a Peyton Manning overblown resurrection of
winning the AFC West. KC's defense has also stepped up, holding opponents to an
average of just under 13 points a game during their winning streak. Both teams
can get after the quarterback, ranking fourth (KC) and fifth (Houston) in
sacks, so this game has the potential to be a defensive oriented battle of
field position. However if my playoff life depended on it, I'm taking Alex
Smith over Brian Hoyer at quarterback any day of the week. Remember that Smith
did win a playoff game for the 49ers in 2011. Plus I don't trust a Houston
team that has seven out of their nine wins against Tampa Bay (6-10),
Jacksonville twice (5-11), Tennessee twice (3-13), New Orleans (7-9), and
Indianapolis (8-8). Smith could spend much of the game running for his life,
being sacked 45 times during the regular season (tied for third). He did manage
to rush for 498 yards, so he has the capability to keep plays alive. As long as
KC can secure the ball and head coach Andy Reid doesn't have a complete Andy Reid meltdown, the Chiefs will move on.
Pittsburgh
Steelers (-3) over CINCINNATI BENGALS
Division
rivalries are always intriguing in the postseason. These teams split their
regular season meetings, with each team winning on the road. Pittsburgh's 33-20
win in Week 13 was the last time we saw Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton on
the field, who was knocked out of the game with a broken thumb on his throwing
hand. Dalton has been ruled out for this game, so look for AJ McCarron to make
his first playoff start. Cincinnati is better on the defensive side of the
ball, and they have some effective offensive weapons in receiver A.J. Green and
tight end Tyler Eifert. Then again, so does Pittsburgh. Their passing game is
one of the tops in the league with receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant,
and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows how to win a playoff game (10-5
postseason record). The same can’t be said for Dalton and head coach Marvin
Lewis, who are 0-4 together in the postseason (Lewis is 0-6 overall). The
Bengals recent history and inexperience at quarterback doesn't bode well for
Cincy. Look for Pittsburgh to win a date against Denver.
Seattle Seahawks (-5) over
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Never
mind that the temperature during the game is forecasted to hover around zero
degrees with a wind chill of -15. These teams bolster two of the top defenses in the league, but you
would not have guessed that by their meeting in Week 13, where Seattle cruised
to a 38-7 victory. It was the most points Minnesota had given up in a single
game all season, thanks in large part to Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson’s
three touchdowns (plus one rushing touchdown.). Since their loss to Arizona in
Week 10, Wilson has thrown 24 touchdowns and only one interception, and the
Seahawks are 6-1 over that span. It’s been defense and the running game that
has kept Minnesota in ballgames, but their passing attack is one of the worst
in the league. Teddy Bridgewater has been a serviceable quarterback in his
second full NFL season, but he’s going to be overmatched in his first playoff
game against an experienced Seattle team. If the Seahawks stack the box to contain Adrian Peterson and make Bridgewater try to beat them, prepare for a repeat performance of
Week 13 from Seattle.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS (-1) over
Green Bay Packers
Has
there been a more inconsistent team this season than the Green Bay Packers? There are weeks
they look great, then they completely fool you and muster only 13 points and
lose at home against the Bears. This is definitely not the Green Bay team that
started the season 6-0, finishing 4-6 down the stretch. Picking against Packers quarterback Aaron
Rodgers makes me think I should have my head examined, but he’s had one of the worst seasons of
his career. He barely reached 3,800 yards passing and his quarterback rating
for the season was 92.7, both the lowest figures since he became Green Bay’s full
time starter in 2008. Running back Eddie Lacy looks like he actually put on weight during the course of the season, and the receiving core has underperformed. The Redskins however seem to be moving in the
opposite direction. They were the beneficiaries of a putrid NFC East, going 7-3 down the stretch and finishing the season strong with a four game winning streak. Kirk Cousins has
developed into an efficient quarterback that doesn’t make many mistakes,
finishing fifth in the league with a quarterback rating of 101.6. A big reason
is the emergence of tight end Jordan Reed, who finished the season with 87
receptions and 11 touchdowns. Plus all of the road teams can't win this weekend. Can they? The only home favorite wins its
first playoff game since 2005.
So when
football is all said and done and if you’re into rich and famous people
bowing down and groveling over other rich and famous people, make sure to check out the Golden
Globe awards Sunday night. As an extra bonus, we’ll end with some quick Hollywood
predictions.
Movies:
Best
Motion Picture, Drama – Spotlight
Best
Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical – The Martian
Best
Actress, Drama – Cate Blanchett, Carol
Best
Actor, Drama – Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Best
Actress, Comedy or Musical – Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Best
Actor, Comedy or Musical – Matt Damon, The Martian
Best
Supporting Actress – Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Best
Supporting Actor – Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Best
Director – Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant
Television:
Best
Series, Drama – Game of Thrones
Best
Series, Comedy or Musical – Veep
Best
Actress, Drama – Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Best
Actor, Drama – Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Best
Actress, Comedy or Musical – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Best
Actor, Comedy or Musical – Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Best
Supporting Actress – Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
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