PIGSKIN 2017: Wild Card Weekend

PIGSKIN

WILD CARD WEEKEND

Regular Season Weekly Results

SCOREBOARD:

Week Seventeen Record:  7-9

Overall Record:  93-113-6

Schmear of the Week:  8-8

Bagels in the Basket:  -26

FIRST ROUND BYE:

• AFC - New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers.
• NFC  Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings.

YELLOW FLAGS:

• The Baltimore Ravens must still be kicking themselves in the posterior over last week's loss.  Buffalo and Tennessee will forever be thankful.  The Bills and Titans are the only playoff teams without double-digit victories, and are the only two playoffs teams with negative point differentials.

• The Dallas Cowboys finished the regular season with a 9-7 record.  They arguably could have bumped the Atlanta Falcons (and/or the Panthers/Saints) from this year's playoffs had Ezekiel Elliott not missed six games ... debatable.  Jerry Jones still thinks he's a good general manager, though.

• In fact, it can be argued the suspension of Ezekiel Elliott and the injury to Aaron Rogers damn near shuffled the entire NFC playoff picture.

• Hey, Minnesota!  Thanks for ruining our season! - Green Bay fans.

• Todd Bowles deserved a contract extension, however, I can't believe the Cincinnati Bengals extended head coach Marvin Lewis!  Meanwhile, Jack Del Rio was fired in Oakland, with Jon Gruden reportedly being to be his replacement.  That's huge ... for Las Vegas, I guess.

• Calling all Los Angeles fans!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!

SATURDAY GAMES

CHIEFS -8 1/2 (Titans)

And Reid will out-coach Mike Mularkey.  Alex Smith with outplay Marcus Mariota, and the more playoff-polished Chiefs will finally put an end to Tennessee's overextended season.  Between the crowd and weather, Arrowhead Stadium can be an inhospitable place for visiting teams in January.  Game time temperatures are expected to be reasonable, though, near 32-degrees.  The Chiefs posted a 6-2 record at home this season, and enter this game winners of four in a row.  Alex Smith is a smart, very efficient QB, who is not prone to mistakes.  Marcus Mariota, on the other hand, is prone to throwing picks, which is exactly what may happen once the Titans are forced into playing catch-up football.  Although the Chiefs do not stop the run very well, they won't have DeMarco Murray to worry about, who is out with a knee injury.  That's why I say Alex Smith will be throwing on his terms whereas Marcus Mariota will be throwing on Kansas City's.
Loss  22-21 Titans

Falcons +6 (RAMS)

Home field advantage?  Pfft!  Don't make me laugh.  No such thing as home field advantage at Los Angeles.  The Rams were only 4-4 at home this season, and otherwise did all their damage on the road.  Now ... how do you stop an offense that scored an NFL high 478 points?  Answer: keep em on the sideline.  Jarred Goff and Matt Ryan are going to do their respective thing.  This point spread boils down to the running game.  Both teams rush rather well.  Defensively, however, the Falcons do a far better job stuffing the run than does Los Angeles.  Atlanta center Alex Mack's left leg was reportedly barking at him again last week.  If you recall, he fractured his fibula during last year's NFC championship game, which then caused him sit out the second half of last year's Super Bowl against the Patriots.  Atlanta's running game goes as Mack goes.  At their best, the Falcons are balanced and win time of possession.  If Alex Mack remains up for the task, the Falcons offense will be just fine.
WIN  26-13 Falcons

SUNDAY GAMES

JAGUARS -8 (Bills)

Even if Shady McCoy plays, a sprained ankle limits him to being a north/south runner.  If Buffalo's running game is easily containable, then the brunt of responsibility falls on the shoulders of Tyrod Taylor.  That may be asking too much against Jacksonville's ability for disrupt the quarterback.  If the Bills are one dimensional, the Jags are free to expand and elevate their defensive aggression.  The Bills offense, then, will be a turnover waiting to happen.  On offense, all Jacksonville will need to do is run the ball (which they do very well), keep moving the chains, and control the clock.  Blake Borttles can wisely pick his spots, and in turn, pick apart what will become an overtaxed Bills defense.
Loss  10-3 Jaguars

SAINTS -7 (Panthers)

I like the Saints because Drew Brees isn't being made to carry the weight of an entire team on his shoulders anymore.  This is a much more balanced New Orleans team than we're accustomed to, with a rushing game featuring Alvin Kamara, and a good defense.  Then throw in Drew Brees, and you got a legitimate NFC title game candidate.  For all their talent, Cam Newton and Carolina are still too Jekyll and Hyde.  With a division title potentially on the line, they flat out played a stinker last week against the Falcons.  The Saints beat the Panthers twice this season primarily via the ground.  If Carolina over adjusts, Drew Brees will eat them up.  New Orleans just happens to match-up very well against them.  It is what it is.  Can't wait for Cam Newton's post game interview.
Loss 31-26 Saints

Schmear of the Week:

Chiefs -8 1/2

HAPPY NEW YEAR!