NFL Divisional Round Preview
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The Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions have been sent packing. All of the games in the wild card round were all uninspiring. Can the divisional round be any worse? Will some teams be rusty off a bye week? I went 4-0 with my picks last weekend.
NFC: (3) Seattle Seahawks 23 vs (2) Atlanta Falcons 27: Thomas Rawls got his legs moving last week. Don't expect him to do it again. Despite Atlanta's suspect defense, they will stop the run and struggle against Russell Wilson. At the end of the day, Seattle has to play on the road and they will have trouble stopping Atlanta's weapons on offense.
(4) Green Bay Packers 38 vs (1) Dallas Cowboys 34: Aaron Rodgers is impossible to stop. How will Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott control the game? They will score their points. However, will the drives be very quickly or methodical? If they can limit the Packers getting the ball a ton, they can win this game. The odds are it doesn't matter if Dallas gives him fewer or more chances, Rodgers and the Packers will get it done.
AFC: (4) Houston Texans 13 vs (1) New England Patriots 26: The Texans defense played well against the Raiders. They could give Brady some problems, but he will adjust at the game moves on. Blount will struggle in the running game, but expect the running backs to be involved in the passing game. Houston doesn't have enough offense to beat New England.
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers 37 vs (2) Kansas City Chiefs 20: Kansas City is a tough place to play at. Pittsburgh destroyed Kansas City earlier in the year, and I think it is possible for a repeat performance. Le'Veon Bell is a tank running the ball right now. Antonio Brown is the calmest receiver in the league right now. This is a game where someone else needs to step up on offense for the Steelers. Kansas City needs to run the ball effectively on the Steelers or they could be in for a long day.
