Saturday, January 4, 2014

Wild Card Weekend Predictions

Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) vs Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

Chiefs come in off two straight losses while the Colts come in on a three game winning streak. Chiefs started off with a fast 9-0 start only to drop the last 5-7 including a loss to the Colts just two weeks ago. QB Alex Smith has a QB rating of 89.1 with 23 TDs and only 7 INTs this season. Chiefs defense had the second most takeaways this season and will see the return of OLB Justin Houston this week. Chiefs will need to get pressure on Colts QB Andrew Luck if they have any chance to win. Luck has an overall QB rating of 87.0 with 23 TDs and 9 INTs. The Colts offense have the fewest giveaways this season. Their defense was able to put pressure on the Chiefs the last game and force Alex Smith to commit turnovers. This game will be a lot closer but the outcome will be the same. Prediction: Colts

New Orleans Saints (11-5) vs Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)

Saints come in off a win last week against the Bucs while the Eagles won their final two. Eagles QB Nick Foles has a QB rating of 119.2 with 27 TDs and 2 INTs. His top WR DeSean Jackson caught 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine TDs. The Eagles are also led by the league's leading rusher LeSean McCoy, who topped the NFL with 1,607 rushing yards while catching 52 passes for 539 yards for a league-best 2,146 scrimmage yards. They will face off against the Saints who were 8-0 at home but only 3-5 away from the Superdome. QB Drew Brees had a QB rating of 104.7 with 39 TDs and 12 INTs. The Saints average only 17.8 ppg away from home all season. They will be dealing with the cold and the elements today and with their starting RB Pierre Thomas out it may be hard for them to overcome. Prediction: Eagles

San Diego Chargers (9-7) vs Cincinnati Bengals (11-5)

Chargers come in off a four game winning streak while the Bengals are the winners of two straight. These two teams faced off in week 13 with the Bengals getting the better of the Chargers. This time the two will face off in Cincinnati where weather will play a factor. Chargers QB Philip Rivers has a QB rating of 105.5 with 32 TDs and 11 INTs. Despite facing several major season ending injuries early in the season (Malcolm Floyd, Dwight Freeney) the team has managed to get impressive wins including games against the Broncos, Chiefs and Colts. Bengals QB Andy Dalton comes in with a QB rating of 88.8 with 33 TDs and 20 INTs. His leading WR A.J. Green had 98 receptions for 1426 yds and 11 TDs this season. Despite being 8-0 this season at home Bengals are 0-4 in the postseason in the 11 years with Marvin Lewis as head coach. Prediction: Bengals

San Francisco 49ers (12-4) vs Green Bay Packers (8-7-1)

49ers come in off a six game winning streak while the Packers come in off a win against the Bears in Chicago. The return of the QB Aaron Rodgers for the final game of the season was the push they needed but he will have to show up big today against the stingy defense of the 49ers. Rodgers comes in with a QB rating of 104.9 with 17 TDs and 6 INTs. Rookie RB Eddie Lacy rushed for 1178 yds on 284 carries and 11 TDs this season. Their defense has struggled down the stretch and will face a huge challenge in the 49ers. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has a QB rating of 91.6 with 21 TDs and 8 INTs. Their defense is ranked third in scoring and fifth overall. 49ers beat the Packers in the season opener but weather will play a bigger factor in this game. Prediction: 49ers

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