Scribbler's Predictions: 2015 NFL Wild Card Weekend

Kinda quick recap...or as quick as I am known to attempt, but usually unsuccessful at doing...the Indianapolis Colts and their 0.000000001% chance of winning the AFC South and remaining in playoff contention have been settled.  The New York Jets not only blew their shot at the last playoff spot, but their collapse fittingly came courtesy of Rex Ryan--the same man who was relieved of his duties there the year before.  (Apparently, Ryan also made NFL history by doing so because no head coach in professional football had ever eliminated his former team from playoff contention on the final weekend of the regular season after being fired the previous season. One word: salty.)  So much for the pretenders.  As for the contenders, the defending champion New England Patriots had already secured a first-round bye and were playing for home-field advantage, but wet the bed against the Meh-ami Dolphins as their future first-ballot HOF QB injured his ankle and gave up the #1 seed to the Denver Broncos. Finally, the Arizona Cardinals needed to win against the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but DangeRuss & The Legion of Boom had a blowout as a late Christmas present in mind while the soon-to-be MVP Cam Newton convincingly got his Sir Dab-a-Lot on in Charlotte.  Now that I've covered what you already knew by now unless you follow my blog more than the NFL--which is flattering if you do--it's time to preview the beginning of the most bittersweet time of the year: NFL Wild Card Weekend, which features three rematches from the regular season this year, and the official road to knocking off the guys above.

AFC WILD CARD GAME: #5 Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) vs. #4 Houston Texans (9-7), Saturday, January 9, 4:35 P.M. EST on ABC/ESPN.  Although I totally respect J.J. Watt as the best defensive player in the NFL, admire the job that Romeo Crennel has done in preserving the integrity of that talented defense and commend journeyman Brian Hoyer for making the best out of a currently one-weapon offense, I wasn't sold on the Texans as a serious contender even in the Matt Schaub-Andre Johnson days--which weren't that long ago.  Besides, they're not playing the Bengals this year; instead, they have drawn one of the hottest teams in the NFL in the Chiefs, who have won ten straight after starting off 1-5 and boast the No. 2 scoring defense as well as the No. 7 total defense in the league.  While losing their star ball carrier in Jamaal Charles as Houston lost Arian Foster, they have managed to do what the Texans have not done consistently: run the ball well.  Not to mention that this is also a Chiefs team that opened up their 2015 campaign with a 27-20 win in Houston, so they know how to win in the Lone Star State and they're an even better team since then.  Considering that both teams have stout defenses (Texans rank No. 3) and neither Hoyer nor Alex Smith are known for being barn burners in the passing game, I don't see this being a points bonanza.  Therefore, give me the team with the better running game, the better game manager and the better kicker.  Yup, I said it...the guy who's arguably not a real football player.  Cairo Santos...FTW...somewhere around the 16-13 range to boot his team to Foxboro.

AFC WILD CARD GAME: #6 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) vs. #3 Cincinnati Bengals (12-4), Saturday, January 9, 8:15 P.M. EST on CBS.  It's now or never time for head coach Marvin Lewis, who is 0-6 in the playoffs since taking the reins in 2003.  Respecting what he did for six years in Baltimore and for the Skins defense in 2002, I always wanna cheer for the brother to win on a higher level.  However, beating his case of Schottenheimeritis may be delayed since it's unclear whether it will be Andy Dalton or A.J. McCarron at the helm for this AFC North Three-Match.  If it's the latter, then I'm not as bullish on the Bengals as I was before Dalton got hurt.  Heck, McCarron barely fared better than the likes of Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Mallett.  Equally problematic, the Steelers have a few potential hiccups of their own: 1) Big Ben has manifested a propensity for throwing a pick or two in the past couple of games, and 2) they may be without a dependable running game for the second year in a row after DeAngelo Williams suffered a right ankle injury in their win against the Browns this past Sunday.  Don't get me wrong: the Steelers' passing game has been impressive this season with Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and the second-half rise of Markus Wheaton, but even an A.J. McCarron-led Bengals squad aren't the woeful Browns.  The Steelers still must run the football effectively and I just don't know if Fitzgerald Toussaint is a suitable replacement.  Therefore, this is going to come down to who can effectively pass against their opposing defense.  Although the Bengals have a better all-around defense than the Steelers--Cincinnati is No. 11 and Pittsburgh is at No. 21--Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard aren't doing Barry Sanders numbers against the Steelers' run defense, which means that McCarron has to outlast Big Ben through the air.  Hence, I'll take the more battle-tested QB to take a road trip to Denver in a 24-20 victory, but I might change my mind if Andy Dalton suits up on Saturday though.

NFC WILD CARD GAME: #6 Seattle Seahawks (10-6) vs. #3 Minnesota Vikings (11-5), Sunday, January 10, 1:05 P.M. EST on NBC.  I'm not gonna front: I was hoping that the Vikings knocked off the Packers for the NFC North crown.  It's not that I hate the Packers or anything like that, but I really like what Mike Zimmer is doing with that team, especially on defense.  More important, it meant that Seattle wouldn't have to come to Landover and potentially knock the Skins out of the playoffs as they did in 2005, 2007 and 2012.  Nobody in the NFC wants to face the Seahawks, especially after the Vikings took a 38-7 drubbing on the chin in Week 13.  The Vikes may have the rushing champ in Adrian Peterson, but if the Packers were able to slow him down, then the Legion of Boom is even more capable of giving him fits.  (See the picture above for visual evidence from his eight-carries-for-a-whopping-18-yards day.)  Since both teams have solid defenses--Seattle is No. 2 and Minnesota is No. 13, but playing better since Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph have returned--this comes down to the better QB and I'm not sold that Teddy Bridgewater is this ready for the big time when DangeRuss has been doing it since his entry into the league.   The synergy between Wilson and his receivers--especially Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett and Jermaine Kearse--has been especially impressive in the absence of Marshawn Lynch and their rookie sensation Thomas Rawls in the running game--although Lynch is expected to return.  This might be the easiest pick of all as the Seahawks spoil Zimmer and Bridgewater's playoff debut on their way to a revenge game in the Tar Heel State, 27-17.

NFC WILD CARD GAME: #5 Green Bay Packers (10-6) vs. #4 Washington Redskins (9-7), Sunday, January 10, 4:40 P.M. EST on FOX.  At first, it really didn't matter who the Skins were going to face...it was just a matter of how bad they would lose.  However, Kirk Cousins is balling.  Yeah, you read that right...Kirk Cousins...the dude who was drafted 100 picks after 40 acres and a mule were ransomed off to get RG3...the guy who came into this season with a 2-7 record as a starter...is balling.  In fact, balling harder than the other QB in this matchup who has been touted by many as the best all-around QB in the league: Cousins has a 101.6 QB rating (No. 5) while Aaron Rodgers has a 92.7 (No. 15), has thrown for 345 more passing yards and is completing 69.8 percent of his passes compared to only 60.9 percent for Mr. Discount Double Check.  Despite Alfred Morris and Matt Jones being a collective disappointment in the backfield this year, Cousins currently has more reliable receivers (especially the finally-healthy Jordan Reed) and a more opportunistic defense on his side.  Let's not forget a four-game winning streak that includes two big wins on the road, one of which secured the division crown.  Meanwhile, the Packers are on a two-game slide, have not been as dominant as I envisioned they would be and not even Rodgers is that intimidating right now--especially without Jordy Nelson, a stout offensive line and a once-promising rushing attack.  I might eat these words later--and I've even been called delusional by someone who was probably a bitter Cowboys fan--but give me Captain Kirk in a 28-24 home win to punch the Burgundy and Gold's ticket to the desert.  Oh yeah...and an unwritten obligatory rule forces me to say the following...YOU LIKE THAT?!?!  We shall see if you do...