2012-13 Picks - NFL - Wild Card Weekend (Saturday)

When it comes to excitement, on paper Saturday’s games are the lesser of the two when compared to Sunday. But the way we’d expect these match ups to play out is usually not how they do. In fact, I’m expecting a pretty valiant effort from everyone involved. A lot is on the line; Pride, contract extensions, respect and much much more.

Saturday, January 5

Cincinnati @ Houston | 3:30 pm CT
If you feel a sense of Déjà vu that this match up has happened before, you’re intuition is correct. It’s actually the exact same game as last year’s opening contest for Wild Card Weekend. Same situation. Same time. The only differences being that the Texans have Matt Schaub playing this time. Also, the Bengals feel like a better team. Although, I don’t think it’ll matter all that much.

My Pick: Texans

Minnesota @ Green Bay | 7:00 pm CT
The second game on Saturday is a rematch of the Week 17 match up that knocked the Chicago Bears out of playoff contention and left Adrian Peterson just 9 yards shy of an NFL record for rushing yards in a season. His performance likely wrapped up the comeback player of the year honors for AP (in my opinion) and more importantly secured a chance to play the Packers at Lambeau. The biggest difference in this game compared to last week is the environment. I like Christian Ponder, but he hasn’t been nearly as strong on the road – especially in what I believe is his first playoff appearance. (I’d have to check my facts). This seems like an appropriate time for Peterson to run out of gas.

My Pick: Packers

Thanks for reading!