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

As I mentioned the other day, the anticipation surrounding both of these match ups is off the charts. We might be seeing the last of legends like Ray Lewis. Coach Chuck Pagano returns to coach against his former team. Two rookie Quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and RG3) will duel in the nation’s capitol. It’s going to be a hell of a Sunday.

Sunday, January 6

Photo Courtesy: Colts.com

Indianapolis @ Baltimore | 12:00 pm CT
I was 100% geared up and ready to confidently pick the Colts over the extremely experienced and hungry Ravens team. In what might have been the last playoff run for Ed Reed and without Ray Lewis, the Colts seemed poised for an upset. The return of head coach Chuck Pagano and a win over the Texans to close the season, all the chips were falling into place... until Ray Lewis announced that he would indeed be playing and that it would be his last run. It seemed to deflate the energy around Indy and shift the momentum clearly in the favor of the home team. It will be close, but I can’t see Ray not winning his last game in Baltimore.

My Pick: Ravens

Seattle @ Washington | 3:30 pm CT
Everyone from pundits, to players to fans seems to be high on the Seahawks and their potential to cause playoff havoc. Rightfully so because they’ve been stellar to end the year. The secondary and their hard hitting, ball-hawking style of play; Russell Wilson and his mistake free football; and Pete Carroll and his unmatched motivation and energy on the sidelines. But there’s a special player on the other side of the ball that goes by the name of RG3. There’s concern about his explosiveness, especially against the fast, hard-hitting Seawhawks. We often forget about RG3’s elite completion % (Top 5 in the league) and his 4:1 TD:INT ratio. Oh, and Alfred Morris ain’t bad either.

My Pick: Redskins



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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

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