Friday Afternoon Quarterback: NFL Wild Card Weekend

BY ADAM GREENE

It feels different this year, doesn’t it? Like there’s hope? The New England Patriots have looked mortal all season, coughed blood repeatedly and even backed into the playoffs after losing their season finale to the Miami Dolphins.

Are we ready to believe? Can we put our faith in this AFC playoff field to make this happen? I say we can, just not this week, of course. We’re believers, but we’re not crazy.

We’ve had our usual playoff turnover this year, with a fun new group of new teams vying for the chance to shame their fanbases and all of America by eventually losing to those same hated Patriots.

Neither Los Angeles team made it back, but only one of those (the Rams) was a surprise. The Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears were also no-shows, but, again, nobody was shocked. In the AFC, the stunner was the rise of the Baltimore Ravens, but we’ll have to wait at least a week for them to disappoint us all thoroughly.

What Super Bowl do I want? A Super Bowl I rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers, but even writing it out has probably jinxed it.

Let’s make some picks!

SATURDAY

BUFFALO BILLS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (-2.5, O/U: 44)

The only reason this isn’t the most one-sided coaching match up of the day is because Bill Belichick vs Mike Vrabel is on the schedule right after. You can’t call Sean McDermott vs Bill Belichick a “chessmatch,” because O’Brien can’t even move his pieces with his hands trapped inside two Pringles cans.

The difference here is just talent and the Texans have far too much and the Bills too little. McDermott is building something in Buffalo, but it’s all going to be home grown until he starts stacking these seasons up. Deshaun Watson was built for these kinds of games and the only thing that could hold him back is O’Brien’s coaching. I think he overcomes it at least this week.

TEXANS 24, BILLS 17

TENNESSEE TITANS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (-5, O/U: 44)

Speaking of Bill O’Brien, he did something I thought he was incapable of doing last week; make a decision that would keep his team healthy in the playoffs. O’Brien sat his starters in a meaningless game (to them) that was anything but meaningless to Tennessee.

The Titans won against the Texans’ back ups and earned the right to be humiliated in Foxborough by the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.

Only, will they? Belichick sometimes stumbles against his protégés, for whatever reason and this is a talented Titans squad. Could they be the team that finally ends our national nightmare for good?

Nope.

PATRIOTS 41, TITANS 20

SUNDAY

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (-8, O/U: 49)

The Vikings backed into the playoffs with two consecutive losses to become the biggest underdogs of Wild Card weekend. If the Rams have just hit a kick back in Week 4 against the Seahawks, this wouldn’t be a problem, but here we are.

The Saints have dedicated this season to avenging a slight in last year’s NFC championship that led to a change in the NFL’s pass interference rules that hasn’t really amounted to much. That being said, New Orleans should be here. Minnesota should be watching this game at home.

SAINTS 35, VIKINGS 16

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (+1.5, O/U: 45)

The Eagles are the only home dog and, like the Vikings, there’s an air of “this team doesn’t belong in the playoff field” surrounding the team. The last two times that happened, when the 2011 7-9 Seahawks took the NFC West and the 2014 7-9 Carolina Panthers claimed the NFC South, both those teams won their wild card games against seemingly superior opponents.

Marshawn Lynch, back with the Seahawks for this run, became “Beast Mode” as Seattle upset the 11-5 Saints in 2011. The 2014 Panthers beat the 11-5 Arizona Cardinals in their wild card game.

Here’s what I’m saying. You win your division, you’ve earned your spot. The Seahawks have hardly looked like world-beaters this past month. Here’s your wild card upset.

EAGLES 24, SEAHAWKS 23

LAST WEEK

STRAIGHT UP: 9-7
AGAINST THE SPREAD: 6-10

OVERALL

STRAIGHT UP: 167-88-1
AGAINST THE SPREAD: 143-113

Get the latest NFL football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter!

BetOnline.ag on Instagram–Follow for the latest odds, stats and information!