NFL Playoffs!!!!

[Timsup2nothin]

Chiefs at Houston

Steelers at Bengals

Seahawks at Vikings

Packers at Washington

Patriots, Broncos, Panthers, and Cardinals waiting in the wings.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Odd bit of history...the Chiefs have lost eight (nine?) straight playoff games going back fourteen years...and the last time they won was in Houston.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Washington is the only home team to open as the favorites.

I think AJ McCarron has shown enough, coupled with home field and the Bengals defense, for them to be favored myself.

 

[illram]

Chiefs at Houston

Steelers at Bengals

Seahawks at Vikings

Packers at Washington

Patriots, Broncos, Panthers, and Cardinals waiting in the wings.

Houston wins, Steelers win, Seahawks win, Packers win.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I'm not making any calls yet. Texans are hot, but Chiefs are blazing hot. Steelers and Bengals is one of those divisional games carried over to the playoffs that could be anything from a blowout either way to a multiple ejection brawl. Seahawks are among the hottest teams, but are going to what may well be the coldest playoff game in decades. Packers rode a seven game undefeated start to a staggering 3-6 stretch run, but good grief, who can think that the Redskins can win?

Interesting weekend, to say the least.

 

[caketastydelish]

As a Seahawk fan that regularly bet against my own team in the NFL pick'ems contest, I'll tell you why the Seahawks might actually have an edge against the Vikings:

They ALREADY beat the Vikings (by a large margin) in cold weather this year. This will be a repeat performance, only they will have less injured players to deal with. And from the looks of it, the Vikings will have more.

Lynch just got done healing up as well as Kam Chancellor, and Wilson didn't even play in most of the second half of the Cards game so he could stay safe and healthy. Several other Seahawk players are healing up as well. Note that they had a lot more injured players their first time playing the Vikings this year, and the weather was almost just as cold.

Which is not to say the Seahawks beating the Vikings is a sure thing. Only it's more likely they'll win than they'll lose. And besides that, if you want to look at recent performances- The seahawks just got done slaughtering the Cards (the CARDS, possibly the best team in the NFC) and the Vikings barely beat Green Bay, which has been mediocre as of late.

Again, teams fluctuate game to game and for that very reason anything could happen. I still think the Hawks have the odds in their favor.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

"Almost just as cold"? I just checked the highlights from that game. Coaches on the sidelines; no gloves, no hats, Carroll didn't have his hood pulled up on his hoodie. No visible breath from the players. Current projection for this rematch is game time temperature of 12F with wind chill well into the sub zero. That's not "almost just as cold," that's another planet...an extremely hostile planet.

 

[caketastydelish]

Ah, I stand corrected. However while the Seahawks have gained a few weapons from their last encounter and the Vikings seemed to have lost a few (don't know if you watched their game with Green Bay but a BUNCH of Viking players went down), I wouldn't count the Seahawks out of it just because of the weather... especially because the score wasn't even close during their last encounter, and all they have to do is win, not slaughter, to advance in the playoffs.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I'm not counting them out at all. What I said was that the weather makes the game totally unpredictable. There is no way to guess how the Seahawks OR the Vikings are going to play under those conditions.

 

[BirraImperial]

Both the Chiefs and the Seahawks are looking dangerous, Steelers perhaps too, but after that embarrassing loss to the Ravens and barely making the playoffs, I have my doubts on them...It's going to be a very good weekend for football.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Texans are 7-2 in their last nine...in which I think they started four different quarterbacks. I would be worried facing that defense pretty much no matter what team I was.

 

[_random_]

Odd bit of history...the Chiefs have lost eight (nine?) straight playoff games going back fourteen years...and the last time they won was in Houston.

There's another team right now whose last playoff win was against Houston. The Houston Oilers...

And I swear to Christ if the effing Steelers are the ones to keep this wretched streak going I'll be even more angry than I am every other year we get knocked out first round.

 

[caketastydelish]

Is Andy Dolton back yet? If he is I'd say the Bengals have nothing to worry about. Steelers play unpredictable and sloppy, hence why they barely made the playoffs.

Although without Dolton (or he isn't back to 100%) then yes I could see them losing.

 

[_random_]

Nothing is certain yet. He got his cast off today, but there hasn't been any announcement. Rumor was that he wouldn't be in until the second round. Assuming we get there.

Of course, the Pittsburgh matchup was pretty close when Andy was healthy.

 

[caketastydelish]

Fair enough. I'd still predict the Bengals over the Steelers, supposing Dolton shows up. Otherwise I might go with Steelers. I was laugh pretty hard at the Steelers-Seahawks game because the Steelers made all kinds of sloppy mistakes which cost them the game (especially their stupid fake field goal which ended up being an interception and deep run by the Hawks).

 

[Antilogic]

Subbing to follow, but I missed the end of the regular season games and might be traveling these next two weekends.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Houston wins, Steelers win, Seahawks win, Packers win.

A sufficiently sane series of bets (sans Houston) that it has to be at least half wrong, right?

The better question is how you can open a thread about playoffs without a link to Jim Mora's rant. Should be a tradition on all websites across space and (future) time.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

A sufficiently sane series of bets (sans Houston) that it has to be at least half wrong, right?

The better question is how you can open a thread about playoffs without a link to Jim Mora's rant. Should be a tradition on all websites across space and (future) time.

<----not a traditionalist, though your point has merit.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Question: which injury forced substitutions has more effect on the Steelers at Bengals; Bengals QB Andy Dalton being replaced by AJ McCarron, or Steelers RB DeAngelo Williams being replaced by ummmm, well, someone?

 

[sophie]

Question: which injury forced substitutions has more effect on the Steelers at Bengals; Bengals QB Andy Dalton being replaced by AJ McCarron, or Steelers RB DeAngelo Williams being replaced by ummmm, well, someone?

Well variance between RBs (even very good ones) is significantly less than that between league average and replacement-level quarterbacks. So I'd say the former.