My take on the first week of the NFL playoffs...
No surprises..all the home teams won..which again supports the fact that you really need a bye and home field advantage in the playoffs. The cold weather also insured a Green Bay and Pittsburgh victory. No way a warm weather team like the Miami Dolphins were going to win in bitterly cold Pittsburgh, where it was 18 degrees.
The Giants ran out of miracles against the Packers. New York had a good defense, but couldn't score enough points. They won a lot of close games during the regular season, and their weaknesses were exposed against the Pack.
Houston and Oakland was a boring game. The Texans defense proved to be the difference, along with the fact that the Raiders had to use a rookie quarterback. Shame that David Carr broke his leg after he guided the team to a 12-4 record.
And, the Lions continue their post-season futility. Playing against a hungry Seahawk team, Detriot had little chance of winning in Seattle, the toughest place for a visiting team to play.
Next week, the divisional playoffs begin. On Saturday it's at Atlanta and Houston at New England. On Sunday it's Pittsburgh at Kansas City and Green Bay at Dallas.
The Seahawks are a different team on the road. They lose their intimidating crowd. It should be an interesting match-up- the tough Seattle defense and the high-scoring Falcon offense. I like Atlanta, 24-13
Kansas City is always a tough place to play. Arrowhead Stadium is a cold, loud place to play for a visitor. But it looks like Sunday will be mild day in Kansas City. The Steelers and Ben Rothensberger have the experience to win in the playoffs, and Pittsburgh seems to be peaking at the right time. Make it Steelers 20 Chiefs 10.
New England at home is always tough to beat. The weather looks like it won't be as brutal as it could be this Saturday night. A night game in January in New England could be wickedly cold and snowy. So maybe Houston gets a break this weekend vs. the Patriots weather-wise. But Tom Brady has come too far to lose a home playoff game against a fledgling Texan team with a shaky quarterback. I say Patriots 38 Texans 17
Finally, the marque game, only because it's the Cowboys and it's Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay is sizzling hot, and usually the red-hot team coming into the playoffs does well. Add to the fact that Dallas doesn't play that well at home. Plus it's the first playoff game for the Cowboys' two rookies, Prescott and Elliot. I think it will be a shoot-out, with the Pack winning in the end, 34-31
The Eagles brain trust will be heading to the Senior Bowl soon. Hopefully they have their eye on a stud defensive back, a wide receiver and a pass rusher. March and April will be fun with the start of free agency and the draft. Mix in a few trades and the spring turns very interesting for the rebuilding Birds. The schedule is also announced in April. So the excitement will escalate until training camp in late July.
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