Jack’s Free NFL Picks & Predictions: Playoffs- Round One
Written December 31, 2008 by Jack Jones
It’s Wild Card Weekend in the NFL as the playoffs get underway this Saturday. The first game Saturday has the Arizona Cardinals hosting the Atlanta Falcons as 2 point underdogs. Somehow every road team this week is favored, but in this game I’m leaning toward the Cardinals. Their defense has been pretty awful down the stretch, but I do believe they have plenty of firepower with Kurt Warner throwing to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Tim Hightower at running back has also been a pleasant surprise for the Cards this season, though I feel like he’s been under-used. The Falcons have had a good turnaround this season, that’s for sure, but a rookie QB on the road in the playoffs? I’ll pass. Cards win 31-24 in the desert.
Saturday night features the red hot Indianapolis Colts at the San Diego Chargers. The Colts are 12-4 while the Chargers are 8-8, but due to the NFL’s freaky playoff system, San Diego enjoys home field advantage this week. The Colts have won 9 straight and have appeared to get stronger as the year has gone on. The Chargers have also improved, winning in their final four weeks of the season, but I’m leaning towards the Colts as I still think the injuries to the San Diego defense (Shawne Merriman, in particular) are too much for them to overcome. As of now I’ll take the Colts -1 over the Chargers. Final Predicted Score: 28-20.
The Wild Card games continue on Sunday with the Ravens and the Dolphins. Miami won a huge game over the Jets last week to nab a spot in the playoffs, so I do think they’ll carry some momentum into this home playoff game. The Ravens still have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but their offense continues to be disappointing in big games. Miami +3 is a great line on a team that has defended its home turf pretty well this season (5-3). I know that the Ravens beat the Dolphins in Miami back in week 7, but the ‘Phins are playing with more confidence now and it is extremely difficult for the Ravens to beat a team twice in one season with both games being played on the road. Miami 19, Baltimore 15.
You don’t exactly know what you are going to get with the Philadelphia Eagles this year. Are you going to get the Eagles that lost 3-10 to the Redskins two weeks ago, or the team that embarrassed the Cowboys 44-6 last week? It’s hard to tell. The reason I’m leaning on the Vikings right now is that you know what to expect from them-good rush defense, a very solid running game, and a poor situation at quarterback. While it would be nice if the Vikings did have a someone at the helm that was a bit more consistent, for the most part the running game and the defense should take this team past the first round of the playoffs. The Vikes have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL and they should take full advantage against the Eagles Sunday. Predicted Final: Minnesota 20, Philadelphia 14. Take the Vikings +3.
Editor’s note: These are just my quick leans for this week’s games. I still have a lot of research to do before I upgrade any of them to premium plays for my clients. Many times I will end up on the other side of some games, so please treat these plays accordingly. I’d also like to add that, if you like any of these games, you should get in NOW on any of the favorites you take, but wait on the underdogs as I am expecting some sharp line movements in favor of the underdogs by kickoff. Thanks! -Jack
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2 Responses to “Jack’s Free NFL Picks & Predictions: Playoffs- Round One”
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who will win the college championship and who will win first round playoff games
Cortney,
The predicted scores for the first round playoff games are above. I’ll have a premium selection out on the championship game.